Barriers to effective communication – UGC NET Question

Statements A, B and D correctly identify important types of barriers, while C and E are wrong. A is true because semantic barriers occur when language and symbols are differently understood. B is true as psychological factors like attitudes and prejudices can distort messages. D is true since cultural norms and values influence interpretation. C is false because noise in communication includes not only physical disturbances but also psychological and semantic interference. E is false because clarifying questions usually reduce misunderstanding instead of acting as barriers; therefore the wrong statements are C and E only.

Option A:
Option A, which chooses C only, correctly points out that restricting noise to physical disturbances is an error but overlooks E, which also misrepresents barriers. Since clarifying questions actually improve understanding, failing to include E means this option does not capture all the wrong statements. Thus, C only is incomplete and cannot be accepted.

Option B:
Option B selects E only and ignores C, even though C also provides an incorrect, overly narrow view of noise. Because both C and E misstate aspects of communication barriers, identifying only one of them as wrong makes this combination inadequate. Therefore, E only is not the correct answer.

Option C:
Option C groups C and E together and recognises that each misrepresents communication barriers. C omits psychological and semantic aspects of noise, and E wrongly treats clarifying questions as obstacles rather than aids to understanding. Since A, B and D are correct and C and E are wrong, C and E only is the correct option.

Option D:
Option D brings together B, C and E, but B is actually a correct statement about psychological barriers. By classifying B as wrong, this combination conflicts with standard communication theory. Including one true statement among the supposed wrong ones makes B, C and E only logically inconsistent and therefore unacceptable.