UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Statements A, B, C, D and E correctly summarise the main pramāṇas in Indian thought, while F is false. Perception, inference, comparison and verbal testimony are widely accepted as distinct means of valid knowledge. Some schools, such as Mīmāṃsā and Vedānta, add arthāpatti (postulation) and anupalabdhi (non-cognition) as further pramāṇas. It is therefore wrong to claim that only perception is recognised everywhere; different schools endorse different sets. Thus A, B, C, D and E only is the correct combination.

Option A:
Option A is incomplete because it stops at A, B and C and does not acknowledge śabda or the later additions of arthāpatti and anupalabdhi. While perception, inference and comparison are important, verbal testimony and additional pramāṇas play significant roles in many systems. Therefore A, B and C only cannot be accepted.

Option B:
Option B is also incomplete, since it includes D but omits E, thereby leaving out the fact that some traditions recognise further pramāṇas beyond the main four. Without E, the description of pramāṇa theory across schools remains partial. Hence A, B, C and D only is not the full set of correct statements.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it treats F as true by including it with A, B, C and D. F claims that all schools accept only pratyakṣa, which contradicts the wide use of inference, testimony and other pramāṇas in many systems. Including F makes the combination logically inconsistent with Indian epistemology.

Option D:
Option D is correct since it assembles A, B, C, D and E, capturing both the standard pramāṇas and the additional ones recognised by some schools, while excluding F’s overgeneralisation. This option therefore matches the set of correct statements presented in the item.

Statements A, B, C, D and F are correct, whereas E is false. Arthāpatti is indeed invoked to resolve otherwise puzzling combinations of facts, and the Devadatta example is the classical illustration. Anupalabdhi is taken by some schools as a means for cognising absence, and Mīmāṃsā argues that arthāpatti is irreducible to standard inference. F is also correct that UGC NET usually tests identification rather than full philosophical controversy. E is wrong because some schools accept these pramāṇas rather than reject them. Thus A, B, C, D and F only is the correct combination.

Option A:
Option A is incomplete since it omits F, overlooking how exam questions typically treat these topics at a recognition level rather than expect deep doctrinal analysis. While A, B, C and D are philosophically sound, they do not fully reflect the UGC NET perspective. Therefore A, B, C and D only cannot be accepted.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it leaves out A and includes only B, C, D and F. Without A, the general idea of arthāpatti as postulation to resolve inconsistency is not explicitly stated. The lack of that basic concept weakens the explanation.

Option C:
Option C is correct as it assembles all the true statements, presenting both the examples and the school-level differences along with their exam relevance. It excludes E, which misrepresents the diversity of views among Indian systems. This combination therefore matches what candidates need to know for UGC NET.

Option D:
Option D is wrong since it includes E, implying that all schools reject these pramāṇas, and it omits B. Accepting E erases the distinctive doctrines of Mīmāṃsā and Vedānta, while omitting B hides the role of anupalabdhi. Hence A, C, D, E and F only cannot be chosen.