UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Statements A, B, E and F correctly capture the core of the human development approach by focusing on capabilities, health, education, income, gender disparities and basic services. Statement C is wrong because human development treats economic growth as a means, not something to be completely rejected. Statement D is wrong because a high HDI does not automatically ensure low inequality or strong environmental sustainability. Hence, the only option that includes all and only the correct statements is A, B, E and F.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because it includes C, which wrongly claims that the human development approach rejects economic growth entirely. It also omits F, so it ignores the centrality of basic services.

Option B:
Option B is correct because it brings together statements about capabilities, composite measurement, gender disparities and access to basic services. It excludes C and D, which oversimplify the relationship between growth, HDI, inequality and environment. This combination aligns with the concept of human development.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it accepts D, which assumes high HDI guarantees low inequality and environmental sustainability, which is not empirically true. It also omits A, losing the capability-centered definition of human development.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect as it includes C, which claims the approach rejects economic growth entirely, and it omits B. This misrepresents the nuanced view of growth in human development and ignores the role of HDI as a summary measure.

Statements A and C are correct because informal settlements are frequently located in environmentally risky areas and suffer from poor housing and inadequate services, increasing health risks. Statement B is incorrect as service provision in informal settlements is often inadequate or absent, not uniformly adequate. Statement D is wrong because urban poor communities can and do participate in planning processes when given opportunities. Thus, the combination containing A and C only represents the set of correct statements.

Option A:
Option A is correct because it includes both true statements (A and C) and excludes the false statements (B and D). It correctly captures exposure of informal settlements to hazards and higher environmental health risks due to poor housing and inadequate services.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect as it adds statement B to A and C, thereby treating B as true. In reality, B misrepresents the situation by suggesting that all informal settlements have adequate services, which contradicts evidence of widespread deficits in water, sanitation and waste management. Including this false statement invalidates the combination.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it selects B and D only. Both B and D are false: service access is not uniformly adequate, and communities can contribute meaningfully to environmental decision-making. By excluding the true statements A and C, this option is completely misaligned with the reality of urban poverty and environment linkages.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it combines A, C and D. While A and C are true, D is false as it denies the agency and potential role of urban poor in planning. A correct combination must exclude statement D.

Statements D and E are wrong because displaced people frequently struggle to access water, sanitation and shelter, and gender and social norms strongly influence who faces the greatest risks and burdens. A, B, C and F are correct in emphasising sudden displacement, environmental stress in host areas, the use of planned relocation and shared pressures on resources. Therefore, the option that identifies both D and E as wrong while accepting the others as accurate is the correct one.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect since it singles out only D as wrong and ignores E, even though denying the role of gender and social norms strongly contradicts evidence from many disaster situations. By failing to mark E, it underestimates key social dimensions of displacement.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect as it points only to E and leaves out D. Statement D clearly misrepresents the difficulties displaced populations face in securing basic services, so any answer that does not include D among the wrong statements is incomplete.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it groups D, E and F together, even though F is a true statement describing how both hosts and displaced groups can face environmental stress. Including F among wrong statements makes this combination conceptually flawed.

Option D:
Option D is correct because it identifies D and E as the pair of statements that distort how displacement and vulnerability operate, while treating A, B, C and F as valid. This aligns with the unit’s emphasis on service access, social vulnerability and environmental pressures in displacement contexts.