UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Open ended questions invite respondents to express their views, experiences or explanations freely. Instead of selecting from a list, they compose their own responses, which can reveal unexpected themes and nuances. Such questions are useful for exploratory research and for capturing qualitative dimensions that structured options might miss.

Option A:
Option A describes closed ended questions, where response categories are predetermined. While useful for quantitative analysis, they are not open ended.

Option B:
Option B accurately states that open ended questions permit answers in the respondent’s own words, thereby generating rich narrative or textual data. This property distinguishes them from closed formats and is central to their definition.

Option C:
Option C mentions leaving the answer blank, which is not a question format but a case of nonresponse. It does not define open endedness.

Option D:
Option D suggests yes or no responses, which are extremely restricted closed ended items, not open ended ones.

Closed-ended questions present respondents with a limited set of predefined response options, such as yes/no, multiple-choice categories or rating scales. This format simplifies coding, tabulation and statistical analysis because responses can be easily quantified. It also reduces ambiguity and helps ensure that all respondents interpret options in a similar way. Hence, items with fixed responses like ‘yes’ or ‘no’ are accurately described as closed-ended questions.

Option A:
Open-ended questions allow respondents to answer in their own words without being constrained to predefined categories. They yield rich qualitative data but are harder to code and analyse quantitatively. Since the stem explicitly mentions a fixed set of responses, open-ended questions are not the correct type.

Option B:
Closed-ended questions restrict answers to specified alternatives, which enhances comparability across respondents and increases reliability of measurement. This structure fits the description of yes/no items given in the question.

Option C:
Projective questions use ambiguous stimuli or tasks, such as sentence completion or story-telling, to uncover underlying attitudes or motives. They do not typically employ simple fixed categories like yes/no, so projective questions are not appropriate here.

Option D:
Leading questions are worded in a way that suggests a preferred answer or biases respondents, which is a problem of wording rather than of response format. They may be open or closed, but the stem is focused on fixed response sets, making leading questions an incorrect completion.

Closed ended questions limit possible responses to a small set,such as yes/no or a specific fact. They are useful for checking recall or confirming understanding quickly. The stem refers to questions that need brief,definite answers,which is a clear description of closed ended questions.

Option A:
Open ended questions invite longer,more elaborate responses and multiple possible viewpoints,so they do not match the description of brief answers.

Option B:
Closed ended questions help in quick assessment and classroom management,making option B the correct completion.

Option C:
Divergent questions encourage diverse ideas and solutions,which is opposite to the narrow focus described.

Option D:
Reflective questions prompt learners to think deeply about experiences or concepts and usually require extended answers,rather than short yes/no responses.