UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

A key pedagogical strength of ICT is its capacity to combine text, audio, video and animation to support different learning styles. Interactive tools such as simulations, quizzes and discussion forums help students actively construct knowledge. This can improve motivation, attention span and conceptual understanding. Therefore, the advantage described in this option closely reflects educational theory and practice regarding ICT integration.

Option A:
This option overstates the impact of ICT by suggesting guaranteed high marks irrespective of student effort. Learning outcomes depend on many factors including prior knowledge, motivation and teaching quality. ICT can support learning but cannot replace the need for effort and engagement from learners. Thus, it is an exaggerated and unrealistic claim.

Option B:
This option assumes that ICT can entirely replace teachers, which contradicts the idea of teachers as facilitators and guides. In practice, ICT supports and enhances the teacher’s role rather than eliminating it. Human interaction, mentoring and assessment remain essential in higher education.

Option C:
This option wrongly suggests that ICT makes offline modes invalid, which is not supported by educational policy or practice. Blended learning models intentionally combine online and offline activities for better outcomes. Therefore, treating offline learning as invalid is pedagogically unsound and incorrect.

Option D:

Constructivist approaches view learning as active construction of knowledge. Cognitive conflict,where existing ideas are challenged by new evidence,is used to prompt learners to reorganise their thinking. Teachers who design such conflicts aim to shift misconceptions toward more accurate concepts. This strategy is characteristic of constructivist teaching.

Option A:
Behaviourist approaches focus on conditioning and reinforcement of observable behaviours,not on internal restructuring of concepts through conflict.

Option B:
Drill-based methods emphasise repetition and practice of correct responses without necessarily challenging underlying misconceptions.

Option C:
Rote learning involves memorising information without deep understanding and rarely uses cognitive conflict to change thinking.

Option D:
Constructivist teaching deliberately exposes inconsistencies in learners’ ideas and supports them in reconstructing understanding,which matches the description given in the stem.

The constructivist approach views learning as an active process in which learners construct new knowledge by relating it to their existing cognitive structures. It highlights the importance of prior knowledge, hands-on activities and interaction with peers and teachers to negotiate meaning. The stem’s emphasis on prior knowledge, active engagement and social negotiation clearly identifies this as the constructivist approach.

Option A:
Behaviourist approaches focus on observable behaviour changes produced through reinforcement and conditioning, often downplaying internal cognitive construction and social negotiation of meaning.

Option B:
Authoritarian approaches centralise power in the teacher, with little emphasis on learner autonomy or shared meaning-making. This is inconsistent with constructivist principles.

Option C:
Eclectic approach refers to combining features from various methods without necessarily being grounded in a specific learning theory such as constructivism. It does not directly signal the theoretical emphasis mentioned in the stem.

Option D:
In constructivist classrooms, teachers design tasks that require exploration, collaboration and reflection. Because these features align exactly with the description in the stem, constructivist is the correct answer.

Constructivist approaches view learning as an active process in which learners build new knowledge on the foundation of their existing ideas and experiences. Knowledge is not simply transmitted; it is constructed through interaction with the environment, tasks and social discourse. Teachers in this perspective design activities that require learners to explore, question and make meaning. Therefore, the approach described in the stem is the constructivist approach.

Option A:
Behaviourist approaches emphasize observable behaviour changes brought about by stimuli and reinforcement, often downplaying internal mental construction. While they can explain some aspects of learning, they do not focus on learners actively constructing knowledge structures. Thus, behaviourism is not the approach referred to in the question.

Option B:
Traditional lecture approaches typically align with a transmission model where the teacher delivers information and students receive it passively. There is limited emphasis on learners restructuring their own understanding through activity. Consequently, this option does not capture the active, constructive role assigned to learners in the stem.

Option C:
Constructivist approach holds that learners integrate new information with prior knowledge through active engagement. Activities like experiments, discussions and projects allow them to test and refine their ideas. Since the stem explicitly mentions active construction of knowledge through interaction and prior ideas, this option correctly names the approach.

Option D:
Authoritarian approaches stress strict control, obedience and unilateral decisions by the teacher. They tend to restrict learner autonomy and dialogue, which are important for knowledge construction in constructivism. Thus, authoritarian teaching contradicts the philosophy described in the question.

NEP 2020 repeatedly emphasises that classrooms should move towards student-centred learning. In this approach, learners actively construct knowledge through interaction, exploration and reflection. It values student voice, choice and collaboration over one-way lecturing. Thus, “student-centred” learning accurately captures the pedagogic shift described in the policy.

Option A:
Syllabus-centred learning focuses mainly on completing the prescribed content rather than responding to learner needs. It encourages a coverage mentality rather than deep understanding. This is closer to traditional teacher dominance and not the reform direction suggested by NEP 2020.

Option B:
Student-centred learning keeps learners’ interests, prior knowledge and pace at the core of teaching. It uses activities, discussions and projects to engage students meaningfully. This orientation matches NEP 2020’s call for active, holistic and flexible learning environments.

Option C:
Exam-centred learning places tests at the centre and often pushes students towards rote memorisation. NEP 2020 discourages such exam-driven culture and promotes continuous assessment instead. Therefore, this option does not align with the desired shift.

Option D:
Authority-centred learning reinforces hierarchy and unquestioned obedience to the teacher. It restricts critical questioning and participatory decision-making. This is opposite to the democratic, learner-focused ethos promoted in the policy.

In learner-centred teaching, the focus shifts from what the teacher does to what the learners do. The teacher arranges learning experiences and resources so that students actively construct knowledge. Acting as a facilitator means guiding, supporting and scaffolding learners rather than dominating the interaction. Hence, facilitator is the most appropriate description of the teacher’s role in learner-centred classrooms.

Option A:
A controller exercises tight authority over every classroom activity and decision. This style tends to limit student autonomy, exploration and participation. Such a role is more typical of teacher-centred teaching than of learner-centred classrooms.

Option B:
An evaluator is primarily concerned with judging or grading students’ performance. While assessment is part of teaching, making it the predominant role overlooks planning, guiding and supporting learning. In learner-centred settings, evaluation is integrated but not the teacher’s sole identity.

Option C:
A facilitator helps learners take responsibility for their own learning by offering guidance, feedback and appropriate challenges. This role allows students to explore, discuss and collaborate while the teacher monitors progress. Therefore, facilitator accurately captures the teacher’s predominant role in learner-centred classrooms.

Option D:
A strict disciplinarian focuses mainly on maintaining order and enforcing rules. Excessive emphasis on discipline can suppress open communication and experimentation. Consequently, this role does not reflect the supportive, guiding stance needed in learner-centred pedagogy.

NEP 2020 repeatedly emphasises that pedagogy should be learner-centric rather than dominated by the teacher. Student-centred learning promotes active engagement, critical thinking and autonomy, allowing learners to construct their own understanding. It fits well with constructivist principles and flexible curricula that respond to diverse learner needs. Because the policy explicitly calls for shifting from teacher control to learner agency, “student-centred” is the only option that correctly completes the statement.

Option A:
Syllabus-centred learning keeps the primary focus on completing prescribed content, often at a fixed pace, regardless of students’ interests, prior knowledge or learning difficulties. This approach typically leads to coverage-oriented teaching where “finishing the syllabus” is more important than deep understanding. NEP 2020 calls for flexibility, interdisciplinarity and focus on competencies, so a syllabus-centred orientation does not represent the recommended pedagogic shift and is therefore not correct.

Option B:
Student-centred learning recognises students as active participants who co-construct knowledge through questioning, exploration and collaboration. It encourages teachers to use varied strategies like projects, discussions and problem-solving tasks suited to learners’ contexts. NEP 2020 links such learner-centred environments with holistic development, creativity and democratic classroom culture. Hence, Option B, student-centred learning, accurately reflects the direction of reform advocated in the policy.

Option C:
Exam-centred learning makes tests and marks the dominant driver of classroom activity and curriculum decisions. This often results in rote memorisation, short-term preparation and teaching narrowly to the test. NEP 2020 explicitly discourages such exam-driven practices and instead promotes formative, competency-based and continuous assessment. Because the policy is trying to move away from exam-centred practices, this option cannot complete a statement about the desired pedagogic shift and is incorrect.

Option D:
Authority-centred learning reinforces rigid hierarchies in which the teacher is unquestioned and students remain passive recipients of information. Such environments leave little space for dialogue, feedback or shared decision-making, which runs counter to NEP 2020’s emphasis on participatory and inclusive classrooms. By keeping control with the authority figure, this model undermines the learner agency and voice that the policy wants to strengthen. Therefore, authority-centred learning does not represent the recommended move and is not the right answer.

Learner-centred teaching views students as active participants who construct knowledge through engagement with tasks and dialogue. Responsibility for learning is shared because learners are expected to explore, question and collaborate rather than only receive information. The teacher designs activities that promote participation and autonomy while providing guidance. Therefore, a classroom where students actively participate and share responsibility with the teacher is best described as practising learner-centred teaching.

Option A:
Learner-centred teaching deliberately shifts the focus from teaching to learning by involving students in decision-making, problem-solving and reflection. It matches the idea in the stem because students are not passive listeners but co-creators of learning experiences. The teacher facilitates rather than dominates, which is exactly what is implied when responsibility is shared. Hence, this option correctly names the approach described.

Option B:
Teacher-centred teaching places the teacher at the centre of the process, with students mainly listening, taking notes and following directions. It does not typically emphasize shared responsibility or active participation to the same extent. Thus, it does not match the description of a classroom where learners are deeply engaged in learning tasks.

Option C:
Lecture-dominated teaching relies heavily on continuous teacher talk, often leaving little room for student interaction except occasional questions. Students are primarily receivers of information rather than active participants. Consequently, this option does not capture the emphasis on shared responsibility and active engagement mentioned in the stem.

Option D:
Authoritarian teaching stresses strict control, obedience and little negotiation of classroom decisions. In such a climate, students may hesitate to participate freely or share responsibility. Therefore, it is almost the opposite of the learner-centred, participatory style described in the question.