UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

In most implementations of the Choice Based Credit System, credits are linked to weekly teaching-contact hours such as lectures and tutorials. This linkage helps quantify student workload and align it with learning outcomes. The stem refers to the basis on which credit value is typically set, which is the number of teaching-contact hours. Therefore, Option D correctly completes the statement.

Option A:
Vacation hours are periods when regular teaching does not occur and are not used to calculate course credits. As such, they cannot serve as the basis for credit value, making Option A incorrect.

Option B:
Examination hours are important but are generally not used as the primary reference for defining the credit value of a course. Credits focus more on teaching-learning time rather than just on final assessment, so Option B is not appropriate.

Option C:
Library hours may be part of student self-study but credit definitions are more directly tied to structured teaching-contact hours. While independent learning is important, it is not the standard basis for assigning credits, making Option C unsuitable.

Option D:
Teaching-contact hours encompass structured engagements where teachers directly guide learners through content, interaction and clarification. By linking credits to such contact time, institutions can standardise expectations across different courses and departments, which is why Option D correctly captures CBCS logic.

In a credit-based system, each course carries a fixed number of credits proportional to the student workload and contact hours, and learners progress by accumulating these credits. The stem describes exactly this arrangement, so “credit-based” system is the appropriate term.

Option A:
Option A is correct because credit-based systems, including CBCS, are explicitly built around credit values that can be flexibly combined and accumulated towards a degree.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect since a fixed syllabus system simply specifies content; it does not necessarily imply credit allocation or flexible accumulation.

Option C:
Option C is wrong because an annual system refers mainly to the pattern of examinations and academic year structure, not to credit calculations.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect as a purely examination system focuses on tests and may exist with or without credits; it does not by itself describe the credit-based flexibility highlighted in the stem.

CBCS is officially expanded as the Choice Based Credit System, which organises learning into credit units that students can combine flexibly across semesters and even institutions. Since the emphasis is on credits as the building blocks of the programme, “Credit” correctly completes the name.

Option A:
Option A is correct because in CBCS every course carries a specified number of credits, and learners progress by accumulating these credits rather than by following a rigid year-wise pattern.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect as “Curriculum” would change the acronym and does not reflect the focus on quantifying learning through credits.

Option C:
Option C is wrong because “Course” is only one component of the system; the key concept is how courses add up as credits, not the term “Course” itself in the expansion.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect since “Class” refers to a teaching session or group of students and does not convey the systemic credit-based structure implied in CBCS.

A common convention in CBCS is that one credit of practical work corresponds to about two hours of supervised lab activity per week. This reflects the additional time required for hands-on experimentation and preparation. It keeps the workload proportional between theory and practical components. Therefore, “two” hours is the most appropriate choice.

Option A:
Half an hour per week would be too little to justify a full credit and does not match typical academic regulations. It would severely underestimate the time needed for meaningful laboratory learning. Hence, this option is incorrect.

Option B:
One and half hours is closer but still not the widely cited standard used in many CBCS guidelines that specify two hours per credit for practicals. For consistency with common regulations, this option is less accurate than “two.”

Option C:
Two hours per week per credit balances contact time and learning objectives in most science and technical programmes. This is why Option C correctly completes the statement.

Option D:
Five hours for a single credit would make the lab component disproportionately heavy and misaligned with theory credit equivalence. Such a high time load per credit is uncommon, so this option does not fit standard practice.

A common convention in CBCS-based regulations is that one credit for practical or laboratory work corresponds to about two hours of lab engagement per week. This recognises that practical classes often require more time for set-up and hands-on work than lecture hours. The stem refers specifically to credit equivalence for practical work, and “two” hours is the widely used norm in many universities. Hence, Option C is the best answer.

Option A:
Half an hour per week would be far too little to justify one full credit of practical learning and does not reflect actual practice. Therefore, Option A is not reasonable in the context of higher education norms.

Option B:
One and a half hours might be used in some alternative schemes, but the commonly cited CBCS norm for practicals is two hours per credit. Thus, Option B is less accurate than Option C.

Option C:
Option C is correct because (in many CBCS implementations) 1 practical credit is conventionally mapped to around 2 laboratory contact hours per week.

Option D:
Allocating five hours of laboratory work to a single credit would distort the balance between practical and theory courses in students’ overall workload and is rarely used in CBCS norms. Therefore, Option D is incorrect.

Under CBCS, one theory credit is typically linked to one contact hour per week (i.e., one hour of teacher–student instructional interaction). This link helps quantify student workload and align time with credit allotment. Hence, “contact” hours correctly complete the statement.

Option A:
Vacation hours refer to breaks when formal classes are not held. They do not form the basis for calculating credits and remain outside the teaching-learning schedule. Thus, this option is not correct.

Option B:
Examination hours matter for assessment, but CBCS credit definitions are primarily tied to regular instructional engagement (contact hours), not only to final tests. Therefore, this option is not correct.

Option C:
Library hours involve self-study and resource use, which are valuable but are not the standard unit used to assign credits for a theory course. Consequently, this option does not match the usual CBCS basis.

Option D:
Contact hours directly measure structured teaching-learning time between teachers and students. This is the commonly used basis in CBCS for assigning theory credits, which is why this option is appropriate.