UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

The mean is calculated by summing all scores and dividing by the number of observations, so every value contributes to its magnitude. As a result, extremely high or low scores can pull the mean toward them, distorting its representation of the typical value. This sensitivity makes the mean less robust in skewed distributions. Because the stem asks for the measure most affected by extreme scores, mean is the correct answer.

Option A:
Median is based on the middle position of ordered scores and is largely unaffected by the exact values of extremes, as long as their positions do not change. It is therefore more robust to outliers than the mean. Hence, median does not match the property described in the stem.

Option B:
Mean provides useful information in symmetric distributions with few outliers but becomes misleading when the data are highly skewed, such as income distributions. In such cases, median or trimmed means are often preferable. The strong impact of extreme scores on mean corresponds to the statement in the question, confirming mean as the appropriate completion.

Option C:
Mode identifies the most frequent score in the distribution and is not calculated using all values. While the presence of outliers can alter frequencies, extreme scores are not inherently more influential than other scores. Thus, mode is not the measure that is most affected by extremes in the sense described.

Option D:
Geometric mean is used mainly for multiplicative processes or growth rates and, although sensitive in its own way, is not the standard measure considered in discussions about the influence of extreme scores on central tendency in basic descriptive statistics. Therefore, geometric mean is not the best answer here.

Statements A, B and E state standard facts about central tendency. A is correct because mean can lie left or right of the median in skewed distributions or coincide in symmetric cases. B is correct for perfectly symmetric unimodal distributions such as the normal distribution. E is correct since the median position splits an ordered data set into two halves with equal counts. C is false because mean and median need not always be equal, and D is false because mode may be non-unique or even absent, so A, B and E only is the correct combination.

Option A:
Option A is correct since it includes all and only the true statements: A about relative positions of mean and median, B about equality in symmetric unimodal distributions and E about the median’s partition property. It excludes C and D, both of which overstate what must always happen.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it adds C, which wrongly claims that median always equals mean for any data set. Including C introduces a false universal statement about equality of mean and median.

Option C:
Option C is wrong as it includes C again, making the set A, B, C, E contain one false member. A correct combination must consist entirely of true statements, so this option cannot be chosen.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it includes D, which asserts that the mode must always be unique. In reality, a distribution may be bimodal, multimodal or have no mode, so adding D makes this option incorrect.