UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

NEP 2020 frequently refers to SEDGs as groups that face barriers due to social and economic conditions. These include SCs, STs, OBCs, minority communities, girls, differently-abled persons and others. Special schemes and funds are proposed to support them. The acronym explicitly stands for Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups.

Option A:
Option A mis-expands the acronym and does not relate to equity concerns.

Option B:
This option matches the text of NEP and clarifies the focus on disadvantaged learners.

Option C:
Option C invents a meaning that refers only to graduates, which is not the usage in the policy.

Option D:
Option D is unrelated to the equity framework described in NEP.

Statements A, B, C and E reflect an inclusive understanding of the digital divide, while D and F undermine equity. The divide involves differences in access, affordability and skills among regions and social groups. Solutions often combine infrastructure, public facilities and targeted literacy programmes, and they must consider gender, disability and language. Claiming that literacy training is unnecessary or that restricting access to advantaged groups promotes equity runs against goals of inclusive development.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because it includes D, which wrongly dismisses the need for digital literacy training, and it omits A, which defines the digital divide. Including a false statement makes this combination invalid.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it adds F and omits C. Including F suggests deliberately limiting access to advantaged groups, which would worsen inequalities. Leaving out C removes a key strategy of expanding affordable access, so this combination is not acceptable.

Option C:
Option C is correct because it collects all relevant statements about definition, affected groups, improvement strategies and intersecting inequalities. It excludes D and F, which dismiss literacy efforts and promote exclusion, hence it aligns with UGC NET perspectives on ICT and development.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it includes F and omits B. Accepting F abandons equity goals, and ignoring the vulnerabilities of rural and low-income communities makes the answer incomplete and inaccurate.

Statements A, B, C, D and F together capture a balanced view of GER expansion. A is correct because national policies link GER targets with quality and equity, not numbers alone. B is correct since physical and human resources are essential for sustainable expansion. C is correct as uncontrolled growth without accreditation and regulation can erode public trust. D is correct as it states the standard definition of GER, and F is correct because diversified delivery modes help reach new groups. E is incorrect because the intention is to increase participation of disadvantaged groups, not reduce it.

Option A:
Option A is correct because it includes all the true statements about GER policy—quality and equity focus, resource needs, risks of unregulated growth, the definition of GER and the role of multi-mode delivery—while excluding E, which wrongly assumes that disadvantaged groups must lose out.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it adds E to an otherwise correct set, thereby accepting the false claim that expansion must reduce disadvantaged participation, which contradicts the idea of inclusive growth.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it omits B and therefore ignores the crucial requirement of infrastructure and faculty planning for GER expansion, even though it includes other true statements.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it includes E, which reverses the intent of equity-focused expansion, and omits A and F, thus failing to highlight policy emphasis on quality and the role of multiple delivery modes.

Universal access is the stage at which nearly every eligible and interested person can obtain a place in higher education. The stem describes this aspiration—to include almost all who are willing and prepared—so “universal” access is the appropriate term.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because minimal access would mean very limited opportunities, which conflicts with the expansionary aim described.

Option B:
Option B is correct as universal access captures the long-term policy goal of making higher education nearly fully inclusive for the target group.

Option C:
Option C is wrong since selective access deliberately restricts participation to a smaller chosen subset, not “almost all.”

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because random access suggests lack of planning or criteria, whereas policy aspirations are deliberate and equity-oriented.

NEP 2020 suggests identifying areas with particularly poor educational indicators and high numbers of disadvantaged learners and designating them as Special Education Zones so that additional resources, schemes and monitoring can be concentrated there.

Option A:
Creating elite only zones would widen, not reduce, disparities and does not align with the policy.

Option B:
This option explains SEZs as instruments for targeted support to underserved areas, which is the purpose described in NEP.

Option C:
Segregating students with disabilities is inconsistent with the inclusive education principles of the policy.

Option D:
Allocating land only for private universities is unrelated to the school focused equity strategy of SEZs.

NEP 2020 recognises that curriculum and pedagogy can either reinforce or challenge gender bias, so it calls for revising textbooks, visuals and classroom processes to remove stereotypes and actively promote gender equality and sensitivity.

Option A:
This option is incorrect because simply ignoring gender issues allows existing stereotypes and hidden biases to continue unchallenged in textbooks and classrooms.

Option B:
This option is correct as it captures NEP 2020’s recommendation to consciously revise content and pedagogy so that examples, stories and interactions promote gender justice and respect.

Option C:
This option is wrong because reinforcing traditional restrictive gender roles would deepen inequality and goes directly against NEP’s equity and inclusion goals.

Option D:
This option is incorrect because confining gender topics to a few optional courses misses NEP’s insistence that equality and sensitivity be normalised across all subjects and grades.