UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Statement A correctly defines the ad hominem fallacy as an attack on the person rather than the argument. Statement B accurately describes the straw man technique of distorting an opponent’s view. Statement C is also correct, as hasty generalisation relies on too few or biased examples to support a broad claim. Statement D is false because valid deductive arguments are structurally correct, not fallacious, and E is false since an expert authority can provide legitimate support in many contexts. Hence A, B and C only are correct, which is option C.

Option A:
Option A is incomplete since it omits C and thereby leaves out a major type of fallacy frequently tested in NET reasoning questions.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect as it includes D, which wrongly labels all valid deductions as fallacies, and it omits C, so it contains an error and misses one correct fallacy definition.

Option C:
Option C is correct because it gathers the accurate characterisations of three distinct and important fallacies, while excluding D and E, which misdescribe valid deduction and the role of authority.

Option D:
Option D is wrong since it includes E, which claims that appeal to authority is always fallacious, ignoring legitimate expert testimony, and it omits A, losing a key fallacy type.

Hetvabhasa literally means "that which appears like a hetu" and designates reasons that superficially resemble valid middle terms but are logically defective. Such reasons may suffer from irregularity, contradiction, absence in the paksha or defeat by stronger evidence. Recognising hetvabhasas is essential for evaluating arguments and avoiding misleading inferences. Thus the general term for a fallacious reason in Nyaya is hetvabhasa.

Option A:
Option A, vyapti, is the genuine universal concomitance between hetu and sadhya and is a sign of correctness, not of fallacy. It underwrites valid inference rather than indicating error.

Option B:
Option B, upadhi, is a limiting condition that refines an apparent vyapti and helps explain why some supposed reasons fail; it is not itself the label for fallacious reasons.

Option C:
Option C is correct because Nyaya texts provide detailed classifications of hetvabhasa, such as savyabhicara, asiddha and viruddha, all falling under this broad category. It serves as the umbrella term for defective hetus.

Option D:
Option D, drstanta, is the illustrative example in inference and, while relevant to testing reasons, does not itself name a kind of faulty hetu.