UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Formative evaluation is conducted during the teaching–learning process to gather information about students’ progress. Its main goal is to provide feedback to both learners and teachers so that strengths can be built upon and weaknesses addressed promptly. This feedback enables teachers to modify instruction and students to adjust their study strategies before final grading. Therefore, the immediate purpose mentioned in the stem is best described as feedback.

Option A:
Certification is typically associated with summative evaluation at the end of a course, where final grades or qualifications are awarded. It does not directly support improvement while learning is still taking place. Since the stem focuses on ongoing learning, certification cannot be the correct answer.

Option B:
Ranking involves ordering students according to performance, often in norm-referenced assessments. While ranks may satisfy administrative requirements, they rarely provide detailed guidance on how to improve. Hence, ranking is not the central purpose of formative evaluation as described here.

Option C:
Feedback in formative evaluation highlights what learners are doing well and where they need more practice or different strategies. It also informs teachers about which concepts require reteaching or alternative explanation. Because the stem explicitly mentions improvement of ongoing learning, feedback is the accurate term.

Option D:
Strict punishment may sometimes accompany poor performance, but it does not describe the core aim of formative evaluation and can even discourage learners. Formative assessment seeks to support and improve learning rather than penalise it. Therefore, punishment is not an appropriate completion.

Statements A, B and D describe core purposes of classroom communication, whereas C is incorrect. A is correct because communication is needed to convey subject matter from teacher to learners. B is correct since classroom communication also seeks to develop higher-order thinking and problem-solving abilities. D is correct because teachers rely on students’ responses and reactions to adjust their instruction. C is false because communication does influence classroom norms and values through teacher expectations, examples and interactions.

Option A:
Option A is correct because it combines A, B and D, the three statements that accurately capture the purposes in the stem. It includes transmission of content, development of thinking, and ongoing monitoring and adjustment of teaching. It deliberately excludes C, which wrongly claims that communication has no role in shaping norms and values.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it includes only A and B and leaves out D. While it recognises that communication transmits content and supports attitude and thinking changes, it ignores the feedback function that enables teachers to modify their approaches. Since D is also a true statement, this combination does not represent the full set of correct statements.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it includes B and D but omits A. By leaving out the transmission of subject matter, it fails to acknowledge the foundational informational role of classroom communication. Therefore it does not cover all the correct statements in the list.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it treats A, B, C and D as if they were all correct. Including C is problematic, as C denies the influence of communication on classroom norms and values. Because it mixes one false statement with three true ones, this combination cannot be accepted.

Feedback provides information on how the original message has been received and understood. When the teacher uses student comments to change the pace,they are using feedback to improve communication effectiveness. This adjustment helps align teaching with learners’ needs,showing that the purpose is improvement.

Option A:
Interruption simply breaks the flow without necessarily leading to better understanding,which is not the goal in the stem.

Option B:
Improvement occurs when the teacher refines delivery based on feedback,making option B the correct description.

Option C:
Entertainment is not the primary objective of asking about pace; the focus is on clarity and comprehension.

Option D:
Punishment does not relate to the process of adjusting speed based on learner responses.