UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

A curriculum that offers a major along with minors and diverse electives across disciplines embodies the philosophy of liberal education, which values breadth, flexibility and intellectual exploration. It aims at holistic development and critical thinking rather than narrow specialisation, so “liberal” is the correct descriptor.

Option A:
Option A is correct because liberal education explicitly encourages students to engage with multiple fields, integrate knowledge and design flexible study pathways, exactly as described in the stem.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect since “remedial” education focuses on removing basic learning deficits and is not defined by a broad elective-based curriculum.

Option C:
Option C is wrong because “vocational” education emphasises specific job skills and a focused, occupation-centred syllabus, not wide disciplinary choice across humanities, sciences and social sciences.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect as “purely rote” learning is based on memorisation and repetition, which is the opposite of the critical, reflective and multi-disciplinary engagement promoted by liberal education.

Contemporary educational thinking recognises that teaching should address the whole learner rather than only academic achievement. Holistic development includes cognitive,emotional,social and sometimes spiritual and physical growth. When teaching supports multiple dimensions together,it prepares learners for real-life challenges. Hence,the broad aim of teaching is best described as promoting holistic development.

Option A:
Intellectual development is a crucial part of education but focuses mainly on cognitive aspects such as thinking and reasoning. The stem,however,uses the phrase "broad aim," which goes beyond intellect alone. Therefore,this option is too narrow to capture the full intention.

Option B:
Holistic development integrates intellectual skills with values,attitudes,communication abilities and healthy habits. Teachers design experiences that help learners understand themselves,work with others and contribute to society. Because the question stresses the broad aim of teaching,holistic is the most suitable completion.

Option C:
Muscular development refers mainly to physical strength and motor skills,which are important but not the exclusive or broad aim of teaching in modern education. It represents only one dimension of the learner.

Option D:
Economic development is more appropriately applied to societies or nations,not directly to individual learners. While education can enhance employability,it is not the only or complete purpose of teaching.

Liberal education emphasises broad-based learning across multiple disciplines, enabling students to combine a major field with minors and electives from other areas. Such programmes seek to develop critical thinking, communication and problem-solving skills rather than narrow training in a single domain. The stem describes exactly this model of flexible undergraduate study with varied electives. Therefore, liberal education is the correct completion.

Option A:
Liberal education encourages students to explore humanities, sciences and social sciences and to integrate insights from different fields. By allowing majors, minors and a wide elective basket, it matches the multidimensional structure mentioned in the question. This alignment makes Option A the correct answer.

Option B:
Vocational education focuses on specific job skills and trades, typically with a narrower curriculum tailored to particular occupations. It does not usually prioritise broad academic exploration across disciplines, so Option B is not suitable.

Option C:
Remedial education is aimed at helping learners overcome gaps in basic skills or prior learning and is often supplementary to mainstream programmes. It does not describe the structure of a full undergraduate programme with majors and minors, making Option C incorrect.

Option D:
Non-formal education refers to organised learning activities outside the formal institutional system, such as community courses or NGO-led programmes. The stem clearly refers to a formal undergraduate degree structure, so Option D cannot be the right completion.

Statements A, B and C correctly define the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains as mental, attitudinal and physical skill areas. Statement E is also true because objectives can be framed across domains to promote balanced development. Statement D is false since focusing only on cognitive outcomes ignores attitudinal and skill aspects of holistic education. Hence, A, B, C and E only is the correct combination of statements.

Option A:
Option A includes A, B and C but omits E, overlooking the important point that objectives can and should be distributed across domains for balance. Since E is also correct, A, B and C only is incomplete.

Option B:
Option B groups B, C and E, leaving out A, which provides the central idea of cognitive objectives. Without A, the account of domains is not comprehensive, so B, C and E only cannot be accepted.

Option C:
Option C brings together A, B, C and E, which together describe the domains and the possibility of integrating them in planning. It correctly excludes D, which claims cognitive objectives alone are sufficient. Therefore, this is the correct option.

Option D:
Option D selects A, C and E, but omits B, ignoring the affective domain, which is a key part of the tripartite classification. As a result, A, C and E only does not fully represent the domains.

NEP 2020 positions arts (music, visual arts, theatre, dance, etc.) as core curricular areas that nurture creativity, cultural understanding and emotional expression. It clearly states that arts should be integrated into regular teaching–learning as part of holistic development, not treated as optional extras.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because NEP 2020 does not recommend removing arts to create time for “core” subjects; doing so would directly contradict its holistic education vision.

Option B:
Option B is correct as it reflects NEP’s emphasis on placing arts within the main curriculum to support creativity, expression and overall personality development.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because limiting arts to paid after-school coaching would restrict access, especially for disadvantaged learners, which is contrary to NEP’s inclusive approach.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect since NEP advocates arts opportunities for all children, not only those in specialised institutions; restricting arts to a small group goes against equity and inclusion.

NEP 2020 repeatedly states that its vision is to develop an equitable and vibrant knowledge society and eventually turn India into a global knowledge superpower. It links high-quality education with economic growth, social justice and cultural preservation. The policy emphasises access, equity and excellence together. So this statement captures the vision accurately.

Option A:
A purely exam-driven system is criticised in NEP, which instead wants competency-based learning and better assessments, so this cannot be the vision.

Option B:
This option directly reflects the wording in the policy about knowledge society and global leadership in education and research.

Option C:
Focusing only on cheap labour contradicts the policy’s stress on creativity, critical thinking and high-value skills.

Option D:
Eliminating research would go against NEP’s push for research-intensive universities and the NRF.

Statements A, B and D correctly indicate the value of NSS and NCC. A is true because NSS involves students in community-oriented work and social campaigns. B is true as NCC builds discipline, leadership and civic responsibility through drill, camps and training. D is true since certificates, credits and awards for participation can motivate more students to join. Statement C is false; these activities significantly contribute to holistic development by fostering social sensitivity and leadership traits. Therefore, A, B and D only are correct.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because it includes A and B but omits D, overlooking the motivational role of institutional recognition in expanding participation.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it includes A and D but leaves out B, thus not explicitly acknowledging NCC’s contribution to discipline and leadership, which is a core part of its mandate.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it selects B and D only and omits A, failing to mention the community service and social development aspects that NSS emphasises.

Option D:
Option D is correct because it combines A, B and D, capturing community service, leadership development and recognition, while excluding C, which wrongly denies the developmental benefits of these programmes.

Statements A, B and C correctly identify the focus of cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains respectively. Statement F is also true because well-designed teaching frequently combines objectives related to knowledge, attitudes and skills to promote holistic learning. Statement D is false since affective outcomes like attitudes and values can be assessed through observations, reflections and rating scales, and E is false because concentrating only on cognitive outcomes does not capture full learner development. Therefore, the correct set of statements is A, B, C and F only, making option D the right answer.

Option A:
Option A includes A and B, which are correct, but it omits C and F, both of which accurately describe the psychomotor domain and integrated objectives. Because it leaves out true statements, this combination provides an incomplete picture of learning domains. Hence A and B only cannot be the correct answer.

Option B:
Option B adds C to A and B and thus correctly represents all three domains, but it still leaves out F, which highlights the integration of domains in effective teaching. Since F is also a true statement, excluding it results in an incomplete set of correct statements. Therefore A, B and C only is not adequate.

Option C:
Option C groups B, C, E and F but introduces E, which wrongly claims that cognitive objectives alone are sufficient for complete development. Although B, C and F are true, the inclusion of E, a false statement, makes the set logically inconsistent. Thus B, C, E and F only cannot be the correct answer.

Option D:
Option D combines A, B, C and F, all of which correctly explain the three domains and the need to integrate them in instruction. It correctly omits D and E, which either deny the assessability of affective outcomes or overemphasise the cognitive domain. Because it contains all and only the true statements, A, B, C and F only is the correct option.

Option E includes A, B, D and F, but D incorrectly suggests that affective outcomes cannot be assessed, which contradicts established assessment practices. While A, B and F are true, the presence of D as though it were correct invalidates the set. Consequently A, B, D and F only cannot be accepted.

Option F brings together C, D, E and F but contains both D and E, which are false, and omits A and B, which provide essential information about cognitive and affective domains. This combination therefore overrepresents inaccurate statements and underrepresents accurate ones. Hence C, D, E and F only is not the right answer.

Statements A, C, D and F present widely accepted aims of teaching across educational levels. A is correct because higher education emphasises critical and independent thinking. C is correct as teaching seeks cognitive, affective and psychomotor development. D is correct since value formation and social sensitivity are central contemporary goals. F is correct because curiosity and self-directed study underpin lifelong learning, whereas B and E are narrow or incorrect; hence A, C, D and F only is the correct combination.

Option A:
Option A includes exactly the statements A, C, D and F, all of which are true and collectively reflect intellectual, moral, social and lifelong learning aims of teaching. It deliberately excludes B, which ignores learners’ experiences, and E, which reduces aims to examination success. Because it contains all and only the true statements, this option is correct.

Option B:
Option B omits F, thereby leaving out the crucial aim of fostering lifelong learning habits. Although A, C and D are correct, the absence of F makes the combination incomplete and therefore not acceptable as the best answer.

Option C:
Option C wrongly includes E along with C, D and F. Since E claims that examination performance is the sole aim of teaching, which is a distorted and limited view, this combination mixes true and false statements and cannot be considered correct.

Option D:
Option D adds B to an otherwise correct set of statements. B wrongly suggests that primary teaching should ignore children’s experiences, which contradicts child-centred pedagogy. Because it incorporates this false statement, A, B, C, D and F only is not a valid option.