UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Statements A, B and C give core structural rules of valid categorical syllogisms, and E and F correctly name the fallacies arising from breaking the first two rules. D is false because two particular premises do not guarantee a valid conclusion in general. Therefore A, B, C, E and F only forms the correct combination of true statements.

Option A:
Option A is correct since it includes all the true rules and their associated fallacies, and excludes D.

Option B:
Option B is incomplete as it omits F, leaving out illicit major/minor.

Option C:
Option C is incomplete because it omits A (distribution of middle term).

Option D:
Option D is incorrect since it includes D, which is false.

Statements A, B, D and E are correct, while C is false. Illicit process concerns the major or minor term being distributed in the conclusion without being distributed in its respective premise, violating the rule that distribution cannot increase from premise to conclusion. Errors involving the middle term give rise to fallacies like undistributed middle, not “illicit middle” in standard terminology. UGC NET questions often ask candidates to identify illicit major or minor in flawed syllogisms, so E is true. Therefore A, B, D, E only is the correct combination.

Option A:
Option A is incomplete because it omits E, failing to mention that this topic appears explicitly in exam items. A, B, D only thus does not fully respond to the stem.

Option B:
Option B is correct as it contains all true descriptive and exam-related statements and excludes C, which mislabels middle-term errors. This matches standard syllogistic terminology used in UGC NET preparation material.

Option C:
Option C is wrong since it leaves out A and still misclassifies the middle-term error as “illicit middle”, which is not the usual name. B, D, E only therefore provides an incomplete and partly incorrect picture.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it includes C, the misnamed error, and so A, B, C, D only mixes correct information with an inaccurate label. It cannot be accepted as the correct option.

Illicit process is the general name for the error that occurs when a term is treated as undistributed in a premise but then distributed in the conclusion. This means the conclusion speaks about all members of a class even though the premises did not justify such breadth. It violates the rule that any term distributed in the conclusion must be distributed in the corresponding premise. Therefore the fallacy described is illicit process.

Option A:
Option A, ambiguous middle, is not the standard name for a recognised categorical fallacy. Although ambiguity can cause errors, it is not specifically about the distribution mismatch between premise and conclusion mentioned in the stem.

Option B:
Option B is correct because illicit process covers both illicit major and illicit minor as specific cases. In each case, the problematic feature is that the conclusion extends the scope of a term beyond what the premises support. This matches the description in the question.

Option C:
Option C, contradictory middle, is not a conventional label in syllogistic logic and does not refer to the distribution of terms between premises and conclusion. It therefore cannot be the correct answer.

Option D:
Option D, circularity, refers to an argument that assumes what it is supposed to prove. While also fallacious, circular reasoning does not primarily concern whether a term is distributed or undistributed.