UGCNET Questions

Information overload happens when the volume and speed of information exceed learners’ cognitive capacity to assimilate it. Students may feel confused, fatigued or disengaged, and key points can be lost because there is insufficient time for reflection, note making or discussion.

Option A:
Option A describes good instructional design—breaking material into small manageable chunks—which helps prevent overload instead of causing it.

Option B:
Option B is correct because presenting too much content too quickly overwhelms working memory and prevents meaningful processing, leading to overload.

Option C:
Option C allows time for questions and clarification; this pacing actually reduces overload by letting students process and resolve doubts.

Option D:
Option D refers to using examples and summaries, which highlight key ideas and support understanding, again working against overload rather than creating it.

Information overload occurs when the volume of available material exceeds a person’s capacity to process it meaningfully. The solution is not to consume more indiscriminately, but to become selective and strategic. Information literacy combines skills in formulating precise questions, choosing appropriate databases, using filters and evaluating authorship, evidence and bias. Learners who master these skills can turn abundance into an asset rather than a burden.

Option A:
Treating all sources as equally valid undermines academic quality and can lead to the use of misinformation. Scholars are expected to differentiate between peer-reviewed research, opinion pieces and unverified claims.

Option B:
This option correctly emphasises a proactive, skills-based approach to managing digital information. By learning how to search and evaluate systematically, students can focus on the most relevant and trustworthy resources, saving time and improving the quality of their work.

Option C:
Completely avoiding digital resources would cut learners off from up-to-date research and many primary documents. It is neither realistic nor desirable in contemporary higher education.

Option D:
Copy-paste behaviour without reading constitutes poor scholarship and often leads to plagiarism. It does not contribute to understanding and ignores the need for synthesis and critical thinking.