UGCNET Questions

Browsers like Chrome and Firefox run on user devices and interpret HTML and other web content for display. Search engines like Google run on remote servers, index vast numbers of pages and return lists of matching sites when users type keywords. Users typically open a browser first and then access a search engine website through it. This explanation correctly differentiates the two tools.

Option A:
This option matches ICT literacy expectations by separating the function of viewing content from the function of finding it. It shows that the tools complement each other but are not interchangeable.

Option B:
Treating a search engine as hardware and a browser as a printed document confuses software with physical artefacts. Neither tool fits these descriptions.

Option C:
Limiting browsers to SMS and search engines to file saving assigns functionalities they do not have. SMS uses different systems, and file saving is done by operating systems and applications.

Option D:
Saying that both terms always have the same meaning erases a practical distinction that users experience daily when navigating the Web.

Browsers like Chrome, Firefox or Edge are installed on devices to render web content using protocols such as HTTP and HTTPS. Search engines such as Google or Bing run as services on the web that maintain huge indexes of websites and return results based on user queries. Users first open a browser and then visit a search engine site to locate information. This option therefore correctly captures their complementary but distinct roles.

Option A:
This option wrongly states that the two are exactly the same, ignoring their different technical functions. Confusing them can lead to misunderstanding of how web navigation actually works. From an ICT literacy perspective, differentiating them is essential.

Option B:
This option misclassifies the browser as a website and the search engine as a physical device, both of which are false. Search engines are implemented as software running on servers, not as standalone hardware gadgets. Hence, the description is technically incorrect.

Option C:
This option assigns very narrow and inaccurate tasks to browsers and search engines. Browsers are used for a wide range of online activities, not just email. Search engines help locate information of many types and do not specialise in online games. Thus, the option is misleading.

Option D:

Ranking algorithms consider factors such as keywords, links, freshness and user behaviour to estimate which pages match a query best. By presenting the most relevant pages at the top, search engines increase the likelihood that users will quickly find needed information. Although not perfect, this ranking is central to effective web searching. Thus, the main purpose is relevance-based ordering.

Option A:
This option accurately captures that the ranking algorithm’s aim is to prioritise pages that appear most relevant and useful for a given query. By pushing such pages towards the top of the results, search engines help users locate information efficiently.

Option B:
This option suggests that only advertisements are shown, which contradicts actual behaviour. Most search engines clearly separate paid ads from organic results and do not exclude genuine content.

Option C:
Randomly shuffling web pages would undermine user trust and make search engines unusable. Sophisticated algorithms are explicitly designed to avoid such randomness and instead approximate relevance.

Option D:
Deleting all academic pages would be the opposite of supporting information retrieval. Search engines index academic content along with other types of pages; they do not aim to remove it.