UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Hetu is the middle term or reason whose presence in the paksha, together with an established vyapti, justifies the conclusion that the sadhya also occurs there. Smoke functions as such a reason in the famous Nyaya example. Its role is to connect the observed fact on the hill with the unobserved presence of fire. Thus "smoke" in the sentence given is the hetu.

Option A:
Option A, paksha, refers to the subject "hill" and not to the property used as evidence. The hill is where the reasoning is applied, not the reason itself.

Option B:
Option B, sadhya, is the probandum "fiery" which the argument aims to prove; it stands as the conclusion rather than the ground.

Option C:
Option C, vyapti, names the universal connection between smoke and fire but is not identical with the particular instance of smoke on the hill that acts as the hetu.

Option D:
Option D is correct because hetu is precisely characterised as the inferential sign that, when present in the paksha, indicates the presence of the sadhya.