UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Statements A, B, D and F are correct, whereas C and E are false. Nyaya recognises four independent pramāṇas and treats comparison as a distinct source of knowledge based on similarity linking a word to its object. Mīmāṃsā and some Vedānta schools add arthāpatti and anupalabdhi, so D is correct. Cārvāka famously restricts itself mainly to perception and is sceptical about other pramāṇas, so E is wrong, and Nyaya extends verbal testimony beyond scripture to reliable persons generally, making C false. UGC NET questions often ask candidates to identify which items belong to Nyaya’s list.

Option A:
Option A is incomplete because it omits F, failing to mention the exam-style use of pramāṇa lists. While A, B and D correctly state Nyaya and Mīmāṃsā positions, they do not capture how this knowledge is tested. Therefore A, B and D only is not a fully satisfactory answer.

Option B:
Option B is correct as it includes A, B, D and F, the statements that align with standard presentations of Nyaya and related schools and that reflect the structure of UGC NET questions. It excludes C and E, both of which misrepresent the scope of verbal testimony and the Cārvāka position. Thus this option accurately lists the correct statements.

Option C:
Option C is wrong because it omits A, leaving out the basic statement of Nyaya’s four pramāṇas, and includes only B, D and F. Without A, the picture of Nyaya epistemology is incomplete. Hence B, D and F only cannot be the right combination.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect since it includes C, which wrongly restricts Nyaya śabda to scripture alone, and omits F’s contribution in other contexts. The presence of C introduces a clear error, making A, B, C, D and F only an unacceptable choice.

Sabda is the pramana based on meaningful statements issued by a reliable speaker or preserved in authoritative texts. It underlies much of our everyday knowledge, such as historical facts or distant events, that we cannot verify directly. Nyaya conditions its validity on the competence and honesty of the source. Hence the testimony-based knowledge in the stem is properly called sabda.

Option A:
Option A is correct because sabda explicitly denotes verbal testimony as a distinct source of valid cognition. By treating sabda separately, Nyaya acknowledges our dependence on linguistic communication for large portions of what we legitimately know. It also allows detailed analysis of when testimony is trustworthy or defective.

Option B:
Option B, pratyaksha, delivers direct sensory knowledge and does not involve reliance on someone else's words. While perception and testimony can sometimes co-operate, the question focuses on knowledge based primarily on statements.

Option C:
Option C, smriti, is memory, which recalls previously acquired knowledge but does not itself introduce new information from another speaker. It presupposes earlier pramanas such as perception or testimony.

Option D:
Option D, anumana, is inference based on signs and vyapti and does not require an authoritative speaker; its justification lies in logical relations, not in the reliability of testimony.