UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

The wrong statement is D only. A, B, C, E and F are correct. D is false because a true conclusion can be reached via an invalid (fallacious) argument. F is correct because validity is a matter of logical form (truth-preservation across possible cases), not the actual truth or falsity of the premises in the real world.

Option A:
Option A is correct because it identifies D alone as wrong and correctly treats F as a true description of validity being form-based. This matches standard textbook definitions used in UGC NET reasoning.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it marks F as wrong, but F correctly states that validity depends on form, not on the actual truth/falsity of premises. So “F only” cannot be right.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it wrongly includes C as a wrong statement, even though C is the standard definition of soundness (valid + true premises). It also includes F, which is correct.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it includes F among the wrong statements. Since F is correct, the set “D and F only” is not the right answer.

A sound argument satisfies two conditions: it is deductively valid and all of its premises are in fact true. When these conditions hold, the conclusion must not only follow logically but must also be true. Soundness thus combines the formal virtue of validity with the material virtue of factual correctness. Therefore the argument described in the stem is properly called sound.

Option A:
Option A, strong, is used to evaluate inductive arguments where premises make the conclusion highly probable, not deductively certain. It does not by itself guarantee truth or validity in the deductive sense.

Option B:
Option B is correct because soundness is the recognised standard for high-quality deductive arguments whose conclusions we can safely accept as true. The stem explicitly mentions both validity and true premises, which are the defining features of a sound argument.

Option C:
Option C, cogent, is the analogous term for inductive arguments that are strong and have true premises, leading to a probably true conclusion. It does not apply to deductive arguments characterised by necessity.

Option D:
Option D, circular, denotes a pattern of reasoning in which the conclusion is effectively assumed in the premises. Such arguments are logically flawed even if the premises and conclusion are all true and so cannot serve as the ideal described in the question.

Statements A, B, C, E and F correctly describe key aspects of deductive and inductive reasoning, while D is false. Deductive reasoning aims at necessity, and when a deductive argument is sound, true premises guarantee a true conclusion. Inductive reasoning supports probabilistic conclusions such as sample-based generalisations, and UGC NET passages may mix both patterns in a single item set. D is wrong because many inductive arguments are acceptable and widely used in science and everyday life.

Option A:
Option A is correct because it includes all the true statements A, B, C, E and F and excludes D, which wrongly dismisses all inductive arguments as invalid. This option captures the contrast between necessity and probability, highlights the role of generalisation and reflects exam usage. It therefore matches the actual theory of reasoning tested in Paper 1.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it omits E and F, leaving out the important points about generalisations from samples and the appearance of both patterns in UGC NET questions. Although A, B and C are true, they do not provide a complete picture of how inductive reasoning is used and assessed. Hence this combination under-represents the correct information.

Option C:
Option C is wrong because it still omits F and thus fails to note the mixed presence of deductive and inductive reasoning in exam passages. Without F, the practical exam context is lost, even though A, B, C and E are all true. As such, this option does not fully answer the question about which statements are correct.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it ignores A, which defines deductive necessity, and includes only B, C, E and F. While all four included statements are true, leaving out A means that the central definition of deductive reasoning is missing. Therefore this combination does not contain all the correct statements from the list.

A and B are correct definitions. C is false because valid arguments can have false premises. D is false because a true conclusion can come from invalid reasoning. E is false because a sound argument’s conclusion must be true. Thus only A and B are correct.

Option A:
Option A is incomplete because it omits B (soundness definition).

Option B:
Option B is correct because it includes exactly the two true statements.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it includes C (false).

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it includes C and D (both false) and omits A.

Statements A, B and C describe the standard logical notions of validity and soundness in deductive reasoning, so they are all true together. In a valid deductive argument, true premises guarantee a true conclusion, and validity is a matter of form rather than factual correctness of premises. A sound argument must be both valid and have all true premises, which is exactly what C states. Statements D and E are false, because deductive conclusions do not always go beyond the information in the premises, and an argument can be valid yet unsound if its premises are false. Therefore the combination containing A, B and C only is correct.

Option A:
Option A includes A and B, which are both true, but it omits C, which correctly defines a sound argument as valid with true premises. Because C is also true and is left out, this option does not capture all the correct statements and is therefore incomplete.

Option B:
Option B selects B and C but leaves out A, so it fails to mention the fundamental guarantee that in a valid deductive argument true premises ensure a true conclusion. Since A is a correct statement about validity and is missing, this combination cannot be considered fully correct.

Option C:
Option C includes A, B and C but adds D, which is false because deductive reasoning need not extend beyond the information in the premises; often the conclusion is logically contained in them. Including D alongside the true statements makes the overall set incorrect.

Option D:
Option D is correct because it lists exactly those statements that are true: A about the truth-preserving nature of validity, B about structure, and C about soundness. It excludes D and E, which misrepresent deductive reasoning by suggesting that every valid argument is automatically sound and that conclusions must always go beyond the premises.