UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Statement D is wrong because evaluative research necessarily uses explicit criteria and standards to judge merit or worth; it cannot be value-free in the sense of having no criteria. Statements A, B, C and E accurately describe evaluative research as effectiveness oriented, methodologically plural, attentive to stakeholder views and useful for decision making. Thus, D alone misrepresents the nature of evaluation by denying the use of explicit standards.

Option A:
Option A is correct because it isolates D as the only statement that conflicts with the accepted definition of evaluative research. It recognises that value judgments based on clear criteria are central to evaluative work, whereas the other statements truthfully capture purposes, methods and uses of evaluation.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it also labels A as a wrong statement, even though A correctly states that evaluation judges the value or effectiveness of programmes and policies. By treating A as wrong, this option denies the central function of evaluative research.

Option C:
Option C is wrong because it groups C with D as wrong, despite C being a true statement about the importance of stakeholder perspectives in many evaluation models. Misclassifying C as incorrect ignores participatory and responsive approaches to evaluation.

Option D:
Option D is also incorrect because it treats B, which correctly describes the use of qualitative and quantitative data in evaluation, as if it were wrong. Evaluative research often benefits from mixed methods, so including B among wrong statements is unjustified.