UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Statements A, B, C and D all describe logically possible combinations of truth and validity, whereas E is false. Validity concerns whether a true-premise situation can ever lead to a false conclusion; it does not rule out cases where premises are false. Invalid arguments with true premises may happen to have true conclusions, showing that invalidity does not force falsity of the conclusion. Hence the only wrong claim is that every invalid argument with true premises must have a false conclusion, making E the unique incorrect statement.

Option A:
Option A is wrong because it marks D as the sole incorrect statement even though D correctly notes that invalid arguments can still reach true conclusions by coincidence. Treating D as wrong confuses the distinction between logical guarantee and accidental truth.

Option B:
Option B is correct since it singles out E, which overstates the consequences of invalidity, as the only false statement among generally accepted logical possibilities. This fits the standard truth–validity matrix taught for exam preparation.

Option C:
Option C fails because it groups D with E as wrong, but D is a well-known counterexample pattern to the idea that invalidity always yields false conclusions. Saying D and E only misrepresents one true logical observation.

Option D:
Option D is also incorrect, as it labels C as wrong along with D and E, even though C simply describes a possible situation where a valid form is used with false premises and a false conclusion. As long as there is no row with true premises and a false conclusion, such a case is compatible with validity.

Validity concerns only the logical structure of an argument. A valid argument is one where, assuming the premises are true, the conclusion cannot logically be false. However, validity alone does not guarantee that the premises are actually true in reality. When a valid form is combined with true premises, the conclusion is guaranteed to be true, and this is the key relationship captured in the correct statement.

Option A:
Option A correctly links validity with truth in the conditional way used in logic: validity plus true premises forces the conclusion to be true. It neither assumes nor denies that the premises are in fact true; it specifies what would follow if they are.

Option B:
Option B incorrectly claims that validity requires true premises, but an argument can be valid even if its premises are false, as long as the conclusion follows logically.

Option C:
Option C wrongly asserts that the conclusion of a valid argument must be true regardless of the premises’ truth, which misunderstands validity as guaranteeing truth instead of preserving it.

Option D:
Option D conflates validity with soundness; soundness additionally requires that all premises are actually true.

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.