UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Statements A, B, D and E are correct as they describe typical service deficits, risks and participatory solutions in informal settlements. Lack of basic services and marginal locations increase environmental health risks, and involving residents helps design appropriate upgrading interventions. Statements C and F are false because environmental conditions in slums strongly influence health, and air pollution does affect residents, who may even be more exposed. The correct combination therefore includes A, B, D and E only.

Option A:
Option A is correct since it brings together all true statements about service gaps, risk exposure, health benefits of upgrading and the value of participation. It rightly excludes C and F, which deny well-documented links between environment and health in slums.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it includes C, which wrongly claims that environmental conditions do not affect health outcomes. Adding this false statement makes the overall combination unacceptable.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect as it includes F, which denies the impact of air pollution on slum dwellers, and omits A. Air pollution clearly affects slum inhabitants, often living near busy roads or industrial areas, so accepting F is inconsistent with evidence.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it again accepts F and leaves out B, thus ignoring the importance of hazardous locations while including a clearly wrong statement about pollution.

Slums are characterised by overcrowding,insecure tenure and inadequate access to basic services like water and sanitation. They emerge when urbanisation outpaces formal housing and infrastructure provision. The stem’s description of unplanned settlements lacking basic services corresponds directly to slums. Therefore this is the correct term.

Option A:
Suburbs are residential areas on the outskirts of cities,which may have good infrastructure and planned layouts. They are not defined by lack of services or informality,so they do not match the conditions described in the question.

Option B:
Gated communities are typically well planned residential enclaves designed for higher income groups. They usually have better than average access to services and security,which is the opposite of what the stem indicates.

Option C:
Slums are often situated on marginal lands and can be highly vulnerable to environmental hazards such as floods and landslides. Their growth reflects both urban poverty and inadequate planning,exactly as the question suggests.

Option D:
Exurbs are low density settlements beyond the suburbs,often inhabited by commuters. They are not necessarily informal or service deprived,so this term does not fit the scenario in the stem.

Statements A and C are correct because informal settlements are frequently located in environmentally risky areas and suffer from poor housing and inadequate services, increasing health risks. Statement B is incorrect as service provision in informal settlements is often inadequate or absent, not uniformly adequate. Statement D is wrong because urban poor communities can and do participate in planning processes when given opportunities. Thus, the combination containing A and C only represents the set of correct statements.

Option A:
Option A is correct because it includes both true statements (A and C) and excludes the false statements (B and D). It correctly captures exposure of informal settlements to hazards and higher environmental health risks due to poor housing and inadequate services.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect as it adds statement B to A and C, thereby treating B as true. In reality, B misrepresents the situation by suggesting that all informal settlements have adequate services, which contradicts evidence of widespread deficits in water, sanitation and waste management. Including this false statement invalidates the combination.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it selects B and D only. Both B and D are false: service access is not uniformly adequate, and communities can contribute meaningfully to environmental decision-making. By excluding the true statements A and C, this option is completely misaligned with the reality of urban poverty and environment linkages.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it combines A, C and D. While A and C are true, D is false as it denies the agency and potential role of urban poor in planning. A correct combination must exclude statement D.