Anumana definition essentials – UGC NET Question

Statements A, B, C and E correctly summarise the Nyaya conception of anumāna, while D is false. Inference crucially depends on recognising a universal concomitance (vyāpti) between hetu and sādhya and then applying it to a pakṣa, as in the smoke–fire example. Nyaya treats inference as a separate pramāṇa alongside perception and others, and exam questions frequently test this structure. The suggestion that inference never presupposes any universal relation contradicts the very idea of vyāpti, so D must be rejected.

Option A:
Option A is incomplete because it stops at A and B, omitting both the classical example of smoke and fire and the explicit exam relevance expressed in C and E. A, B only therefore fails to include all the correct statements the stem is pointing toward.

Option B:
Option B improves on A by adding the example in C but still neglects E, which mentions that UGC NET questions highlight these components. A, B, C only thus remains an incomplete representation of the correct information.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect since it leaves out A, the definition that inference arises from applying vyāpti, which is central to the concept. Even though B, C and E are true, missing A means this option cannot be the right answer.

Option D:
Option D is correct because it gathers all the true statements that capture both the conceptual and exam-related aspects of anumāna while excluding D, which denies the role of universal relation. It therefore matches the accepted understanding of Indian inference.