Inclusive Versus Exclusive Or – UGC NET Question

An exclusive “or” implies that choosing one option rules out the other. Examination instructions that say you may answer in English or in Hindi usually mean that you must choose exactly one language for your answer sheet. Answering in both languages is typically not allowed. Thus, the “or” is naturally interpreted as exclusive, indicating a choice between alternatives.

Option A:
Option A invokes a testing context where using both options would violate the implicit rule, so the disjunction is best read as “one but not both,” which captures exclusivity.

Option B:
Option B is often inclusive in practice; some exams allow both a pen and a pencil, so the context does not clearly exclude taking both.

Option C:
Option C can also be inclusive, since meetings can sometimes be open to both students and teachers together.

Option D:
Option D explicitly allows “both,” making the “or” inclusive by directly stating that dual use is possible.