Scales of measurement in research – UGC NET Question

Statements A, B, C and D give an accurate account of the main scales of measurement, whereas statement E is incorrect. Statement A is true because nominal scales simply classify cases into categories with no inherent order. Statement B is correct in noting that ordinal scales permit ranking but do not guarantee equal distances between ranks, and statement C accurately describes interval scales as having equal units but no absolute zero. Statement D properly defines ratio scales as having a true zero and allowing meaningful ratio interpretations, while statement E is false since addition and subtraction are not meaningful on purely nominal categories.

Option A:
Option A lists A, B, C and D only and excludes E, which is the only false statement. By including all the true statements and leaving out the incorrect claim about mathematical operations on nominal data, this combination correctly identifies the full set of correct statements. Therefore it is the right answer.

Option B:
Option B includes A, B and C but omits D. While A, B and C are correct, leaving out D ignores the description of ratio scales, which is also a true and important part of the measurement framework. Because it fails to include all true statements, this combination is incomplete and cannot be accepted.

Option C:
Option C groups A, C and D but leaves out B. Although A, C and D are correct, B is also a correct statement describing the ordinal scale. Excluding B makes the picture of measurement scales incomplete, so this option does not fully answer the question.

Option D:
Option D combines B, C and D with E. While B, C and D are correct, inclusion of E makes the whole combination incorrect, as it wrongly suggests that nominal scale data support meaningful addition and subtraction. A valid combination must not contain any false statements, so this option is not acceptable.