UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Probing questions seek to deepen a student’s initial response by asking for reasons,clarifications or examples. Phrases such as “why” or “can you explain further” are classic probes that encourage more elaborate thinking. The stem describes exactly this kind of follow-up,so it represents probing questioning.

Option A:
Divergent questions allow multiple possible answers and promote creativity,but they are not defined primarily by follow-up prompts.

Option B:
Closed questions usually invite short,limited responses,such as yes/no or specific facts,and do not typically involve deeper probing.

Option C:
Probing questions help diagnose understanding and promote higher-order thinking,making option C the correct completion.

Option D:
Rhetorical questions are asked more to make a point than to elicit an actual answer,so they do not fit the description of inviting further explanation.

Nonverbal communication involves the transmission of messages without using words, through body movements, facial expressions, gestures, posture and other cues. Eye contact and facial expressions convey interest, approval, confusion or displeasure even when no words are spoken. In the classroom, such nonverbal signals strongly influence student attention and emotional climate. Therefore, this example clearly illustrates nonverbal communication.

Option A:
Option A involves written symbols, which form part of verbal communication because they use language in written form. Although non oral, writing is still verbal, not nonverbal.

Option B:
Option B emphasizes eye contact and facial expressions, which are classic components of nonverbal behaviour. They can reinforce or contradict verbal messages and play a major role in student perception of the teacher’s attitude.

Option C:
Option C describes a detailed verbal explanation that relies on spoken words and sentences. This is clearly verbal communication, not nonverbal.

Option D:
Option D refers to a student’s written answer, which again uses language in written form. It is an example of verbal communication expressed in writing, not nonverbal behaviour.

Non verbal communication uses signals other than words,such as gestures,posture and facial expressions,to convey meaning. Raising a hand is a commonly accepted gesture indicating a wish to speak. The meaning is understood without any spoken words,so it is a non verbal cue.

Option A:
Verbal communication requires spoken or written words and is not necessary for this signal.

Option B:
Hence non verbal communication is the most accurate description of the raised hand signal.

Option C:
Written communication would involve text or symbols on paper or screen,which the stem does not mention.

Option D:
Mass communication involves transmission via media to large audiences,not individual classroom gestures.

Effective questioning encourages students to think, respond and elaborate their understanding. Asking learners to explain a concept in their own words and provide an example invites them to process information actively. It gives the teacher insight into how well the concept is understood and stimulates peer learning when different explanations are shared.

Option A:
This option is often used habitually without checking responses properly. If the teacher does not wait for or interpret actual answers, it becomes a ritual rather than a real interaction and students may simply nod without genuine understanding.

Option B:
This option is correct because it demands more than a brief yes or no response. Students must recall, interpret and apply the idea to an example, which makes the interaction meaningful. It opens space for multiple contributors and follow up probes by the teacher, thereby enriching the discussion.

Option C:
This option restricts responses to yes or no and does not reveal the depth of understanding. It limits interaction and prevents the teacher from diagnosing misconceptions or gaps in learning.

Option D:
This option focuses on a trivial factual detail that is not central to conceptual understanding. Counting pages does not promote meaningful engagement with the subject matter.

Teaching is understood as a system of interrelated components. The essential elements are the teacher who plans and facilitates learning, the learner who actively engages, the content or subject matter and the environment or context in which interaction takes place. When these four work in harmony, effective teaching and learning can occur, so the list in Option A best represents the teaching process in higher education.

Option A:
This option correctly identifies the main variables widely discussed in models of teaching: teacher, learner, content and environment. It captures the human actors, the knowledge to be learned and the broader context of conditions.

Option B:
This option focuses on physical tools such as blackboard, chalk and duster. These are teaching aids, not the core conceptual elements of the teaching process.

Option C:
This option mentions administrative items like syllabus, timetable and attendance register. They help organize instruction but do not constitute the fundamental interactive components of teaching.

Option D:
This option lists institutional facilities such as curriculum, library and playground, which support education but describe the broader system rather than the direct elements of the teaching act.

The transactional model sees communication as a dynamic, reciprocal process rather than a one-way sequence. In the classroom, teachers not only send messages but also receive cues, questions and feedback from students. Students, in turn, interpret teacher messages and respond verbally or nonverbally. Over time, these exchanges shape relationships, classroom climate and learning outcomes, reflecting mutual influence.

Option A:
Option A describes a linear, teacher-centred model where messages move one way from teacher to passive students. This is closer to the linear model, not the transactional view of mutual, simultaneous influence.

Option B:
Option B is correct because it emphasizes that both teacher and students act as senders and receivers at the same time in an ongoing process, which is the core idea of the transactional model.

Option C:
Option C wrongly claims that students only receive messages and never send any. In reality, their questions, comments and nonverbal responses are important messages in the transactional view.

Option D:
Option D limits the teacher’s role to decoding students’ messages, ignoring the teacher’s major function as sender and the mutual nature of the communication process.

Two way communication occurs when both sender and receiver actively exchange messages and feedback. In the seminar,students question and challenge ideas and the teacher responds. This creates a reciprocal flow of communication. The description clearly fits two way communication rather than a one sided pattern.

Option A:
One way communication would keep students silent,and only the teacher would speak. This does not match the interactive seminar described.

Option B:
Two way communication includes feedback,discussion and response from both sides,which fits a seminar with student challenges and teacher replies.

Option C:
Mechanical communication would refer to technical transmission issues rather than human dialogue.

Option D:
Mass communication involves media reaching large anonymous audiences,not a classroom seminar.

Perception involves selecting, organizing and interpreting sensory information. Teachers’ perceptions of students influence how they frame their messages, and students’ perceptions shape how they interpret those messages. Thus, perception strongly mediates classroom communication.

Option A:
Option A wrongly assumes that a clear message removes the role of perception. In reality, people may still interpret the same clear message differently based on their prior experiences.

Option B:
Option B is correct because perception affects how teachers frame messages (encoding) and how students interpret them (decoding), depending on their background, beliefs and experiences.

Option C:
Option C restricts perception to mass communication and ignores classroom interaction, where perception strongly shapes how messages are understood.

Option D:
Option D treats perception as purely physiological, ignoring its psychological aspects like interpretation and meaning-making, which are crucial in communication.

Feedback is the response of the receiver that travels back to the sender. In the classroom, students’ questions, expressions and performance provide cues about their level of understanding. When teachers attend to this feedback, they can adjust the pace, clarify doubts, or change strategies. Feedback therefore functions as a control mechanism that enhances effectiveness of teaching learning.

Option A:
Option A suggests ignoring students’ difficulties, which is opposite to the purpose of feedback. If teachers continue as planned without responding to learners’ signals, misunderstandings remain uncorrected and learning outcomes suffer.

Option B:
Option B correctly states that feedback enables teachers to judge students’ comprehension and adapt teaching accordingly. It captures the dynamic, responsive nature of effective classroom communication and reflects the two way character of interaction.

Option C:
Option C treats silence as the main goal, but strict silence can actually suppress questions and feedback. Without student responses, the teacher cannot accurately gauge understanding.

Option D:
Option D implies that feedback removes the need for assessments, but formal tests and assignments still play an important role in evaluating learning over time. Feedback during lessons complements, rather than replaces, assessment.

Statements A and B are correct, while C, D and E are incorrect. A is true because transactional communication highlights mutual influence between teacher and students. B is true since classroom communication relies on continuous feedback through words, expressions and gestures. C is false because meaning is co-constructed by all participants, not solely by the teacher. D is false as transactional concepts apply well to interactive classrooms, and E is false because roles and power relations still shape interactions even when they are transactional. Therefore, A and B only is the correct combination.

Option A:
Option A selects A only, acknowledging mutual influence but omitting B, which stresses the continuous feedback that is central to transactional views. Without recognising ongoing feedback, A only does not capture all correct aspects mentioned in the item.

Option B:
Option B pairs A and B, showing both mutual influence and constant feedback, and excludes C, D and E, which misrepresent who creates meaning and whether classrooms can be transactional. Since it includes all and only the true statements, A and B only is the correct answer.

Option C:
Option C combines B and C, but C incorrectly asserts that only the teacher creates meaning. Including C makes B and C only an unacceptable set of correct statements.

Option D:
Option D brings together A, B and C, but the presence of C, which contradicts the co-constructive nature of transactional communication, invalidates this combination even though A and B are accurate.

Statements A, B and D are correct, while C and E are wrong. A is true because one-way communication does not provide opportunities for immediate response. B is true as two-way interaction enables learners to seek clarification. D is true since student participation typically increases with interactive dialogue. C is false because lecturing is not always superior to interactive methods, and E is false because two-way communication is widely used in classrooms. Therefore, C and E only are the wrong statements.

Option A:
Option A singles out C only and ignores E, even though the claim that two-way communication is never suitable for classrooms is clearly incorrect. Because both C and E misrepresent teaching practice, C only is incomplete and cannot be accepted.

Option B:
Option B selects E only and leaves out C, despite the fact that insisting on the universal superiority of lecturing is also wrong. Thus, E only does not identify all the wrong statements in the set.

Option C:
Option C correctly groups C and E, recognising that they both contradict established views on interactive teaching and communication. It keeps A, B and D as true descriptions of feedback and participation. Hence, C and E only is the correct answer.

Option D:
Option D includes A, C and E, but A is a true definition of one-way communication. Classifying A as wrong leads to inconsistency, so A, C and E only is not valid.

Statements A, C and D correctly portray the interactive character of teaching–learning. A is true as both teacher and learners contribute through explanation, questioning and responses. C is true because interaction allows learners to negotiate and construct meaning rather than merely receive information. D is true since questioning and feedback cycles are central mechanisms for monitoring and deepening understanding. B is false because passive listening alone is not a sign of effective teaching, and E is false as effectiveness depends on meaningful participation, not just the amount of teacher talk. Therefore A, C and D only is the correct set of statements.

Option A:
Option A gathers A, C and D and excludes the false claims in B and E. Hence A, C and D only is the correct answer.

Option B:
Option B omits D (true), so A and C only is incomplete.

Option C:
Option C omits A (true), so C and D only is incomplete.

Option D:
Option D includes B (false), so A, B, C and D only is invalid.

Option E includes E (false), so A, C, D and E only cannot be correct.

Statements A, C, D and F correctly explain that expectations shape teacher behaviour, influence motivation, can introduce bias and can be examined to reduce stereotyping. Statement B is wrong because high expectations, when combined with appropriate support, generally benefit rather than harm low-achieving students. Statement E is also wrong because teacher expectations do affect interaction patterns, such as attention, questioning and feedback. Thus, the wrong statements are B and E only, so option A is the correct answer.

Option A:
Option A identifies B and E as the incorrect statements, accurately reflecting that they misrepresent the role and impact of teacher expectations on learners and classroom processes. It excludes A, C, D and F, which provide sound explanations consistent with research on expectations. Since it includes all and only the wrong statements, B and E only is the correct combination.

Option B:
Option B selects only B as wrong and overlooks E, even though E denies the well-documented link between expectations and interaction patterns. Because both B and E are incorrect, identifying only B leads to an incomplete answer. Therefore B only cannot be accepted.

Option C:
Option C singles out E as wrong but fails to note that B also misrepresents the potential benefits of high expectations when combined with support. Ignoring this additional incorrect statement means E only is insufficient. Hence option C is not correct.

Option D:
Option D combines B, C and E but treats C as wrong despite it accurately emphasising that belief in students' abilities can raise motivation and effort. Including a true statement among the supposed wrong ones makes this set logically inconsistent. Thus B, C and E only cannot be the right answer.

Option E includes A, B and E as wrong statements, but A is a true statement describing how expectations influence academic performance through teacher behaviour. Misclassifying A as wrong undermines the evidence on expectation effects. Consequently A, B and E only is not a valid answer.

Option F groups B, E and F, but F is a true statement pointing out that reflecting on expectations can help reduce stereotyping. Labelling F as wrong along with B and E shows confusion about reflective practice. Therefore B, E and F only cannot be considered correct.

Listening in communication is an active process that involves attention,interpretation and response. The stem mentions hearing carefully,asking doubts and responding,which are all behaviours of effective listening. This goes beyond passive hearing and shows engagement with the message. Hence the correct completion is listening.

Option A:
This option focuses on the receptive side of communication,where students process what is said and respond thoughtfully. When they ask doubts,it indicates they are listening actively rather than just hearing sounds. Therefore,this option accurately reflects the skill described.

Option B:
Speaking is a productive skill and would emphasise expressing one's own ideas verbally. Although students do speak when asking doubts,the stem highlights their primary role as receivers first,so speaking is not the main focus.

Option C:
Reading refers to interpreting written symbols,which is not the central activity in a spoken classroom situation.

Option D:
Writing focuses on producing written messages,such as making notes or essays,which is different from the active listening described in the question.

Non-verbal communication includes all message elements that are not expressed in words, such as gestures, facial expressions, posture, eye contact and tone of voice. In the classroom, these cues can reinforce, contradict or modify verbal messages. The stem lists gestures, facial expressions and posture, which clearly belong to non-verbal communication.

Option A:
Written communication involves messages conveyed through written symbols, such as notices, emails or board work. While important in teaching, it is not what the stem is referring to.

Option B:
Non-verbal cues can convey enthusiasm, interest, approval or disapproval even when the teacher is silent. They are integral to classroom climate and student perception. Because the question focuses on gestures and posture, non-verbal is the correct answer.

Option C:
Grapevine communication refers to informal, unofficial channels of communication within organisations, such as rumours, and has little to do with body language.

Option D:
Formal communication refers to official, structured channels such as circulars or administrative memos, not specifically to gestures and expressions.