UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

NEP 2020 reiterates the long-standing national goal of investing about 6% of GDP in education. It argues that this level of funding is necessary to expand access, improve quality and support research. The policy calls for joint efforts by the Centre and states to move towards this target.

Option A:
2% of GDP is insufficient and far below the recommended benchmark in the policy.

Option B:
4% shows some improvement but still does not match the stated goal.

Option C:
6% is the figure repeatedly mentioned in national plans and in NEP 2020 as a desirable target.

Option D:
12% is not suggested in NEP and would be far above the referenced benchmark.

Statements A, C and D correctly describe the roles of the respective professional councils. AICTE oversees technical education such as engineering and management, NCTE is responsible for teacher education, and the Bar Council of India regulates legal education and professional standards. Statement B is wrong because the National Medical Commission deals with medical education and profession, not teacher education. Thus, the correct combination must include A, C and D while excluding B.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because, although it includes A and C which are correct, it omits D. Since the Bar Council of India does regulate legal education, excluding D means the combination does not contain all the true statements.

Option B:
Option B is correct because it brings together all and only the correct statements about the roles of the different regulatory bodies. It recognises AICTE’s technical education jurisdiction, NCTE’s authority over teacher education, and the Bar Council’s regulation of law education, while rightly excluding the misplaced claim about the National Medical Commission.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it includes B, which misattributes teacher education to the National Medical Commission. Even though C is correct, the presence of B makes the combination inaccurate.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it treats B, C and D as correct. This wrongly validates statement B about NMC regulating teacher education. Since a correct option cannot include a false statement, this combination is not acceptable.

NEP 2020 supports building strong data systems so that evidence on access, learning and resources can inform better planning and interventions, with attention to privacy and ethical use.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because without data it is hard to identify gaps, monitor progress or design effective policies.

Option B:
Option B is correct as it describes the constructive, improvement-oriented use of educational data that NEP recommends.

Option C:
Option C is wrong since using data only for public ranking can create stigma and unhealthy competition rather than genuine improvement.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because using data only for punishment can demotivate teachers and distort behaviour, which the policy explicitly cautions against.

The policy itself is called National Education Policy 2020 because it was approved and launched in 2020. This year marks a major reform moment after more than three decades since the 1986 policy. The Cabinet’s approval in 2020 gave it official status for guiding all levels of education. Therefore, 2020 is the correct year.

Option A:
2016 predates the wide consultation process that led to the final NEP 2020 document, so it cannot be the approval year.

Option B:
2018 relates to earlier draft and committee work but not to final Cabinet approval, so it is not fully correct.

Option C:
2020 is when the Union Cabinet formally approved the new policy and hence gives the policy its name.

Option D:
2022 is after the policy had already started implementation and is not the year of approval.

NEP 2020 emphasises rigorous study of Indian Knowledge Systems through dedicated centres, research support and integration of IKS courses into mainstream programmes.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because the policy wants to revitalise and study Indian traditions, not erase them from curricula.

Option B:
Option B is correct as it summarises the structural and curricular measures (centres, research, courses) proposed to promote IKS.

Option C:
Option C is wrong since focusing only on foreign theories would produce an imbalanced curriculum and contradict NEP’s call for rootedness.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because relegating IKS to hobby clubs would trivialise it and not meet the policy’s aim of serious academic engagement.

The transition from elite participation by a small minority to broad participation by a large share of the relevant age group is termed massification of higher education. The stem describes exactly this widening of access, so “massification” is the appropriate term.

Option A:
Option A is correct because massification captures both the scale of enrolment growth and the increasing diversity of the student body as systems move from elite to mass stages.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect since “elitisation” would mean making participation more exclusive and restricted, the opposite of what the question describes.

Option C:
Option C is wrong because “privatisation” refers mainly to the ownership or funding pattern of institutions, not directly to the proportion of the population enrolled.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect as “contraction” suggests a shrinking system with declining enrolments, which does not match the expansion scenario given in the stem.

Statements A, C and D accurately describe internationalisation at home. They show that global perspectives can be built through curriculum and campus diversity, virtual collaborations with foreign institutions and use of international case studies and readings. Statements B, E and F are false because internationalisation at home is not limited to physical mobility, language learning supports it and local issues can be discussed within global contexts.

Option A:
Option A is correct as it selects A, C and D, the three true statements about curriculum, virtual links and globalised teaching materials, while excluding B, E and F, which narrow or misdirect internationalisation efforts.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it omits D and therefore underplays the importance of integrating global examples and readings into course content.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect as it includes E, which treats language learning as unrelated, contrary to its recognised role in internationalisation strategies.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it includes B, which restricts internationalisation to sending students abroad, and thereby conflicts with the very idea of internationalisation “at home”.

Statements A, B, D and E together show how NEP 2020 is expected to be implemented in higher education. A is correct because the policy speaks of phased and prioritised implementation. B is correct as multiple stakeholders must coordinate for system-level reforms. D is correct since institutions are expected to prepare their own strategic plans under the policy framework. E is correct because teachers and administrators need orientation and training to translate policy into practice. C is incorrect as the policy does not require unrealistically instant implementation, and F is incorrect because monitoring and review are integral to policy execution.

Option A:
Option A is correct because it includes all the statements that are true about NEP 2020 implementation (A, B, D and E) and excludes C and F, which wrongly portray implementation as immediate and unmonitored.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it adds C, thereby accepting the claim that all reforms must be completed within one academic year, which is neither feasible nor stated in NEP 2020.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it includes F, suggesting that monitoring and review are unnecessary; this contradicts the emphasis on continuous review and feedback in policy processes.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it includes C, which exaggerates the speed of implementation, and also omits B, thus ignoring the crucial need for coordination across levels of governance.

NEP 2020 proposes the Academic Bank of Credits as a national digital repository where students “deposit” the credits they earn and later “withdraw” or redeem them towards a qualification. This banking metaphor is reflected directly in the official name Academic Bank of Credits, so “Bank” correctly completes the term.

Option A:
Option A is correct because the Academic Bank of Credits is explicitly named as such in policy documents, highlighting its function of storing and managing credits like a bank account for learners.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect since an Academic Board usually means a committee that takes academic decisions; it does not denote a digital repository for credit storage and transfer.

Option C:
Option C is wrong because an Academic Bureau suggests an office or department, not a system that securely tracks and redeems credits across institutions.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect as “Block” has no established connection with credit storage or banking metaphors and is not used in the official terminology.

NEP 2020 proposes that a four-year integrated B.Ed. in multidisciplinary institutions should become the main route into teaching, with existing two-year B.Ed. programmes allowed only during a transition period before being phased out.

Option A:
Immediate abolition without alternative pathways would create disruption and teacher shortages, which NEP explicitly wants to avoid.

Option B:
This option is correct because it describes the gradual transition towards four-year integrated B.Ed. programmes that the policy envisages.

Option C:
One-month courses cannot provide the depth of subject knowledge or pedagogy required for quality teaching and are not mentioned in NEP 2020.

Option D:
Restricting teacher education to distance mode would weaken practicum and school-based experience, which the policy seeks to strengthen.

NEP 2020 suggests identifying areas with particularly poor educational indicators and high numbers of disadvantaged learners and designating them as Special Education Zones so that additional resources, schemes and monitoring can be concentrated there.

Option A:
Creating elite only zones would widen, not reduce, disparities and does not align with the policy.

Option B:
This option explains SEZs as instruments for targeted support to underserved areas, which is the purpose described in NEP.

Option C:
Segregating students with disabilities is inconsistent with the inclusive education principles of the policy.

Option D:
Allocating land only for private universities is unrelated to the school focused equity strategy of SEZs.

Statements A and B together express the core features of outcome-based accreditation. Statement A is true because such frameworks focus explicitly on whether graduates demonstrate intended competencies. Statement B is true since accreditation reports and scores are expected to feed into institutional improvement plans. Statement C is false because infrastructure is only one dimension and learning outcomes are central to evaluation. Statement D is false because accreditation agencies rely on documented evidence and data, not arbitrary judgments. Thus, A and B only are correct.

Option A:
Option A is incomplete because it mentions the evaluation of outcomes but omits the crucial follow-up action in B that links accreditation to continuous improvement.

Option B:
Option B is correct since it captures both the evaluative and developmental functions of outcome-based accreditation while excluding C and D, which misrepresent the focus and methodology of these frameworks.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it adds C, thereby suggesting that learning outcomes are ignored, which directly contradicts the premise of outcome-based accreditation.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it accepts B and C and leaves out A, wrongly indicating that infrastructure dominates and ignoring the central role of outcomes.

NEP 2020 recommends teacher appraisal systems that combine multiple evidence sources and are used primarily to support professional growth and career progression.

Option A:
This option is incorrect because purely punitive, salary-cut-focused appraisal systems are discouraged as they demotivate teachers and do not promote improvement.

Option B:
This option is correct; it reflects NEP’s view that self-evaluation, peer review, student feedback and academic performance should be blended for constructive feedback and development.

Option C:
This option is wrong because having no appraisal at all would undermine accountability and make it hard to identify support needs.

Option D:
This option is incorrect because tying appraisal only to competitive exam rankings would narrow teaching to test coaching rather than holistic learning.

NEP 2020 introduces the Academic Bank of Credits as a digital repository where students can deposit credits earned from approved courses and later withdraw or redeem them towards a qualification. The metaphor of a “Bank” captures this deposit-and-withdrawal idea, so “Bank” is the correct word to complete the name.

Option A:
Option A is correct because “Bank” suggests safe storage, accumulation and future use, which accurately reflects how credits are to be handled in this system.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect as “Bureau” usually denotes an office or department, not a repository that holds individual credit balances over time.

Option C:
Option C is wrong because a “Board” is generally a governing body or committee and does not convey the notion of storing and managing credits like an account.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect since “Block” has no natural association with credit storage and retrieval in this context and is not part of the official term in NEP 2020.

NEP 2020 wants regulators to set clear basic standards on aspects like governance, financial probity and learning outcomes. Beyond that, HEIs should be free to innovate in curricula, teaching and research. This “light but tight” approach avoids over-regulation while preserving accountability.

Option A:
This option explains how regulation can be both limited and firm, as described in NEP.

Option B:
No regulation risks quality deterioration and exploitation.

Option C:
Heavy micro-control undermines innovation and is criticised by the policy.

Option D:
Fee-only regulation ignores the core academic mission of HEIs.