UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Statements A, B and C state the basic features of arguments correctly, while D and E misrepresent them. An argument involves at least one premise supporting a conclusion, and the conclusion is what the premises are meant to support. Identifying the conclusion helps evaluate support. Unrelated statements do not form an argument, and a conclusion need not be the last sentence. Hence D and E are false.

Option A:
Option A is correct because it includes exactly the correct statements (A, B, C) and excludes D and E, which are false.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it includes D, but unrelated statements do not form an argument; there must be an inferential link.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it omits A and still includes D (false), so it cannot represent the correct set.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it includes D and E, both false, so it does not distinguish correct from incorrect claims.

An explanation aims to clarify why a known fact or event occurred, whereas an argument tries to persuade someone that a claim is true or that an action should be taken. In the glass example, the breaking of the glass is already accepted as a fact, and the statement “because it was dropped from a great height” offers a causal account of why it happened. Therefore, it functions as an explanation rather than an attempt to establish a new claim.

Option A:
Option A attempts to convince someone to change behaviour based on a causal claim and a prescriptive conclusion, so it is an argument.

Option B:
Option B focuses on making sense of an observed event rather than proving that the event occurred, fitting the explanatory role.

Option C:
Option C tries to establish the product’s quality as a conclusion based on what “everyone says,” and thus acts as an argument, albeit a weak one.

Option D:
Option D presents a conditional prediction and may be used as a premise in an argument, but by itself it is not primarily explanatory of an accepted fact.

An argument presents a claim along with supporting reasons. In the second statement, the claim “exam stress is harmful” is followed by the word “because” and two reasons: it reduces concentration and sleep quality. This combination of a conclusion with explicit supporting premises forms an argument. The other statements either express a bare opinion or an exclamation without justification.

Option A:
Option A is only a bare assertion of harm with no reasons; it may be true, but it is not structured as an argument.

Option B:
Option B clearly provides reasons after “because,” which are offered as support for the main claim, satisfying the definition of an argument.

Option C:
Option C is an emotive expression about how stress feels, lacking any explicit rationale to persuade.

Option D:
Option D is an incomplete remark about stress reappearing, again not giving reasons or establishing a conclusion from premises.