UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

The review of literature helps a researcher understand what has already been studied, what findings are consistent and where contradictions or omissions exist. Through this critical reading, the researcher identifies gaps where questions remain unanswered or problems are insufficiently addressed. These gaps justify the need for new research and shape the research problem. Therefore, identifying gaps in existing knowledge is a central purpose of literature review.

Option A:
Instruments are specific tools like questionnaires or scales that may be discovered during literature review, but finding tools is not the major conceptual purpose of reviewing earlier work. The focus is more on understanding knowledge rather than only discovering instruments.

Option B:
Variables such as achievement, attitude or motivation may be defined and discussed in the literature, but identifying variables is part of conceptual clarification, not the primary goal of locating areas where knowledge is lacking. So this option is too narrow.

Option C:
Population refers to the larger group to which results will be generalised, and its description may appear in literature, but the core aim of review is not just to define population; it is to see what is known and what is not. Hence, population does not complete the stem correctly.

Option D:
Gaps represent specific areas where research is insufficient or inconsistent, pointing to opportunities for further inquiry. Recognising these gaps enables the researcher to make an original contribution, which aligns exactly with the purpose stated in the question.