UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Statements A, B and D are correct descriptions of hardware, system software and firmware, while statement C is clearly incorrect. Hardware consists of tangible components, system software covers operating systems and drivers, and firmware is stored permanently in device memory. Application software does not need to be soldered onto a motherboard; it is stored on storage media and loaded into memory for execution. Therefore, the combination that includes A, B and D but excludes C is the correct answer.

Option A:
Option A is incomplete because it includes only A and B and omits D. While A and B are true, firmware as described in D is also an important software category. Since one true statement is missing, this option does not capture the full set of correct statements.

Option B:
Option B includes B and D but leaves out A, even though A accurately defines hardware. Although system software and firmware are correctly identified, this option fails to mention that hardware refers to physical components and so is not complete.

Option C:
Option C is correct because it groups A, B and D, the three true statements, and excludes the false idea in C that software must be physically soldered. It gives a coherent picture of hardware, system software and firmware within ICT systems.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it treats all four statements as correct, thereby accepting C. Including the absurd notion that application software must be soldered onto the motherboard makes this option conceptually wrong.

Hardware refers to the tangible parts of a computer system that have a physical form. Devices like keyboard, mouse, monitor, motherboard and hard disk all fall under this category. Without hardware, software cannot be executed because there is no physical platform. Therefore, the set of touchable components mentioned in the stem is called hardware.

Option A:
Option A, software, denotes programs and instructions that are intangible and stored electronically. Software cannot be physically touched, so it does not fit the description of physical components.

Option B:
Option B is correct because the conventional classification of a computer system divides it into hardware and software, where hardware is specifically the physical part. All examples given in the question are standard hardware devices listed in introductory ICT texts.

Option C:
Option C, firmware, is specialised software stored in non-volatile memory of hardware devices and though closely tied to hardware, it is still code rather than a physical object.

Option D:
Option D, middleware, refers to software that connects different applications or systems, again lacking physical form and not representing the tangible components mentioned.