UGC NET December 2026 – English Paper II

Mock Test 5: Unit X – Research Methods and Materials in English

Practice Examination

Mock Test 5

Total Questions

20

Maximum Marks

40

Suggested Time

25 minutes

Marks per Question

2 marks

Subject: English Paper II | Unit X: Research Methods and Materials in English

General Instructions

This mock test contains 20 multiple-choice questions.
Each question has four options: A, B, C and D.
Select the one best answer for each question unless the question specifies a different response format.
Each correct answer carries 2 marks.
There is no negative marking in this practice test.
Attempt all questions before checking the answer key.
These are original practice questions designed for preparation; they are not actual or guaranteed questions from the UGC NET examination.

Section A: Multiple-Choice Questions

Question 1. Research Paradigms

A researcher investigates how readers from different social backgrounds interpret the same postcolonial novel. The researcher accepts that interpretations may vary according to readers’ experiences and cultural contexts.

Which research paradigm is most consistent with this approach?

A. Positivism B. Interpretivism C. Strict behaviourism D. Experimental determinism

Question 2. Textual Scholarship

A researcher discovers two early editions of a nineteenth-century novel. One edition contains a passage that is absent from the other. The researcher wants to establish the textual history of the novel and explain the differences between the editions.

Which approach would be most appropriate?

A. Psychoanalytic criticism alone B. Textual criticism and bibliographical investigation C. Random sampling D. Statistical hypothesis testing alone

Question 3. Research Objectives

Consider the following statements about research objectives.

They clarify what the study intends to accomplish.
They should be connected to the research questions.
They must always predict the final findings.
They help determine the appropriate methods and scope of a study.

Choose the correct answer.

A. 1 and 2 only B. 2 and 3 only C. 1, 2 and 4 only D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Question 4. Assertion–Reason

Assertion (A): A research proposal should explain why the proposed study is significant.

Reason (R): The significance of a study identifies its potential contribution to existing knowledge, debates or methods.

Choose the correct answer.

A. Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A. B. Both A and R are true, but R does not correctly explain A. C. A is true, but R is false. D. A is false, but R is true.

Question 5. Citation and Referencing

A researcher cites two works written by the same author in an MLA-style paper. Both works are published in the same year. Which practice is generally appropriate when the works are distinguished in the Works Cited list by titles?

A. Give both works exactly the same shortened in-text citation. B. Use the author’s surname and a shortened title to distinguish the sources. C. Cite only the first work in the Works Cited list. D. Replace both citations with the publisher’s name.

Question 6. Match the Following

Match each research concept in List I with its most appropriate description in List II.

List I	List II
1. Discourse analysis	a. Examines the physical production, circulation and material form of books
2. Book history	b. Studies language in relation to power, institutions and social practices
3. Reception theory	c. Examines how readers interpret texts in different contexts
4. Stylistics	d. Analyses linguistic choices and their literary effects

Choose the correct code.

A. 1–b, 2–a, 3–c, 4–d B. 1–a, 2–b, 3–d, 4–c C. 1–c, 2–d, 3–a, 4–b D. 1–d, 2–c, 3–b, 4–a

Question 7. Research Ethics

A researcher interviews living authors about their personal experiences of censorship. Some participants discuss sensitive professional matters.

Which procedure best reflects ethical research practice?

A. Publish all participants’ names and statements without asking them. B. Promise absolute confidentiality even if it cannot be guaranteed. C. Obtain informed consent, explain confidentiality limits and securely handle recordings. D. Share the recordings publicly so that other researchers can use them freely.

Question 8. Identifying a Research Gap

A literature review reveals that several critics have studied gender in Jane Austen’s novels, but little research has examined how domestic space shapes women’s agency across selected novels.

Which research question is the most focused response to this gap?

A. Why is Jane Austen a famous novelist? B. How does domestic space shape women’s agency in selected novels by Jane Austen? C. What is the meaning of gender? D. How many novels have been written in English?

Question 9. Critical Literature Review

Which of the following best distinguishes a critical literature review from a simple summary of previous studies?

A. It lists every source alphabetically without discussing the arguments. B. It reproduces passages from previous scholars without analysis. C. It evaluates arguments, compares approaches, identifies disagreements and establishes a research gap. D. It includes only studies that support the researcher’s initial opinion.

Question 10. Match the Methods

Match the method in List I with the appropriate research activity in List II.

List I	List II
1. Oral history	a. Examining patterns in a large digital collection of literary texts
2. Corpus analysis	b. Recording and interpreting people’s recollections of past events
3. Comparative method	c. Studying similarities and differences across selected texts or traditions
4. Archival research	d. Examining letters, manuscripts, institutional records and other historical documents

Choose the correct code.

A. 1–b, 2–a, 3–c, 4–d B. 1–a, 2–d, 3–b, 4–c C. 1–c, 2–b, 3–d, 4–a D. 1–d, 2–c, 3–a, 4–b

Question 11. Sampling Methods

A researcher wants to study the reading habits of postgraduate English students at five universities. The researcher first divides the students into groups according to university and then randomly selects students from each group.

Which sampling method is being used?

A. Convenience sampling B. Snowball sampling C. Stratified random sampling D. Purposive sampling

Question 12. Assertion–Reason: Academic Integrity

Assertion (A): Fabricating interview responses is a serious breach of research integrity.

Reason (R): Fabrication involves inventing data or research results and presenting them as genuine evidence.

Choose the correct answer.

A. Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A. B. Both A and R are true, but R does not correctly explain A. C. A is true, but R is false. D. A is false, but R is true.

Question 13. Digital Humanities

A researcher uses text-analysis software to compare the frequency of selected words in a corpus of novels written between 1900 and 1950.

Which procedure would make the comparison more methodologically sound?

A. Compare raw word counts without considering the length of each novel. B. Use normalised frequencies, document the corpus-selection criteria and examine words in context. C. Assume that frequent words always reveal an author’s conscious intention. D. Remove all texts that contradict the expected pattern.

Question 14. Hypothesis and Evidence

A researcher proposes that students who participate in a structured reading programme will demonstrate higher reading-comprehension scores than students who do not participate.

Which statement best describes the proposed claim?

A. It is a testable hypothesis that can be evaluated using appropriate evidence. B. It is a bibliography because it identifies a research topic. C. It is a conclusion that cannot be examined further. D. It is a theoretical framework because it names a literary theory.

Question 15. Structure of a Research Paper

Which section of a research paper normally explains the procedures used to select texts, collect evidence and analyse the material?

A. Acknowledgements B. Methodology C. Works Cited D. Abstract only

Question 16. Digital Research Tools

Match each tool or resource with its most suitable function.

List I	List II
1. Zotero	a. Identifying and locating books and other library materials
2. WorldCat	b. Managing references and generating citations
3. JSTOR	c. Accessing scholarly journals, books and primary-source materials
4. DOI	d. Providing a persistent identifier for a digital scholarly object

Choose the correct code.

A. 1–b, 2–a, 3–c, 4–d B. 1–a, 2–c, 3–d, 4–b C. 1–d, 2–b, 3–a, 4–c D. 1–c, 2–d, 3–b, 4–a

Question 17. Qualitative Data Analysis

A researcher interviews readers about their responses to a novel. After transcribing the interviews, the researcher identifies recurring ideas such as belonging, exclusion and memory.

Which analytical procedure is most directly illustrated?

A. Thematic analysis B. Random assignment C. Experimental manipulation D. Bibliographic cataloguing

Question 18. Handling Contradictory Evidence

While analysing a novel, a researcher finds passages that contradict the initial interpretation that the narrator is always reliable.

What should the researcher do?

A. Ignore the contradictory passages to preserve the argument. B. Delete the passages from the research notes. C. Reconsider and refine the interpretation in light of the contradictory evidence. D. Cite only critics who agree with the original interpretation.

Question 19. Primary and Secondary Sources

A researcher investigates how a newly published play was received by audiences and critics when it first appeared.

Which source would be a particularly useful primary source for studying contemporary reception?

A. A modern textbook summarising the history of drama B. A critical essay written fifty years later about the playwright’s influence C. A newspaper review published shortly after the play’s original performance D. A general dictionary of literary terms

Question 20. Application-Based Research Design

A researcher wishes to investigate representations of migration in contemporary British fiction and understand how readers from migrant backgrounds interpret these representations.

Which research design is most appropriate?

A. Use only the number of times the word “migration” appears in one novel and treat it as a complete explanation. B. Combine close textual analysis of selected novels with ethically conducted reader interviews and explain how the two forms of evidence relate. C. Interview readers but avoid examining the novels themselves. D. Select only reader responses that confirm the researcher’s interpretation.

Section B: Answer Key

Check your answers only after completing all 20 questions.

Q. No.	Correct Answer	Q. No.	Correct Answer
1	B	11	C
2	B	12	A
3	C	13	B
4	A	14	A
5	B	15	B
6	A	16	A
7	C	17	A
8	B	18	C
9	C	19	C
10	A	20	B

Section C: Answers with Explanations

1. B — Interpretivism

Interpretivism recognises that people may interpret texts and experiences differently depending on their cultural, social and personal contexts. It is particularly useful for research into readers’ responses and meaning-making.

2. B — Textual criticism and bibliographical investigation

Textual criticism investigates variations between textual witnesses and editions. Bibliographical investigation helps establish how a text was produced, published and transmitted.

3. C — Statements 1, 2 and 4 only

Research objectives specify what a study aims to achieve, connect with its research questions and guide methodological choices. They do not have to predict the final findings.

4. A — Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A.

A research proposal should establish the study’s significance. Explaining its potential contribution helps readers understand why the research is worth undertaking.

5. B — Use the author’s surname and a shortened title

In MLA-style documentation, shortened titles can distinguish works by the same author. The in-text citation should correspond clearly to the relevant entry in the Works Cited list. For two works by the same author, a shortened title is generally used after the surname.

6. A — 1–b, 2–a, 3–c, 4–d

Discourse analysis examines language in relation to power and social practices.
Book history studies books as material and cultural objects.
Reception theory explores readers’ interpretations.
Stylistics analyses linguistic features and their effects.

7. C — Obtain informed consent and protect participants’ information

Ethical research requires informed consent, appropriate confidentiality safeguards, secure data handling and honesty about the limits of confidentiality. Participants should understand how their information may be used.

8. B — How does domestic space shape women’s agency in selected novels by Jane Austen?

This question is focused, researchable and directly connected to the identified gap. It specifies the concept being examined and the literary material under investigation.

9. C — Evaluate, compare and synthesise previous research

A critical literature review does more than describe individual studies. It evaluates their arguments, identifies patterns and disagreements, and establishes how the proposed study contributes to existing scholarship.

10. A — 1–b, 2–a, 3–c, 4–d

Oral history collects and interprets recollections of past events.
Corpus analysis studies patterns in a collection of texts.
Comparative research investigates similarities and differences.
Archival research examines historical documents and records.

11. C — Stratified random sampling

The population is divided into relevant subgroups, or strata, before random selection occurs within each subgroup. Here, the universities form the strata.

12. A — Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A.

Fabrication means inventing data or results and presenting them as real. It undermines the credibility of research and violates academic integrity.

13. B — Normalise frequencies and examine context

Normalised frequencies allow fairer comparisons between texts of different lengths. Documenting selection criteria supports transparency, while contextual examination prevents misleading conclusions based solely on word counts.

14. A — A testable hypothesis

The claim predicts a relationship between participation in a reading programme and comprehension scores. It can be evaluated through a suitable research design and appropriate evidence.

15. B — Methodology

The methodology explains how the research is conducted, including the selection of materials, data collection, analytical procedures and the rationale for choosing those methods.

16. A — 1–b, 2–a, 3–c, 4–d

Zotero: Reference management and citation generation.
WorldCat: Discovery of books and library holdings.
JSTOR: Access to scholarly publications and other research materials.
DOI: A persistent identifier used to identify digital scholarly objects.

17. A — Thematic analysis

Thematic analysis identifies, organises and interprets recurring patterns of meaning in qualitative data, such as interview transcripts.

18. C — Reconsider and refine the interpretation

Good research engages honestly with contradictory evidence. The researcher should reconsider the original argument and develop a more defensible interpretation rather than suppressing inconvenient material.

19. C — A contemporary newspaper review

A review published shortly after the play’s original performance provides direct historical evidence of contemporary critical reception. It is therefore a primary source for a study of that reception.

20. B — Combine textual analysis and reader interviews

This design brings together evidence from the literary texts and the experiences of readers. Interviews should be conducted ethically, and the researcher should explain how the findings from both methods complement or challenge each other.

Section D: Calculate Your Score

Enter the number of correct answers to estimate your performance.

Each correct answer = 2 marks; no negative marking in this mock test.

Correct answers

0 / 20

Questions attempted

20 / 20

Your Score

0 / 40

Percentage

0%

Use this test as a learning exercise. Review each explanation and retake the test after revision.

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Section E: Important Revision Topics

Before attempting Mock Test 6, revise these areas:

Research paradigms: Positivism, interpretivism and constructivism.
Research design: Research questions, objectives, hypotheses and methodology.
Literature review: Critical synthesis, research gaps and theoretical frameworks.
Textual scholarship: Textual criticism, textual variants, manuscript studies and book history.
Research methods: Comparative method, oral history, archival research and corpus analysis.
Sampling: Random, stratified, purposive, convenience and snowball sampling.
Research ethics: Informed consent, confidentiality, plagiarism, fabrication and falsification.
Academic writing: MLA documentation, Works Cited, paraphrasing and source evaluation.
Digital humanities: Digital corpora, normalised frequencies, reference managers and persistent identifiers.
Qualitative analysis: Thematic analysis, reader-response research and interpretation of contradictory evidence.

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