Tag: UGC NET NTA 2025 December

  • UGC NET Economics Unit 1-GAME THEORY: NON-COOPERATIVE GAMES-MCQs


    1.

    Game Theory was first developed systematically by:
    A) Adam Smith
    B) John Nash
    C) von Neumann and Morgenstern
    D) Edgeworth
    Answer: C
    🟩 They developed Game Theory in their 1944 book “Theory of Games and Economic Behavior.”


    2.

    A game in which players act independently without binding agreements is called:
    A) Cooperative Game
    B) Non-Cooperative Game
    C) Sequential Game
    D) Constant-Sum Game
    Answer: B


    3.

    In a non-cooperative game, each player:
    A) Tries to maximize joint payoffs
    B) Acts according to others’ commands
    C) Maximizes own payoff given others’ strategies
    D) Chooses randomly
    Answer: C


    4.

    strategy in game theory refers to:
    A) The payoffs obtained in the game
    B) A complete plan of action for a player
    C) The utility of outcomes
    D) The probability of success
    Answer: B


    5.

    dominant strategy is one that:
    A) Maximizes payoff regardless of opponents’ choices
    B) Minimizes losses in all cases
    C) Depends on the probability of other outcomes
    D) Requires cooperation
    Answer: A


    6.

    Nash Equilibrium occurs when:
    A) All players achieve maximum payoffs
    B) No player can improve payoff by unilaterally changing strategy
    C) All players follow dominant strategies
    D) Each player earns equal payoffs
    Answer: B


    7.

    In a Nash Equilibrium, each player’s strategy is a best response to:
    A) The dominant strategy
    B) The random strategy
    C) The other player’s strategy
    D) The cooperative outcome
    Answer: C


    8.

    Which of the following best describes a zero-sum game?
    A) Both players can win simultaneously
    B) One player’s gain equals another’s loss
    C) Total payoffs always increase
    D) All outcomes are uncertain
    Answer: B


    9.

    In a non-zero-sum game, players’ interests are:
    A) Perfectly opposed
    B) Independent
    C) Interdependent; both can gain or lose
    D) Random
    Answer: C


    10.

    The Prisoner’s Dilemma demonstrates that:
    A) Cooperation always yields maximum gain
    B) Rational self-interest can lead to sub-optimal outcomes
    C) Players always act irrationally
    D) Equilibrium is Pareto optimal
    Answer: B


    11.

    In the Prisoner’s Dilemma, mutual defection is:
    A) Dominant strategy equilibrium
    B) Pareto optimal
    C) Mixed strategy equilibrium
    D) Cooperative solution
    Answer: A


    12.

    A Nash Equilibrium that is not Pareto optimal implies:
    A) Mutual cooperation
    B) Inefficient outcome
    C) Maximum collective welfare
    D) Repeated game
    Answer: B


    13.

    If each player has a dominant strategy, then the game has:
    A) Multiple equilibria
    B) No equilibrium
    C) Dominant strategy equilibrium
    D) Sequential equilibrium
    Answer: C


    14.

    A player’s payoff depends on:
    A) Only his own choice
    B) Others’ choices as well
    C) Random factors
    D) Market conditions alone
    Answer: B


    15.

    Which of the following is a feature of non-cooperative games?
    A) Binding agreements between players
    B) Rational decision-making in isolation
    C) Centralized coordination
    D) Mutual contracts
    Answer: B


    16.

    The concept of Mixed Strategy Nash Equilibrium allows:
    A) Fixed choices
    B) Randomization of strategies with probabilities
    C) Cooperation between players
    D) Sequential decisions
    Answer: B


    17.

    The expected payoff in a mixed strategy game is:
    A) Always zero
    B) The probability-weighted sum of possible payoffs
    C) The minimum of payoffs
    D) The dominant outcome
    Answer: B


    18.

    Which of the following games always has at least one Nash Equilibrium (pure or mixed)?
    A) Infinite games
    B) Cooperative games
    C) Any finite game
    D) Zero-sum games only
    Answer: C
    🟩 Nash’s theorem states that every finite game has at least one equilibrium.


    19.

    In an oligopoly, Game Theory is applied to study:
    A) Demand forecasting
    B) Price and output interdependence
    C) Production planning
    D) Capital formation
    Answer: B


    20.

    The Advertising Game between firms typically results in:
    A) Cooperative outcome
    B) Dominant strategy equilibrium
    C) Zero-sum outcome
    D) Pareto optimal equilibrium
    Answer: B


    21.

    In a repeated game, cooperation may emerge due to:
    A) Short-term profit motives
    B) Absence of retaliation
    C) Future punishment and reputation effects
    D) Lack of communication
    Answer: C


    22.

    The Stackelberg Model of oligopoly is an example of a:
    A) Simultaneous game
    B) Sequential game
    C) Repeated game
    D) Zero-sum game
    Answer: B


    23.

    If one player’s optimal strategy changes with another’s, the game is:
    A) Independent
    B) Strategic
    C) Cooperative
    D) Static
    Answer: B


    24.

    The Maximin strategy in non-cooperative games is suitable for:
    A) Optimistic players
    B) Pessimistic players
    C) Indifferent players
    D) Neutral players
    Answer: B


    25.

    A game in which both players can gain by cooperating is called:
    A) Zero-sum
    B) Non-zero-sum
    C) Negative-sum
    D) Sequential
    Answer: B


    26.

    The equilibrium in the Prisoner’s Dilemma is:
    A) Pareto optimal
    B) Sub-optimal but stable
    C) Unstable and non-existent
    D) Cooperative
    Answer: B


    27.

    The Best Response Function of a player shows:
    A) The strategies that maximize his payoff given others’ strategies
    B) The probability of success
    C) The market equilibrium
    D) The Pareto frontier
    Answer: A


    28.

    In a two-player zero-sum game, the sum of both players’ payoffs equals:
    A) Zero
    B) One
    C) Infinity
    D) A positive constant
    Answer: A


    29.

    The dominance rule in game theory is used to:
    A) Eliminate inferior strategies
    B) Find maximum payoffs
    C) Calculate Nash Equilibrium
    D) Determine cooperative payoffs
    Answer: A


    30.

    Game Theory fundamentally assumes that players are:
    A) Irrational and emotional
    B) Rational and strategic
    C) Unaware of others’ choices
    D) Myopic decision-makers
    Answer: B

    GAME THEORY: NON-COOPERATIVE GAMES


    1.

    Game Theory was first developed systematically by:
    A) Adam Smith
    B) John Nash
    C) von Neumann and Morgenstern
    D) Edgeworth
    Answer: C
    🟩 They developed Game Theory in their 1944 book “Theory of Games and Economic Behavior.”


    2.

    A game in which players act independently without binding agreements is called:
    A) Cooperative Game
    B) Non-Cooperative Game
    C) Sequential Game
    D) Constant-Sum Game
    Answer: B


    3.

    In a non-cooperative game, each player:
    A) Tries to maximize joint payoffs
    B) Acts according to others’ commands
    C) Maximizes own payoff given others’ strategies
    D) Chooses randomly
    Answer: C


    4.

    A strategy in game theory refers to:
    A) The payoffs obtained in the game
    B) A complete plan of action for a player
    C) The utility of outcomes
    D) The probability of success
    Answer: B


    5.

    A dominant strategy is one that:
    A) Maximizes payoff regardless of opponents’ choices
    B) Minimizes losses in all cases
    C) Depends on the probability of other outcomes
    D) Requires cooperation
    Answer: A


    6.

    A Nash Equilibrium occurs when:
    A) All players achieve maximum payoffs
    B) No player can improve payoff by unilaterally changing strategy
    C) All players follow dominant strategies
    D) Each player earns equal payoffs
    Answer: B


    7.

    In a Nash Equilibrium, each player’s strategy is a best response to:
    A) The dominant strategy
    B) The random strategy
    C) The other player’s strategy
    D) The cooperative outcome
    Answer: C


    8.

    Which of the following best describes a zero-sum game?
    A) Both players can win simultaneously
    B) One player’s gain equals another’s loss
    C) Total payoffs always increase
    D) All outcomes are uncertain
    Answer: B


    9.

    In a non-zero-sum game, players’ interests are:
    A) Perfectly opposed
    B) Independent
    C) Interdependent; both can gain or lose
    D) Random
    Answer: C


    10.

    The Prisoner’s Dilemma demonstrates that:
    A) Cooperation always yields maximum gain
    B) Rational self-interest can lead to sub-optimal outcomes
    C) Players always act irrationally
    D) Equilibrium is Pareto optimal
    Answer: B


    11.

    In the Prisoner’s Dilemma, mutual defection is:
    A) Dominant strategy equilibrium
    B) Pareto optimal
    C) Mixed strategy equilibrium
    D) Cooperative solution
    Answer: A


    12.

    A Nash Equilibrium that is not Pareto optimal implies:
    A) Mutual cooperation
    B) Inefficient outcome
    C) Maximum collective welfare
    D) Repeated game
    Answer: B


    13.

    If each player has a dominant strategy, then the game has:
    A) Multiple equilibria
    B) No equilibrium
    C) Dominant strategy equilibrium
    D) Sequential equilibrium
    Answer: C


    14.

    A player’s payoff depends on:
    A) Only his own choice
    B) Others’ choices as well
    C) Random factors
    D) Market conditions alone
    Answer: B


    15.

    Which of the following is a feature of non-cooperative games?
    A) Binding agreements between players
    B) Rational decision-making in isolation
    C) Centralized coordination
    D) Mutual contracts
    Answer: B


    16.

    The concept of Mixed Strategy Nash Equilibrium allows:
    A) Fixed choices
    B) Randomization of strategies with probabilities
    C) Cooperation between players
    D) Sequential decisions
    Answer: B


    17.

    The expected payoff in a mixed strategy game is:
    A) Always zero
    B) The probability-weighted sum of possible payoffs
    C) The minimum of payoffs
    D) The dominant outcome
    Answer: B


    18.

    Which of the following games always has at least one Nash Equilibrium (pure or mixed)?
    A) Infinite games
    B) Cooperative games
    C) Any finite game
    D) Zero-sum games only
    Answer: C
    🟩 Nash’s theorem states that every finite game has at least one equilibrium.


    19.

    In an oligopoly, Game Theory is applied to study:
    A) Demand forecasting
    B) Price and output interdependence
    C) Production planning
    D) Capital formation
    Answer: B


    20.

    The Advertising Game between firms typically results in:
    A) Cooperative outcome
    B) Dominant strategy equilibrium
    C) Zero-sum outcome
    D) Pareto optimal equilibrium
    Answer: B


    21.

    In a repeated game, cooperation may emerge due to:
    A) Short-term profit motives
    B) Absence of retaliation
    C) Future punishment and reputation effects
    D) Lack of communication
    Answer: C


    22.

    The Stackelberg Model of oligopoly is an example of a:
    A) Simultaneous game
    B) Sequential game
    C) Repeated game
    D) Zero-sum game
    Answer: B


    23.

    If one player’s optimal strategy changes with another’s, the game is:
    A) Independent
    B) Strategic
    C) Cooperative
    D) Static
    Answer: B


    24.

    The Maximin strategy in non-cooperative games is suitable for:
    A) Optimistic players
    B) Pessimistic players
    C) Indifferent players
    D) Neutral players
    Answer: B


    25.

    A game in which both players can gain by cooperating is called:
    A) Zero-sum
    B) Non-zero-sum
    C) Negative-sum
    D) Sequential
    Answer: B


    26.

    The equilibrium in the Prisoner’s Dilemma is:
    A) Pareto optimal
    B) Sub-optimal but stable
    C) Unstable and non-existent
    D) Cooperative
    Answer: B


    27.

    The Best Response Function of a player shows:
    A) The strategies that maximize his payoff given others’ strategies
    B) The probability of success
    C) The market equilibrium
    D) The Pareto frontier
    Answer: A


    28.

    In a two-player zero-sum game, the sum of both players’ payoffs equals:
    A) Zero
    B) One
    C) Infinity
    D) A positive constant
    Answer: A


    29.

    The dominance rule in game theory is used to:
    A) Eliminate inferior strategies
    B) Find maximum payoffs
    C) Calculate Nash Equilibrium
    D) Determine cooperative payoffs
    Answer: A


    30.

    Game Theory fundamentally assumes that players are:
    A) Irrational and emotional
    B) Rational and strategic
    C) Unaware of others’ choices
    D) Myopic decision-makers
    Answer: B

  • UGC NET Paper I (NTA) – Smart Preparation Strategy

    UGC NET Paper I (NTA) – Smart Preparation Strategy


    🎯 1️⃣ Understand the Nature of the Paper

    Paper-I Overview:

    • Total Marks: 100

    • Questions: 50 (2 marks each)

    • Duration: 1 hour (No negative marking)

    • Purpose: To test teaching, research, reasoning, comprehension, and awareness skills — not rote memory.

    📘 10 Units (Equal Weightage):

    1. Teaching Aptitude

    2. Research Aptitude

    3. Comprehension

    4. Communication

    5. Mathematical Reasoning & Aptitude

    6. Logical Reasoning

    7. Data Interpretation

    8. ICT

    9. People, Development & Environment

    10. Higher Education System

    Each unit gives around 5 questions = 10 marks. Equal weightage means equal attention!


    📆 2️⃣ Make a Smart 30-Day Study Plan

    Phase Duration Focus
    Phase 1 – Build Concepts 10 days Study Units 1–10 briefly from reliable notes / NTA syllabus
    Phase 2 – Practice & Revise 10 days Attempt MCQs topic-wise + short notes revision
    Phase 3 – Mock & Mastery 10 days Full-length mocks + analyze weak areas

    Tip: Spend 2–3 hours daily on Paper I; it boosts your overall percentile!


    📚 3️⃣ Study Resources (Best Sources)

    Component Recommended Source
    Official Syllabus NTA UGC NET Information Bulletin / UGC website
    Book Trueman’s UGC NET Paper I or Arihant Paper I by KVS Madan
    Practice MCQs Previous Year Papers (last 5 years)
    Online Practice NTA mock tests on nta.ac.in/Quiz
    Current Updates Government policies (NEP 2020, Digital Initiatives, SDGs, etc.)

    💡 4️⃣ Strategy by Units

    🔹 Units 1 & 2: Teaching & Research Aptitude

    • Learn key definitions (e.g., pedagogy, andragogy, research types).

    • Prepare levels of teaching, research methods, sampling, hypothesis.

    • Practice conceptual MCQs (common 10–12 questions).
      🧭 Tip: Draw comparison charts (e.g., Qualitative vs Quantitative, Formative vs Summative).


    🔹 Unit 3: Comprehension

    • Practice 1 passage daily.

    • Focus on main idea, tone, inference, and vocabulary.
      📖 Tip: Read editorials or short articles to improve reading speed.


    🔹 Unit 4: Communication

    • Revise models (Shannon & Weaver, Berlo’s SMCR).

    • Learn barriers, classroom communication, non-verbal cues.

    • Know difference: interpersonal vs group vs mass communication.


    🔹 Units 5 & 6: Reasoning & Aptitude

    • Practice daily 15–20 reasoning sums (series, ratios, time-distance).

    • Learn shortcut formulas and solve previous papers.

    • Logical reasoning (syllogism, Venn diagram, fallacies) = scoring area.
      🔢 Tip: Maintain a formula sheet for revision.


    🔹 Unit 7: Data Interpretation

    • Learn how to read graphs, tables, pie charts.

    • Revise % change, averages, and ratios.
      📊 Practice previous year DI sets — 1 set every 2 days.


    🔹 Unit 8: ICT

    • Learn basic full forms, terminologies, and digital initiatives (SWAYAM, e-PG Pathshala).

    • Expect 4–5 direct factual questions.
      💻 Tip: Create one-page ICT abbreviation list.


    🔹 Unit 9: People, Development & Environment

    • Focus on environmental laws (EPA 1986, Paris Agreement, Kyoto Protocol).

    • Revise sustainable development goals (SDGs), climate change, and natural hazards.
      🌱 Tip: Use mind maps to interlink environment + policy topics.


    🔹 Unit 10: Higher Education System

    • Study ancient to modern Indian education evolution.

    • NEP 2020, RUSA, NAAC, AICTE, UGC roles — key questions here.
      🏛️ Tip: Prepare “Education Timeline in India” summary chart.


    🧩 5️⃣ Proven Study Techniques

    1. Pomodoro Study Method:
      Study 25 minutes → Break 5 minutes → Repeat 4 times → Take a long break.
      Keeps focus high and burnout low.

    2. Active Recall:
      Don’t reread — test yourself frequently. It improves retention by 70%.

    3. Spaced Revision:
      Revise at 1 day, 7 days, and 15 days intervals to move info to long-term memory.

    4. Mind Maps & Mnemonics:
      Visual summaries for topics like Levels of Teaching, Pramanas, Communication Models.

    5. Error Book:
      Note mistakes from MCQs; revise those before each test.


    🧾 6️⃣ Practice & Revision Routine

    Daily Routine Time Activity
    Concept Study 1 hr Read one topic from crisp notes
    Practice 1 hr Solve 25–30 MCQs from that topic
    Revision 30 min Revise key terms & formula sheet
    Mock Test Weekly Attempt 1 mock test under exam timing

    💬 Analyze every mock — see which units have low accuracy and revise them.


    📊 7️⃣ Commonly Scoring Units

    Most Scoring Why
    Research Aptitude Conceptual, repeated patterns
    ICT Factual, easy recall
    Logical & Mathematical Reasoning Practice-based, predictable
    Higher Education System Static content, memory-based

    💯 8️⃣ Exam-Day Strategy

    ✅ Attempt all 50 questions — no negative marking.
    ✅ Don’t spend more than 1.2 minutes/question.
    ✅ Solve easy & known ones first → then reasoning & calculation ones.
    ✅ Keep last 5 minutes for revision/checking marked questions.


    🧘 9️⃣ Mindset & Motivation

    • UGC NET Paper-I is a game-changer — high Paper-I scores pull your overall percentile up.

    • It’s skill-based, not memory-based — so understand, not cram.

    • Stay consistent — even 2 focused hours daily for 30 days can ensure 70+ marks.

    • Believe: “Paper I is not hard — it’s smart.”


    🏁 10️⃣ Quick-Start Checklist

    ✅ Read & print NTA syllabus.
    ✅ Collect crisp unit-wise notes (1–10).
    ✅ Prepare one formula sheet & one current affairs sheet.
    ✅ Solve at least 10 previous year papers.
    ✅ Attempt 10–15 full mocks before the exam.


    🔰 Goal Benchmark:

    Category Target Marks (out of 100)
    Minimum Qualifying 50–55
    Good Score 65–70
    Excellent (Top 10%) 75+