UGC NET Paper 1 unit 9: People, Development and Environment
People, Development and Environment is unit 9 of 10 in the UGC NET Paper 1 syllabus. The syllabus notes that five questions of 2 marks are set from each unit, so it carries 10 of the 100 marks. Here is what it covers and how our papers set it: 5 questions in each of our 8 papers.
What the unit covers
People, Development and Environment links human activity with its effect on the natural world. It starts with development goals: the Millennium Development Goals, the Sustainable Development Goals that followed them, and the idea of development that meets present needs without harming the future.
It then turns to pollution of air, water and soil, noise, and the kinds of waste and how they are handled, with the effects of pollutants on health. Climate change is covered with its social and political sides as well as its science, alongside energy, the difference between renewable and non-renewable sources, and the use of natural resources. Natural hazards and disasters appear with the ways their harm can be reduced.
The unit ends with the rules: the main environmental laws and the international agreements and conferences on environment and climate. Questions here often ask for a fact, such as the subject of an agreement or the cause of a kind of pollution, so a short list of agreements and their aims is worth keeping and revising.
How our papers set it
- 5 questions in each of our 8 papers, always questions 41 to 45; 40 in all.
- Question types: 40 single-answer questions.
- Difficulty, as our authors grade it: 29 graded easy, 11 medium and none hard.
Or take a full timed paper, with this unit among the 10:
- What is in practice paper 1
- What is in practice paper 2
- What is in practice paper 3
- What is in practice paper 4
- What is in practice paper 5
- What is in practice paper 6
- What is in practice paper 7
- What is in practice paper 8
Questions people ask
How many questions come from People, Development and Environment in UGC NET Paper 1?
The UGC syllabus notes that five questions of 2 marks are set from each of the 10 units, so People, Development and Environment carries 10 of the 100 marks. Each of our 8 free practice papers sets 5 questions from it, 40 in all.
What does People, Development and Environment cover?
Development and environment goals, pollution and waste and their effects on health, climate change, energy and natural resources, natural hazards and how to reduce their harm, and environmental laws and international agreements.
What kinds of People, Development and Environment questions do your practice papers set?
Of the 40 questions on this unit in our papers, there are 40 single-answer questions. Every question has 4 options with one correct answer and an explanation shown after you submit.
How hard are the People, Development and Environment questions in your papers?
Our authors grade every question easy, medium or hard. Of the 40 on this unit, 29 graded easy, 11 medium and none hard. The grading is ours, not NTA's.
Can I practise People, Development and Environment on its own?
Yes. Unit practice gives untimed sets of 10 questions from this unit, drawn from all our papers: choose an answer, press Check the answer, and see the correct answer with its explanation. Your progress stays in this browser.
Sources
- UGC NET Bureau, Paper-I syllabus, General Paper on Teaching and Research Aptitude (PDF), read 26 Oct 2026.
More
- Previous unit: Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
- Next unit: Higher Education System
- All 10 units on one page
Practice papers in the pattern of UGC NET Paper 1. Not affiliated with NTA or UGC.