Types of research purposes – UGC NET Question

Statements A, B, C and E accurately summarise different research purposes. Descriptive research portrays characteristics, exploratory research clarifies poorly defined problems, and explanatory research tests hypotheses about relationships and causes. Descriptive findings can indeed guide later explanatory work. Statement D is false because historical research does interpret past events; it does not merely list them.

Option A:
Option A is incomplete as it omits E, thereby ignoring how descriptive work often serves as a foundation for more complex causal investigations. Without E, the progression from description to explanation is not fully represented.

Option B:
Option B is correct because it gathers all the true statements about descriptive, exploratory and explanatory research and their interrelationships. It rightly excludes D, which mischaracterises historical research as uninterpreted description. This combination aligns with standard classifications of research purposes.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it retains D, the false statement about historical research, and omits A, which properly defines descriptive research. Including D and excluding A distorts the classification of research types.

Option D:
Option D is wrong because it includes D along with other statements, accepting an incorrect view of historical research. By treating D as correct, the option underestimates the interpretive nature of historical inquiry.