UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Descriptive research aims to portray an accurate profile of persons, events or situations, often answering questions like what, where, when and how much, rather than why. Surveys, case studies and observational methods are commonly used to gather data on current conditions.

Option A:
This option correctly highlights the purpose of descriptive research as depicting current features of a phenomenon, providing a factual and systematic description without necessarily analyzing causal relationships.

Option B:
This option refers more to analytical or experimental research, which attempts to establish causal links between variables by manipulating conditions; that goes beyond simple description.

Option C:
Option C states that variables are always manipulated, which again characterizes experimental designs rather than descriptive studies that observe variables as they naturally occur.

Option D:
Option D confines attention to historical events. Historical research is a separate type; descriptive studies frequently focus on present conditions, not only the past.