FINER criteria for problem – UGC NET Question

The FINER criteria suggest that a good research problem should be Feasible to study, Interesting to the researcher and stakeholders, Novel in contributing new knowledge, Ethical in its procedures and Relevant to scientific or practical concerns. These terms help researchers evaluate whether a proposed problem is worth pursuing. Because the stem lists these criteria and asks what they judge, research problem is the correct answer.

Option A:
A research problem is the clearly defined issue or gap that motivates the entire study, so evaluating it carefully before committing resources is crucial. The FINER checklist ensures that the problem is not only theoretically valuable but also practically manageable and ethically sound. This matches the description in the question, confirming research problem as the appropriate completion.

Option B:
Hypotheses are tentative answers to research questions, and while they should also be sound, the FINER acronym is specifically associated with assessing the initial research problem rather than individual hypotheses. Thus, hypothesis is not the best answer here.

Option C:
Sample refers to the group of participants or units selected from the population for study. Its quality is judged using criteria such as representativeness and size, not the FINER framework. Therefore, sample does not fit the stem.

Option D:
Statistic is a numerical summary computed from sample data, such as the mean or standard deviation. It is not what Feasible, Interesting, Novel, Ethical and Relevant are designed to evaluate. Hence, statistic is not the correct completion.