Literary scholar Maya Dutta found no document directly recording the day a novelist first arrived in Calcutta. Rather than abandon the inquiry, Dutta combined references in personal letters with dates from shipping manifests and details in weather logs, using materials intended for other purposes to identify the day. Dutta's method exemplifies a ______ approach to research.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
For a Words in Context question, identify both the problem described and the subject's response to it. Then compare closely related choices by asking which one names the specific quality emphasized by the full context, rather than merely naming a quality that could generally apply to the subject's work.
Hints
Focus on the obstacle
Consider why the first sentence emphasizes that no document directly records the date.
Examine the solution
Dutta uses several materials that were intended for purposes other than recording the novelist's arrival. Think about what this suggests about her problem-solving ability.
Distinguish related qualities
Decide whether the passage primarily emphasizes organization, doubt, neutrality, or the ability to make effective use of available materials.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the challenge
The text states that Dutta has no document directly recording the novelist's arrival date. She therefore faces a gap in the historical record.
Examine how Dutta responds
Instead of abandoning the inquiry, Dutta combines clues from personal letters, shipping manifests, and weather logs. These sources were intended for different purposes, but she finds a useful way to apply them to her research question.
Choose the most precise description
A resourceful person finds clever and effective ways to overcome difficulties by using what is available. That meaning most precisely describes Dutta's response to the missing direct record.