The scope for 'creativity' and 'imagination' is largest in which of the following steps of research?

ADefining and deciding the procedures for sampling

BIdentifying and defining the research problem

CData analysis using quantitative methods and interpretation

DHypothesis making and hypothesis testing ✓ Correct

Correct answer: (D) Hypothesis making and hypothesis testing

Explanation

The scope for creativity and imagination is largest in hypothesis making and hypothesis testing.

Framing a fresh hypothesis demands an imaginative leap from known facts to a tentative explanation.

Deciding sampling procedures is a technical, rule-bound step with little room for imagination.

Identifying and defining the problem needs insight, yet it is guided closely by existing literature.

Quantitative data analysis and interpretation follow fixed statistical procedures, limiting free creativity.

A good hypothesis is a creative guess that still remains testable against evidence.

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