Multiple Choice Single Answer (Reading)

2. Social Scientists
   Original:
   Social scientists use particular methods to gather qualitative evidence, from observation to interview,
   but they also use autobiographical accounts, journalism, and other documentary material to flesh out and
   add meaning to statistics. As with reading numbers, reading textual evidence requires us to practice, to
   set time aside to learn how to do it, and to understand the conventions of writing which operate in the
   different forms of writing we encounter. One of the main problems with reading textual evidence,
   though, is that, unlike the relationship most of us have with numbers where we may use them at a pretty
   basic level, most of us are, if anything, over-familiar with words. When we want to understand their value
   as social science evidence we need to forget how familiar we are with first person accounts and
   everyday speech – for example, in newspapers, magazines, and books – and learn a different approach
   to them. Social scientists use observation, interviews and even print journalism as evidence for the
   claims they make. They may collect evidence through questionnaires with pre-set questions and by
   open-ended interviews which allow respondents to speak for themselves. They may observe social
   relations explicitly as social scientists or may participate themselves in a particular community to gain
   ‘inside’ information. Social scientists also draw on print journalism on occasion and may use the same
   sources, for example official statistics, and the work of other social scientists to support their claims. We
   need to remember, though, that journalists do not need to present the same rigorous referencing and
   support for their claims as social scientists are required to do. Most importantly, newspaper and
   magazine articles are written under commercial pressures; for example they must help to sell the
   newspaper by being deliberately provocative, or by reflecting the dominant views of its readers.
   Question:
   According to this passage, what do social scientists use written sources to do?
   Options:
   A) Formulating questionnaires and interview questions.
   B) Advising them on how to collect qualitative evidence.
   C) Adding information to other data they have collected.
   D) Change their understanding of numbers.