Question:
By ---- scientific rigor with a quantitative approach, researchers in the social sciences may often have ---- their scope to those narrowly circumscribed topics that are well suited to quantitative methods.
By ---- scientific rigor with a quantitative approach, researchers in the social sciences may often have ---- their scope to those narrowly circumscribed topics that are well suited to quantitative methods.
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Solve sentence completion questions with two blanks by focusing on one blank first. Often, the context makes one blank easier to figure out. Here, the phrase "narrowly circumscribed topics" is a strong clue for the second blank, allowing you to eliminate several options quickly.
Updated On: Oct 1, 2025
- undermining.. diminished
- equating.. enlarged
- vitiating.. expanded
- identifying.. limited
- imbuing.. broadened
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The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This sentence describes a cause-and-effect relationship in social science research. The first blank describes what researchers do with "scientific rigor" and a "quantitative approach," and the second blank describes the resulting effect on the "scope" of their research.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The end of the sentence states that the researchers focus on "narrowly circumscribed topics." This indicates that their scope has been reduced or restricted. Words like "limited," "narrowed," or "diminished" would fit the second blank. This immediately makes options (B), (C), and (E) unlikely, as they suggest an expansion of scope.
Now let's choose between (A) and (D).
The sentence implies that using a quantitative approach is seen as a way to achieve scientific rigor. Therefore, researchers are likely equating or identifying scientific rigor with this specific approach.
Let's test the pair from option (D): "By identifying scientific rigor with a quantitative approach, researchers... have limited their scope..." This makes perfect logical sense. Because they define rigor only in quantitative terms, they are forced to limit their studies to topics that can be quantified.
Let's test the pair from option (A): "By undermining scientific rigor with a quantitative approach..." This is contradictory. Researchers use quantitative methods to enhance, not undermine, rigor.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The most logical construction is that by equating (identifying) rigor with quantitative methods, researchers consequently limit their scope of study. Therefore, option (D) is the correct choice.
This sentence describes a cause-and-effect relationship in social science research. The first blank describes what researchers do with "scientific rigor" and a "quantitative approach," and the second blank describes the resulting effect on the "scope" of their research.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The end of the sentence states that the researchers focus on "narrowly circumscribed topics." This indicates that their scope has been reduced or restricted. Words like "limited," "narrowed," or "diminished" would fit the second blank. This immediately makes options (B), (C), and (E) unlikely, as they suggest an expansion of scope.
Now let's choose between (A) and (D).
The sentence implies that using a quantitative approach is seen as a way to achieve scientific rigor. Therefore, researchers are likely equating or identifying scientific rigor with this specific approach.
Let's test the pair from option (D): "By identifying scientific rigor with a quantitative approach, researchers... have limited their scope..." This makes perfect logical sense. Because they define rigor only in quantitative terms, they are forced to limit their studies to topics that can be quantified.
Let's test the pair from option (A): "By undermining scientific rigor with a quantitative approach..." This is contradictory. Researchers use quantitative methods to enhance, not undermine, rigor.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The most logical construction is that by equating (identifying) rigor with quantitative methods, researchers consequently limit their scope of study. Therefore, option (D) is the correct choice.
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