OFFICIAL EXPLANATION


The sentence is used in a comparative style. It is analysing and comparing facts in an objective manner. It states that the supporters of qualitative research consider it a superior method as the analyst plays an active role while eliciting a subject's responses. On the other hand, the detractors or critics feel that the involvement of the research itself brings in bias in the analysis, thereby making the research undependable. This is not an opinion but an observation and the sentence adopts 'a matter of fact tone'. The sentence does not allow any intrusion. In other words, the sentence is not used in a subjective tone.

Predict a word for the blank after reading the complete sentence but before looking at the choices. From the overall analysis, we can predict that an appropriate word for the first blank is 'supporters'.

Examine the choices to check whether any option has a word similar to the word enclose in quotation marks. You will notice that option C is 'advocates', which broadly means 'supporters'.

Besides this, option E, 'proponents' is synonymous to 'supporters'. Hence, the answers are C and E .