An activity that involves gathering data and using these data to formulate meaningful statements about the subject matter is called?

• A. Literary research
• B. Fieldwork
• C. Data analysis
• D. Theoretical study

Answer: (A)

Turning collected information into meaningful statements about a subject is data analysis. It begins with gathering data—surveys, observations, measurements—and then moves to examining what the data show, identifying patterns, and drawing conclusions or explanations from them. This focus on interpreting and communicating what the data mean is what makes it data analysis.

Fieldwork involves the act of collecting data in real-world settings, but the essential step described here is making sense of those data and articulating what they indicate about the topic. Literary research centers on texts and literature, while theoretical study focuses on abstract ideas without necessarily deriving conclusions from collected data.