A policy officer needs to know how three neighboring regions have changed their remote-work rules for public employees over the past two years. The answer must draw on several current sources she can check. Which approach best fits this task?

Answer: C — Use research or web search, scoped to the three regions, the period and official sources, with citations she then checks.

This is a multi-source research question about recent changes, so it needs a search-based approach with a clear scope and citations she can verify, as in (c). (a) relies on general knowledge that may be outdated and offers nothing to check. (b) jumps to drafting before the facts are established, inviting invented specifics. (d) treats a factual question as brainstorming and would present guesses as findings.