ThAct: Research and Writing

This blog task is part of thinking activity given by Prakruti ma'am. I'll do my utmost to respond the questions.

• In your opinion, should research always strive to achieve something new and creative or is it ok to pursue an existing direction and arrive at newer understanding of the same? In which one of these two categories would you classify the topic that you have chosen for your dissertation? (Answer in 50 words)

Answer: It is perfectly valid for research to revisit existing directions, as deeper exploration often leads to nuanced insights. While originality matters, reinterpretation is equally valuable. My dissertation falls into this category—it revisits known texts through feminist and postcolonial lenses, generating fresh interpretations from familiar narratives rather than inventing new ones.

• Ask a chatbot of your choice to paraphrase the following passage. Check the paraphrase it gives you by answering the questions attached below the paragraph:

Original Passage (by Sullivan):

"There is little to be gained from seeking to isolate any artistic form or movement from its antecedents and counterparts. Myopia is the product of critical segregation, wherein readers disengage practices from those contexts that have forged their contours. This might seem obvious, but there is value in rearticulating the axiomatic in times of transformation--when something "new" emerges, many of us fall into the trap of isolating our darlings, whether old or young, from all those other contexts that play a significant role in their construction. How does one look at electronic literature without considering the literary, the ludic, that which we can see, touch, and hear---how does one look critically at anything without such frames of reference, and how do we overcome natural limitations in capacity when attempting to do so? The best we can do is look to those who have gone before, build upon their foundation, and indeed, emphasize those aspects of an exploration we deem worthy of greater emphasis."

Paraphrased Passage (by ChatGPT):

Isolating any form of art from its historical and cultural background adds little value. When critics ignore the contexts that shape creative works, it leads to narrow perspectives. Especially during periods of change, we often forget the interconnectedness of ideas. A thoughtful approach requires us to learn from the past and build upon it.

Answer of the following questions:

1) Is the paraphrase approximately the same length as the original passage?

Answer: No, the paraphrased version is shorter and more concise than the original passage.

2) Has any part of the passage been copied word for word?

Answer: No, the paraphrase does not copy any part of the original passage word for word.

3) Does the paraphrase have the same meaning as the passage?

Answer: Yes, it retains the central meaning—emphasizing the importance of context, historical grounding, and continuity in analyzing any art form—but some depth and nuance of the original are condensed.

• What is the full form of CIS? Discuss some of the types of searches which can be employed to search for sources in a library equipped with CIS.

Answer:

The full form of CIS is Computerised Information System.

In a library equipped with CIS, the following types of searches can be used:

1. Keyword Search – Searching for resources using important words related to the topic.

2. Boolean Search – Using logical operators like AND, OR, NOT to narrow or broaden search results.

3. Author Search – Locating all materials by a specific author.

4. Title Search – Searching by the exact title of a book, article, or paper.

5. Subject Search – Searching based on subject headings or categories assigned to materials.

6. Advanced Search – Using filters such as date, format, language, or publication type to refine search results.

Thank you!!