Descriptive - Comparative - Defining Exploratory Causal A. Determines how your topic relates to the larger picture. They are useful for characterizing and classifying a phenomenon. 8. Seeks to identify things that may be interesting in the dataset (e.g trends, patterns, relationships). Explores the differences and similarities between two or more items. D. Seeks to describe a characteristic of the dataset. E. Addresses if a change in one variable directly affects another