Tells why phenomena occur is the characteristic known as:

• A. Explanatory
• B. General
• C. Normative
• D. Nonnormative

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is telling why things happen—causal explanation. Explanatory describes the causes, mechanisms, and conditions that produce a phenomenon, not just what happens or what ought to happen. So the best choice is the one that focuses on why phenomena occur. For contrast: a general claim describes broad patterns without necessarily detailing why they occur; normative claims deal with value judgments about what should be; nonnormative ones avoid value judgments but still may be descriptive rather than causal. In short, when the goal is to explain why something happens, the explanatory approach is the right fit.