Final answer:
The best pair of words to complete the statement about research are 'challenging' and 'impossible,' recognizing that research can be difficult but achievable with effort and critical thinking.
Step-by-step explanation:
The best pair of words to fill in the blanks for the statement 'Research is ________ but not ________' could be challenging, but not impossible. This choice reflects the idea that while research can be difficult and require significant effort and critical thinking, it is not an insurmountable task. It is important to recognize that good research tends to be open-ended and debatable, eschewing simple yes-or-no questions in favor of those that are more nuanced and require in-depth exploration. Furthermore, a well-posed research question should be answerable and consequential, guiding the researcher to produce findings of significance that may influence future actions and discussions in their field of study. In academia, research is a form of scholarly conversation, where each contribution builds upon or challenges the ones that came before it, continuously evolving the state of knowledge.