Final answer:
Dupin uses process of elimination to consider the windows further, dismissing conventional hiding spots in favor of simpler ones that the police might have overlooked. Option b
Step-by-step explanation:
In Edgar Allan Poe's The Purloined Letter, Dupin uses process of elimination to investigate the windows further. By analyzing the text provided, it is clear that Dupin has eliminated traditional methods of concealment (b) the possibility of a locked door. He critiques the Prefect's search methods, recognizing that they are predictable and based on conventional thinking.
Dupin suggests that because the Minister is both a poet and a mathematician, he would be aware of and anticipate these usual investigative approaches. Therefore, he would not hide the letter in usual or complicated hiding spots but somewhere simpler and less expected.
Dupin's approach is to think outside the box and disregard the common principles of the police searches, leading him to reconsider areas like the windows that might have been overlooked. Option b