“It gives you insight into whether or not to believe the author’s claims.” This is the most credible answer because you will need to remain neutral upon who you believe until you find the true answer. For example, some of the questions state that it will convince you that the claim is true, when you do not yet know for sure whether the result will be positive or negative. As for the second option, researching the author is not necessarily going to provide information about what evidence they are using.
Hope this helps!! <3