The major defect is that the . . . . . . . . method tends to irritate raters, who feel they are not being trusted.

Forced-choice
Ranking
Checklist
None of these

The correct answer is: A. Forced-choice

A forced-choice method is a type of rating scale in which the rater is forced to choose between two or more options. This method can be useful for reducing bias in ratings, but it can also be irritating to raters, who may feel that they are not being trusted to make their own judgments.

A ranking method is a type of rating scale in which the rater is asked to rank a set of items from best to worst. This method can be useful for comparing items, but it can be difficult to rank items that are very similar.

A checklist method is a type of rating scale in which the rater is asked to indicate whether or not each item on a list applies to the person or thing being rated. This method is easy to use, but it does not provide much information about the degree to which each item applies.

None of these methods is perfect, and the best method to use will depend on the specific situation.