When developing a counterclaim, you should

not make your counterclaim’s evidence closely factual because you should not undermine your central argument.
interview people who disagree with your argument’s claim in order to understand their opinions.
thoroughly research the evidence to make sure you understand the facts behind the counterclaim.
supply personal evidence and experience as to why you disagree with the counterclaim.

The correct answer is C. Thoroughly research the evidence to make sure you understand the facts behind the counterclaim.

Explanation:

In the process of creating an argument, it is important to consider possible counterclaims, which are positions or statements that are against your main claim. For example, if your claim is "Recycling is the best way to reduce wastes" a possible counterclaim is "Only a small percentage of materials can be recycled".

Additionally, it is important to understand the evidence behind the counterclaim, because, in this way, you can provide evidence or facts that show despite there are counterclaims your position or claim is valid. According to this, when developing a counterclaim, you should "thoroughly research the evidence to make sure you understand the facts behind the counterclaim".

Figurative language is most common in poetry, but poetry does not always explore thought in a concise way, more often it tried to convey a feeling or an impression than treats the subject in detail. 

Therefore I would choose a "novel" - it can use figurative language (unlike exploratory essay), but it also deals with ideas and thought is a profound, comprehensive way (but note that some poems will also do that!)