Design a brief experimental approach to demonstrate that a new antibacterial compound causes double-strand DNA breaks in bacteria rather than merely inhibiting replication. Which combined methods would give the most direct evidence?

Measure the compound's minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) in stationary phase cultures only and conclude double-strand breaks occur because stationary phase cells are the most susceptible to any DNA-targeting agent.

Demonstrate that the compound blocks protein synthesis using a ribosomal binding assay and infer that any DNA effects are secondary without directly measuring DNA damage.

Treat actively dividing bacterial cultures with the compound, then perform assays such as pulsed-field gel electrophoresis or TUNEL-like DNA fragmentation analysis to detect chromosomal double-strand breaks and corroborate findings with microscopy showing loss of colony-forming ability.

Rely solely on automated growth curve analysis showing slower growth rates after exposure and interpret the growth delay as definitive evidence of DNA double-strand breaks without any DNA-specific assays.