The Answer is Not on the Character Sheet

Player Skill and Character Skill
There are two types of character record sheets in the hobby of role-playing games.  The oldest, White Box and OSR type sheets have very little information on the character sheet, often just Name, Class, Level, Ability Scores (six), Hit Points, Armor Class, Alignment, Saving Throws, and equipment including a list of spells if appropriate and can fit on an index card. Newer game sheets may also include a whole list of skills, feats, special abilities and things the character may do which often sets them apart from other characters who have a whole list of different things they can do.
White Box and all other RPGs are basically a conversation between the referee running the world and players who control the movers and shakers - the player characters whose adventures make up the stuff of the stories being collaboratively created at the table through play. The referee (who goes by many different names depending on the system used) describes the situation and the players say what their characters will do. Dice are used to determine the outcome of any risky action which may result in significantly altering the situation.
When that question comes from the referee, "What do you do?" - meaning what would you like your character to do? - where does the player look for answers? In White Box the answer is not on the character sheet, so the player may have to ask questions to know additional information such as details of the surroundings so as to generate ideas regarding a creative solution or course of action. The player may draw upon their own experiences, things they have read about or seen in cinema. They may "talk among themselves" if in-game time allows. Looking at the character sheet will only tell them what equipment they have which may be useful if creatively employed. There are few other answers on that sheet of paper, however...maybe a utilitarian magic spell if they are lucky. In general the White Box player must rely on skill and information to address an in-game dilemma.
What about the player equipped with a detailed, multi-page character sheet with lists of special abilities which may or may not be useful in this particular situation? The player so equipped may spend considerable time pouring over their sheet, looking for a skill or ability which seems to promise a positive outcome if used successfully. What if none of their character's specialties seem to apply? It is easy to conclude, "There is nothing I (meaning my character) can do." That long list of skills, feats and special abilities may suggest to the player that if something does not appear on the character sheet, it would be outside the realm of possibility for their character, but play doesn't need to be that way. In an Old School game such limiting thoughts could not be further from the truth.
The fact that White Box places so few answers on its brief character sheet suggests there are lots of things the character can do competently which are not listed, written down or maybe thought of yet. It is left to the player to do the thinking. Can the referee running the game with lengthy multi-page character sheets not also make the statement, "Don't assume that if it doesn't appear on your sheet, that you cannot do a thing.  Many of your character's abilities are not written down. Now, what would you like to do?"
We may be in agreement so far, but what if you find a listed skill or special ability seems to perfectly fit the in-game situation, such as Find and Remove Traps? A roll of the die produces a success or a failure. Perhaps the referee requires two separate rolls against the success of the skill, one to locate and another to bypass said trap. Quick, simple application of a character feature...and boring game play.
Without the listed skill Find and Remove Traps a player may still state, "I (my character) is looking for a trap." The referee rightly asks, "How do you go about this?" The player may give a number of detailed actions the character may perform such as tapping the floor ahead with a pole, running the pole back and forth along the floor in front of them, occasionally swinging it up through the air in the space ahead so as to contact any trip wires. The referee may tell the player, "The floor ahead sounds hollow - there may be trap. What do you do?" The player may describe any of a number of  possible attempts to get around the trap, harmlessly spring it or disarm it. The solution will frequently require a number of questions by both parties and perhaps a die roll. This is how trap finding was done prior to the introduction of the Thief Class.
Does this "talking it through" approach take longer than a die roll or two? Does it add anything useful to your game? I suppose each of us must answer these questions according to our own preferences, but it does mark a significantly different way of playing the game.