Which statement correctly describes a hypothesis?

Which statement correctly describes a hypothesis?

• A. A proposed explanation for a fairly narrow phenomenon or set of observations.
• B. A random guess without evidence.
• C. A proposition that cannot be tested directly but must be operationalized as measurable predictions.
• D. A proven fact.

Answer: (C)

A hypothesis is a testable prediction about the relationship between variables that you can turn into measurable statements. It isn’t just a guess or a confirmed fact, and it isn’t a broad explanation. The key is that it links concepts in a way that makes specific, observable predictions possible. To test it, you translate the ideas into concrete variables and measurements (operationalize them) so you can collect data and see whether the predictions hold. That combination of testability and measurable predictions is what makes a hypothesis a working statement in evidence-based inquiry. The other descriptions miss that crucial element: a proposed explanation alone isn’t necessarily testable in a precise, measurable way; a random guess lacks grounding and evidence; and a proven fact is already established and no longer a tentative, testable proposition.

A hypothesis is a testable prediction about the relationship between variables that you can turn into measurable statements. It isn’t just a guess or a confirmed fact, and it isn’t a broad explanation. The key is that it links concepts in a way that makes specific, observable predictions possible. To test it, you translate the ideas into concrete variables and measurements (operationalize them) so you can collect data and see whether the predictions hold. That combination of testability and measurable predictions is what makes a hypothesis a working statement in evidence-based inquiry.

The other descriptions miss that crucial element: a proposed explanation alone isn’t necessarily testable in a precise, measurable way; a random guess lacks grounding and evidence; and a proven fact is already established and no longer a tentative, testable proposition.