Which term best describes the act of proposing a tentative explanation that can be tested?

• A. Hypothesize
• B. Analyze
• C. Summarize
• D. Prove

Answer: (A)

A tentative explanation that can be tested is called a hypothesis. A hypothesis is an educated guess about a relationship between variables that predicts what will happen under certain conditions and can be evaluated through experiments or observation. It should be testable and falsifiable, guiding how you set up an investigation. For example, you might hypothesize that increasing light will accelerate plant growth, and you would test this by growing plants under different light levels and measuring growth. Analyzing means examining data, summarizing means restating main points, and proving aims to establish truth with strong evidence—these are related activities, but they describe different steps in research.