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Q134 (IAS/1996) Science & Technology › Basic Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) › Logical analytical reasoning Answer Verified

Two important characteristics of a hypothesis are that it should be testable and that it should be stated in a manner that it can be refuted. Which one of the following hypotheses, fulfils these characteristics ?

Result
Your answer: —  Â·  Correct: A
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 1. In scientific research, a hypothesis must be testable (capable of being measured) and falsifiable (stated such that it can be proven wrong).

  • Option 1 is correct because "intelligence" and "memory" are variables that can be quantified using standardized psychometric tests. It is refutable; if a study finds a person with high intelligence but poor memory, the hypothesis is disproven.
  • Options 2 and 3 use the quantifier "some." These are logically impossible to refute because finding one honest businessman or one bird that isn't an animal (if that were possible) does not disprove that some others might be.
  • Option 4 is a universal biological certainty. While testable in theory, it is considered an established fact rather than a research hypothesis, and it cannot be refuted as no immortal man has ever been found.

Thus, Option 1 best fits the criteria for an empirical research hypothesis.

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