What Is a Hypothesis? | NSTA - Free Printable

Let’s go through each statement one by one and decide if it describes a hypothesis. Remember, in science, a hypothesis is not just any guess — it’s a smart, testable idea that helps guide an investigation.

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✔ A – A tentative explanation
Yes! A hypothesis is often a temporary or “tentative” explanation for something you observe. Scientists use it to start exploring.

✔ B – A statement that can be tested
Absolutely! If you can’t test it, it’s not a scientific hypothesis. Testing is key.

✔ C – An educated guess
Yes — but only if it’s based on what you already know (not just random). It’s smarter than a wild guess.

✘ D – An investigative question
Nope. A question like “Why does this happen?” is NOT a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a *statement*, not a question.

✔ E – A prediction about the outcome of an investigation
Yes! Often, a hypothesis includes a prediction: “If I do X, then Y will happen.”

✘ F – A question asked at the beginning of an investigation
Again, no. Questions lead to hypotheses, but they are not hypotheses themselves.

✔ G – A statement that may lead to a prediction
Yes! Sometimes your hypothesis leads you to make a specific prediction you can test.

✘ H – Included as a part of all scientific investigations
Not always. Some investigations are exploratory and don’t start with a hypothesis. So this isn’t true for *all*.

✘ I – Used to prove whether something is true
Nope. In science, we don’t “prove” things with hypotheses — we gather evidence to support or reject them.

✘ J – Eventually becomes a theory, then a law
Wrong idea. Hypotheses don’t automatically become theories or laws. Theories explain lots of data; laws describe patterns. They’re different kinds of ideas.

✔ K – May guide an investigation
Yes! That’s exactly what a good hypothesis does — it tells you what to look for and how to design your experiment.

✔ L – Used to decide what data to pay attention to and seek
Yes! Your hypothesis helps you focus on which measurements or observations matter most.

✔ M – Developed from imagination and creativity
Yes! Coming up with a good hypothesis takes creative thinking — especially when you’re trying to explain something new.

✘ N – Must be in the form of “if…then…”
Nope. While “if…then…” is helpful, it’s not required. You can have other kinds of testable statements too.

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Now let’s list the correct ones:

✔️ A
✔️ B
✔️ C
✔️ E
✔️ G
✔️ K
✔️ L
✔️ M

That’s 8 total.

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Final Answer:
Put an X next to these letters: A, B, C, E, G, K, L, M

For the written part:
*A hypothesis in science is a testable statement that explains something you’ve observed or predicts what might happen in an experiment. It’s not just a guess — it’s based on what you already know and helps guide your investigation. I learned this by doing experiments where I had to come up with my own ideas before testing them, and seeing how scientists use hypotheses to plan their work.*