Characteristics of good hypothesis – UGC NET Question

Statements A, B and D describe essential properties and roles of a good hypothesis, whereas C and E are false. A sound hypothesis must be testable and open to falsification, be clearly written and guide the selection of data and analytic strategies. It is not required that the hypothesis be proven true; disconfirmation can also be informative. Moreover, correlational studies often do formulate hypotheses about the direction and strength of relationships, so E is incorrect.

Option A:
Option A includes only A and B, omitting D, which explains how hypotheses guide data and analysis decisions. Without D, the option does not fully reflect the functional role of hypotheses in research design.

Option B:
Option B is correct because it gathers together the three statements that reflect both the logical and practical aspects of hypothesis formulation. It excludes C, which overemphasises “proving true”, and E, which understates the use of hypotheses in correlational designs.

Option C:
Option C includes C, which wrongly insists that hypotheses must always be proven true, and omits A, which emphasises testability and falsifiability. This combination therefore distorts the logic of hypothesis testing.

Option D:
Option D brings in E, which incorrectly claims that correlational studies do not require hypotheses, and omits B, thereby failing to stress clarity and conciseness. It cannot be accepted as correct.

Option E includes E and adds it to a set of otherwise correct statements, which undermines the validity of the combination. The presence of this false statement makes the option incorrect.