Research questions and hypotheses roles – UGC NET Question

Statements A, B, C and E accurately describe the roles of research questions and hypotheses. Questions express what is to be explored, hypotheses offer testable predictions, and both should be consistent with stated objectives. Qualitative studies often keep questions more open and evolving. Statement D is false because some studies, particularly qualitative or exploratory ones, may use research questions without formal hypotheses, so both need not always appear together.

Option A:
Option A is incomplete because it omits statement E, overlooking the flexibility of research questions in qualitative research. Without E, the option does not fully reflect differences in how questions and hypotheses function across methodologies.

Option B:
Option B includes B, C and E but leaves out A, thereby failing to indicate that research questions themselves articulate the core focus of the study. This omission weakens the explanation of how inquiry is framed.

Option C:
Option C contains A, C and E but omits B, so it does not mention that hypotheses provide testable predictions. As a result, the description of how hypotheses connect to questions and objectives is incomplete.

Option D:
Option D is correct because it encompasses all four true statements and excludes D, which wrongly insists that questions and hypotheses must always appear together. It therefore captures the flexible use of these elements in different research traditions.