Which of the following statements best distinguishes ­hypotheses from theories in science?

Question

Theories are proved true; hypotheses are often contradicted by experimental results.
Hypotheses usually are relatively narrow in scope; theories have broad explanatory power.
Hypotheses are guesses; theories are correct answers.
Theories are hypotheses that have been proved.

Answer 1

The statement that best distinguishes hypotheses from theories in science is:

Hypotheses usually are relatively narrow in scope; theories have broad explanatory power.

This statement accurately reflects the differences between the two: hypotheses are often specific testable predictions, while theories encompass a broader range of phenomena and have withstood significant testing and scrutiny over time.