Which of the following statements is true in the context of the testing of a…

2015

Which of the following statements is true in the context of the testing of a hypothesis ?

  1. A.

    It is only the alternative hypothesis, that can be tested.

  2. B.

    It is only the null hypothesis, that can be tested.

  3. C.

    Both, the alternative and the null hypotheses can be tested.

  4. D.

    Both, the alternative and the null hypotheses cannot be tested.

Attempted by 39 students.

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Correct answer: B

The correct answer is (b) It is only the null hypothesis that can be tested. The scientific method of statistical testing is designed to assess the evidence against the null hypothesis. We can either reject the null hypothesis (lending support to the alternative) or fail to reject it; we never directly "test" or "prove" the alternative hypothesis.

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