The sentence 'The committee concluded that the findings were ______ to the hypothesis' should be completed with which word to convey formal academic register?

The sentence 'The committee concluded that the findings were ______ to the hypothesis' should be completed with which word to convey formal academic register?

• A. Irrelevant
• B. Relevant
• C. Tangential
• D. Questionable

Answer: (B)

In formal academic writing, you want a word that clearly shows how findings relate to the hypothesis in a direct and pertinent way. Relevant does exactly that, signaling that the findings have bearing on the hypothesis and are central to evaluating it. The sentence would read: The committee concluded that the findings were relevant to the hypothesis. By contrast, irrelevant would imply no connection, tangential would suggest only a peripheral link, and questionable would raise doubt about the findings’ validity rather than their relation to the hypothesis.

In formal academic writing, you want a word that clearly shows how findings relate to the hypothesis in a direct and pertinent way. Relevant does exactly that, signaling that the findings have bearing on the hypothesis and are central to evaluating it. The sentence would read: The committee concluded that the findings were relevant to the hypothesis. By contrast, irrelevant would imply no connection, tangential would suggest only a peripheral link, and questionable would raise doubt about the findings’ validity rather than their relation to the hypothesis.