Answer: The condition to which the trees were exposed played a part in their inability to survive.
Explanation:
From the report given in the question, we can hypothesize on a number of grounds as to why only 5 of the 10 trees survived. Hypothesis is very common in statistical parlance as it could be referred to as a claim about a particular event which is only inferred and has not been proved either wrong or right. This hypothesis or claim are further scrutinized or tested in other to establish a fact or validity of the claim. Hence, we could infer that the reason why only 5 of the trees planted survived is due to harsh weather condition. However, this claim will be subjected to further test before establishing the truth or significance of the hypothesis.