Question

Which term describes a possible explanation of, or answer to, a scientific question that is based on prior knowledge or research and that is testable?

Answer 1

Hypothesis, its really an idea or explanation that you then test through study and experimentation. Outside science, a theory or guess can also be called a hypothesis.

Answer 2

A hypothesis can be described as a proposed explanation for a phenomenon, but for a hypothesis to be a scientific it needs the scientific method that one can test it. The scientific hypothesis is often called "educated guess," because it is based on prior knowledge and observation. The main characteristic of a hypothesis is that there is no pre-determined outcome. Another important characteristic is that it has to be testable.