Final answer:
Research studies address a specific central question and guide the line of inquiry. The development of a hypothesis helps answer the research question and test assumptions.
Step-by-step explanation:
A research study is designed to address a specific central question.
The research question(s) guide the general line of inquiry and come from the purpose and audience of the research. It narrows down the scope of the topic.
The research question(s) then leads to the development of a hypothesis, which is a tentative assumption based on what is already known and is subjected to research to be proven or disproven through data collection.