Final answer:
The statement regarding shellfish allergies detecting sensitivity to isopropyl alcohol is false, as they are unrelated allergies. A plausible hypothesis for illnesses after eating oysters could involve pathogen contamination or accumulation of toxins.
Step-by-step explanation:
Asking a patient about a shellfish allergy is not a method to detect sensitivity to isopropyl alcohol. These two allergies are not related as shellfish allergies are typically caused by proteins in the shellfish, while isopropyl alcohol is a chemical substance. The statement 'Asking a patient about shellfish allergies may detect a sensitivity to isopropyl alcohol' is false.
A hypothesis about a number of people becoming ill after eating oysters in a restaurant could be several things, but a plausible hypothesis might be that the oysters were contaminated with a pathogen such as norovirus or Vibrio bacteria, which are often responsible for causing illness from raw shellfish. Another possible hypothesis could be that the oysters contained a toxin, like a red tide algal bloom toxin, which can accumulate in shellfish and cause illness when ingested.