Question

the passage below describes a process of scientific inquiry. select the part of the passage that describes developing a hypothesis.
image of basil plants
lamar grows basil plants in pots on his back porch. he noticed that his basil plants did not grow many leaves. he read in a book that earthworms in the soil have helped parsley plants grow. this made him consider whether his basil plants were not growing many leaves because their soil lacked earthworms, and whether his plants would grow more leaves if he added some. lamar added earthworms to the soil in five of his ten pots. after two months of growth, he counted the number of leaves on all ten plants. he found that, on average, the plants with earthworms had 64 leaves, while the plants without earthworms had 51 leaves. lamar shared the results of his experiment with his neighbors.

Explanation:

A hypothesis is a testable prediction. The part "This made him consider whether his basil plants were not growing many leaves because their soil lacked earthworms, and whether his plants would grow more leaves if he added some" proposes a cause (lack of earthworms) and a testable outcome (more leaves with added earthworms).

Answer:

This made him consider whether his basil plants were not growing many leaves because their soil lacked earthworms, and whether his plants would grow more leaves if he added some.