Question

consider the scenario. hemlocks are a common type of tree in the northern forests of the united states. in studying one forest, a forester noticed that mature hemlocks were abundant but there were very few young hemlocks. she wondered why there were so few young hemlocks. by reading the records that other foresters in that area had kept, she learned that the population of deer living in the forest had doubled in the last five years. by reading studies on forests that other scientists had performed, she also learned that deer in similar forests like to eat young hemlocks and the young trees of other species. which hypothesis would best address the question are deer eating the young hemlocks and preventing them from growing? deer are eating young hemlocks. deer will eat young hemlocks, but not old hemlocks. if the hemlocks are tasty to the deer, the deer will eat them. if deer are eating young hemlocks, then keeping deer away from the young trees will allow the trees to grow.

Explanation:

A good hypothesis should be testable and directly related to the research question. The question is about deer eating young hemlocks and preventing their growth. The hypothesis "If deer are eating young hemlocks, then keeping deer away from the young trees will allow the trees to grow" can be tested by setting up an experiment with a control (deer - access area) and an experimental (no - deer access area) group to see if young hemlocks grow better when deer are excluded. The other options are either too general or do not directly lead to a testable prediction.

Answer:

If deer are eating young hemlocks, then keeping deer away from the young trees will allow the trees to grow.