Thesis v.s Hypothesis v.s Theory Forum

[lawschool2014hopeful]

Hello All,

I was wondering if people can help me distinguish the difference between Thesis/Hypothesis/Theory on the LSAT (when they are not explicitly stated), especially with RC, with an example if you can please.
I know that hypothesis suppose to include a prediction, but what other distinguishing characteristics are there?
Also, how do we distinguish a theory/thesis from a mere description of an action?

[VasaVasori]

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[lawschool2014hopeful]

Hello All,

I was wondering if people can help me distinguish the difference between Thesis/Hypothesis/Theory on the LSAT (when they are not explicitly stated), especially with RC, with an example if you can please.
I know that hypothesis suppose to include a prediction, but what other distinguishing characteristics are there?
Also, how do we distinguish a theory from a mere description of an action?

I don't see why this would ever matter in terms of the LSAT, but in reality:

A theory is a (generally) well accepted explanation for a phenomenon.
A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon.
A thesis is the main point of an essay, paper, or article (in LSAT terms, the "conclusion", "main idea", or "main point").

A theory explains why the action occurs. For example, consider evolution. Evolution is the change in species over time - that's not a theory. One theory behind evolution is "natural selection", and it explains why and how species change over time.

Perfect, thanks.

The reason I am asking is that sometimes I come down to answer choices where A refers ... is thesis, B refers to .... theory, and I would sometimes get stumped on what the difference is and just stare blankly on the page.