The astronomer formulated a hypothesis that the unusual dimming of the star was caused by orbiting dust clouds, then designed an experiment to test it.
天文学家提出了一个假设，认为这颗恒星异常的变暗是由轨道尘埃云引起的，然后设计了一个实验来验证它。
The scientific paper's abstract states its hypothesis in a single sentence, and the remainder of the paper is organized into methods, results, and discussion sections that test and interpret that hypothesis.
From a Text Structure and Purpose question · Craft and Structure
Which choice best defines “hypothesis”?
A — Idea to be tested, theory. “hypothesis” means idea to be tested, theory.
Which word means “idea to be tested, theory”?
D — hypothesis. “hypothesis” means idea to be tested, theory.
hypothesis — idea to be tested, theory. In Chinese: 假设，猜想.
hypothesis is pronounced /haɪˈpɑːθəsɪs/.
The astronomer formulated a hypothesis that the unusual dimming of the star was caused by orbiting dust clouds, then designed an experiment to test it. (天文学家提出了一个假设，认为这颗恒星异常的变暗是由轨道尘埃云引起的，然后设计了一个实验来验证它。)
theory, supposition, conjecture — all close in meaning to hypothesis (idea to be tested, theory).
fact, certainty — each the opposite of hypothesis (idea to be tested, theory).
Yes. hypothesis is on the SAT Prep Easy list — mid-frequency academic words that do get tested. The Digital SAT does not test vocabulary in isolation; words like this one are tested through Words in Context questions, where you choose the word that completes a passage most logically and precisely.
hypo(lower)+thesis(place)