Question

Plausible though it sounds, the weakness of the hypothesis is that it does not incorporate all relevant facts.

• A. though plausible, the hypothesis' weakness
• B. the weakness of the hypothesis which sounds plausible
• C. even though it sounds plausible, the weakness of the hypothesis
• D. though the hypothesis sounds plausible, its weakness

Hint:

In sentence improvement, always check whether the improved version avoids ambiguity and keeps the subject–verb relationship clear while maintaining the original meaning.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

This is a sentence improvement question where the goal is to replace the underlined part with the most grammatically correct, clear, and concise version that preserves the intended meaning.
The original sentence begins with “Plausible though it sounds…”, which is grammatically acceptable, but in formal written English, the structure “Though [subject] sounds plausible, [rest of sentence]” is clearer and flows more naturally.
Option (a) “though plausible, the hypothesis' weakness” is awkward because it changes the focus from the hypothesis itself to its weakness immediately, without properly introducing the subject in a smooth manner.
Option (b) “the weakness of the hypothesis which sounds plausible” is incorrect because it implies that the weakness, not the hypothesis, is what sounds plausible — this distorts the intended meaning.
Option (c) “even though it sounds plausible, the weakness of the hypothesis” has the same problem as option (b) in that it can be misread as the weakness itself being plausible.
Option (d) “though the hypothesis sounds plausible, its weakness” clearly states that the hypothesis appears reasonable but still has a weakness — and this weakness is the subject of the second clause.
This preserves clarity, avoids ambiguity, and keeps the sentence structure smooth and readable.
Therefore, option (d) is the most accurate and stylistically effective choice for improving the sentence.