Annual. As in "March Madness is an annual tradition because it happens every Spring." The word is annual.

Destiny. As in "Small schools like University of Maryland Baltimore County sometimes have a special destiny." The word is destiny.

Regular. As in "Players follow their regular routines in order to stay focused." The word is regular.

Similar. As in "Teams with similar skills may have to play into overtime." The word is similar.

Relevant. As in "Teams that finish their league strong are relevant in the tournament." The word is relevant.

Difficult. As in "It is difficult to choose the champion before the 68 teams start playing." The word is difficult.

Span. As in "Football seasons span from summer to winter." The word is span.

Slack. As in "There is always some slack in the net behind the field goal post." The word is slack.

Gratitude. As in "The quarterback has gratitude toward the offensive linemen." The word is gratitude.

Candidate. As in "This year the Miami Dolphins are a leading candidate for worst team in the league." The word is candidate.

Banish. As in "The Patriots banish Antonio Brown from the team." The word is banish.

Despair. As in "Some Redskins fans are in despair after the first three games." The word is despair.

Span. As in "Football seasons span from summer to winter." The word is span.

Slack. As in "There is always some slack in the net behind the field goal post." The word is slack.

Gratitude. As in "The quarterback has gratitude toward the offensive linemen." The word is gratitude.

Candidate. As in "This year the Miami Dolphins are a leading candidate for worst team in the league." The word is candidate.

Banish. As in "The Patriots banish Antonio Brown from the team." The word is banish.

Despair. As in "Some Redskins fans are in despair after the first three games." The word is despair.

The author wrote "Problem solving through effective research and knowing how to test your ideas and hypotheses will make you a very valuable employee and citizen of your community.". 

What does "hypotheses" mean in this context?