When a researcher constructs a hypothesis stipulating that there is no significant difference between two situations, groups, outcomes, or phenomena, it is called a/an:

Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion A and the other is labelled as Reason R. Assertion A: A well-formulated working hypothesis should have an unlimited scope and remain independent of established facts to ensure unbiased data collection. Reason R: A working hypothesis is required to be testable, often involving a relationship between dependent variables (outcomes) and independent variables (predictors). In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

Null Hypothesis is defined as: