In English vocabulary, which of the following words best expresses the meaning of the adjective "Empirical" (based on observation or experience)?

Introduction / Context:
This question tests your understanding of the adjective empirical, a very important term in science, philosophy, and research. Empirical is often contrasted with theoretical or purely hypothetical. Competitive exams commonly ask whether you can connect empirical to ideas of observation, experience, and practice.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The word given is Empirical.
• Options: Practical, Unproved, Hypothetical, Theoretical.
• Empirical usually refers to knowledge or evidence based on observation or experiment, not on pure theory.

Concept / Approach:
Empirical describes knowledge, findings, or methods founded on real world observation, measurement, or experience. Practical is the closest among the options because it relates to actual use and practice rather than abstract speculation. Hypothetical and theoretical both refer to ideas that exist in theory or imagination rather than being tested in experience. Unproved simply means not yet shown to be true, which is different from empirical, where we do rely on proof from observation.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that empirical evidence is data gathered by observing, experimenting, or directly experiencing something.Step 2: Compare this with practical, which refers to something concerned with actual doing, use, or practice rather than abstract ideas.Step 3: Observe that both empirical and practical share the notion of real world experience.Step 4: Examine hypothetical; this refers to something assumed for the sake of argument, not yet tested or observed.Step 5: Examine theoretical; this describes ideas based on theory, models, or principles without necessarily having been applied or observed. Therefore, practical is the best available synonym.

Verification / Alternative check:
Think of a pair often used in research: empirical data versus theoretical predictions. Empirical data comes from experiments, while theoretical predictions come from models. In simpler language, empirical approaches are practical or hands on, and theoretical approaches are more abstract. If you imagine replacing empirical with each option in a phrase like empirical studies in education, the phrase practical studies in education still makes reasonable sense; unproved, hypothetical, or theoretical studies do not match the idea of observation based research.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Unproved means not yet demonstrated to be true; empirical studies may actually prove or support something, so they are not necessarily unproved. Hypothetical refers to something imagined or assumed, precisely what empirical is not. Theoretical is the opposite contrast class to empirical in many contexts, so it cannot be a synonym. Thus, these three options are conceptually different from and often opposed to empirical.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates may be tempted by theoretical because they recognise it from science classes, but empirical and theoretical are opposites, not synonyms. Others might think unproved fits because empirical research often tests unproved ideas, but the adjective then would describe the ideas, not the method. Remember: empirical is grounded in observation and experience, which aligns best with practical.

Final Answer:
The word that best expresses the meaning of Empirical among the options given is Practical, so option A is correct.