Which is an appropriate paraphrase of the original sentence 'The study found a significant positive relationship'?

• A. The study found a significant positive relationship.
• B. The research identifies a meaningful positive association.
• C. The study identified a meaningful positive association.
• D. A significant positive relationship was found by the study.

Answer: (C)

Paraphrasing means keeping the same meaning while changing the wording and style. Here, you want to convey that the study found a positive association, and you want the wording to flow in a similar reporting tone. The best choice says: The study identified a meaningful positive association. It keeps who did the action (the study), what was found (a positive association), and how it was found (identified). It uses past tense to match the original and switches relationship to association, which is a close synonym. Using meaningful instead of significant also preserves the idea of importance without tying it to a statistical term, making the paraphrase clear and natural.

The other options are less precise for paraphrase purposes: one repeats the exact sentence, so it isn’t a paraphrase; another shifts tense and uses a different subject (research instead of study), which changes how the finding is framed; another uses a passive construction (was found by the study), which tends to be heavier and less direct.