Select the option that can be used as a one-word substitute for the underlined group of words.

Raman had always been attracted to the scientific study of sound and decided to take up a course in sound engineering to pursue his dream career.

Acoustics

The option that can be used as a one-word substitute for the underlined group of words "scientific study of sound" is acoustics.

• Acoustics is the scientific study of sound.
• Agronomy is the science of soil management and crop production.
• Alchemy is a medieval practice that aimed to transmute base metals into gold and to find a universal cure for disease.
• Aesthetics is the study of beauty and the appreciation of beauty.

The word acoustics is the most appropriate because it specifically refers to the scientific study of sound. The other words do not have the same connotation of sound waves and the properties of sound.