Question

Question

Suppose that there were a strong correlation between the variables n and p.
Which of these is a true statement?
OA. n must cause p.
OB. p must cause n.
C. n must not cause p.
D. n may cause p.

Answer 1

It should be D
Correlation doesn’t always equal causation
But if the correlation is strong it may be the cause for something. Since you don’t know how n and p correlate, your key word is “may”.
Ex:
In the summertime Ice cream purchases increase (n)

In the summertime shark attacks increase (p)

They both have a strong correlation but ice cream purchase don’t cause shark attacks, likewise shark attacks won’t cause ice cream purchases.

However, if you replace shark attacks with summer heat increasing then the correlation is still strong and so is the causation. Increasing summer heat may cause ice cream purchases to increase.

I hope that helps!