Answer: An explanatory variable
Step-by-step explanation:
An explanatory variable is a type of an independent variable however it is not independent for certain whereas independent variable is independent and not affected by other variables.
For example if you wanted to explaning how people gain weight using two variables such as fast foo and soda ,you may think soda and fast food are independent as each variable , but in reality they are not.
This is due to the fact that when you go to restaurants these always go together or in any fast food shops.
When you buy a soda there is always a burger or hot dog to choose from in the same shop. Even though they are not fully independent of each other but they are useful in explaining how people gain weight so they are explanatory variables.