Question

A correlation of r = .85 is found between weekly sales of firewood and cough
drops over a 1-year period. Which of the following is true?

• (a) There is a pretty strong positive linear relationship between sales of firewood and cough drops.
• (b) Fire must be the cause of coughing.
• (c) Temperature is a possible lurking variable that is “behind” this relationship.
• (d) Both (a) and (c) are true.
• (e) None of the above.

Answer 1

correlation of r = .85 is given..

That means that there is strong (high) linear relationship between sales of firewood and cough drops.

Since, Correlation is defined as a measure of the linear relationship between two quantitative variables.

(If r =-.85 then we conclude that there is high negative linear relationship between sales of firewood and cough drops.)

Scattered plot of sales of firewood and cough drops has a linear pattern since correlation of r = .85 .

Answer:.

(a) There is a pretty strong positive linear relationship between sales of firewood and cough drops.