There is a high correlation between the number of Americans who pay income tax in the month of April and the number of swimsuits sold. Which of the following statements is the best description of this relationship?
A) It is a spurious relationship.
B) It is a cause-and-effect relationship.
C) It is an indirect relationship.
D) It is classified as a null hypothesis.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A correlation between the number of Americans who pay income tax and the number of swimsuits sold is unlikely to have a causation relationship. The relationship is most likely spurious, where two variables appear to correlate but do not have a causal relationship. The correlation could exist because both variables are affected by the same extraneous factor(s) such as seasonality or weather changes, making it indirect. However, it is not a null hypothesis because there is a relationship between the variables.

There Is a High Correlation Between the Number of Americans