Association and Causation

Multiple Choice

Which situation shows causation?

• When the number of people in a bus increases, the number of animals in a zoo also increases.

• When the number of hours worked each week by an hourly employee decreases, the amount of money earned by the employee also decreases.

• When the amount of a discount for a sale increases, the number of items sold during the sale decreases.

• When the number of bike trails in a city decreases, the amount of rainfall in the city increases.

Multiple Choice

Which situation best represents association but NOT causation?

• When the number of spectators at a football game increases, the number of wins for the home team increases.

• When more gallons of water are put into an aquarium, the weight of the aquarium increases.

• When the amount of time an athlete runs increases, the distance she runs increases.

• When the charge of a cell phone battery increases, the number of minutes the phone can be used increases.

Multiple Choice

Which situation best shows causation?

• The length of a rectangle affects the width of the rectangle.

• The amount of time a cell phone is used affects the charge of its battery.

• The number of ice-cream bars sold affects the number of milkshakes sold.

• The number of soccer balls a team owns affects the number of games the team wins during the soccer season.

Multiple Choice

Which situation does NOT show causation?

• When the student population at a school increases, the number of teachers at the school increases.

• When the amount of sugar in a quart of apple juice is reduced, there are fewer calories in each serving.

• When there are more workers on a project, the project is completed in less time.

• When there is more protein in an athlete’s diet, the athlete scores more points in a game.

Multiple Choice

Which situation best represents causation?

• When the number of bus stops increases, the number of car sales decreases.

• When fewer firefighters report to a house fire, the damage caused by the fire decreases.

• When ice cream sales increase, incidents of sunburn increase.

• When it rains several inches, the water level of a lake increases.