Understanding Correlation: Scatter Plots for Grade 8

A scatter plot shows the relationship between hours studied and test scores for 10 students. If the plot indicates a positive correlation, what can you infer about the relationship between these two variables?

• Test scores are independent of hours studied.

• There is a positive relationship between hours studied and test scores.

• More hours studied lead to lower test scores.

• There is no relationship between hours studied and test scores.

In a study, the height of plants was measured over several weeks. A scatter plot shows the height (in cm) on the y-axis and the number of days since planting on the x-axis. If the points form a straight line, what does this suggest about the growth of the plants?

• The plants are not growing at all.

• The plants are experiencing stunted growth.

• The plants are growing at a constant rate.

• The plants are growing faster over time.

A researcher collected data on the number of hours teenagers spend on social media and their grades in school. The scatter plot shows a negative correlation. What does this imply about the relationship between social media use and academic performance?

• There is no relationship between social media use and academic performance.

• Social media use has no impact on grades, regardless of the amount of time spent.

• Increased social media use is associated with higher academic performance.

• Increased social media use is associated with lower academic performance.

A car rental company recorded the number of rentals and the total revenue generated each month. The scatter plot shows a linear relationship. If the slope of the line is positive, what does this indicate about the relationship between rentals and revenue?

• The number of rentals has no effect on revenue.

• More rentals lead to lower revenue.

• The relationship between rentals and revenue is positive; more rentals result in higher revenue.

• Higher revenue results in fewer rentals.

In a fitness study, the number of hours spent exercising per week and the body mass index (BMI) of participants were plotted. If the scatter plot shows a downward trend, what can be concluded about the relationship between exercise and BMI?

• There is a direct relationship between exercise and BMI.

• More exercise leads to a higher BMI.

• Exercise has no effect on BMI.

• There is an inverse relationship between exercise and BMI.

A school conducted a survey on the number of books read by students and their reading comprehension scores. The scatter plot shows a strong positive correlation. How would you describe the relationship between these two variables?

• Reading comprehension scores decrease as the number of books read increases.

• There is a strong positive correlation between the number of books read and reading comprehension scores.

• The number of books read has no impact on reading comprehension scores.

• There is no correlation between the number of books read and reading comprehension scores.

A scientist is studying the effect of temperature on the rate of a chemical reaction. The scatter plot shows temperature on the x-axis and reaction rate on the y-axis. If the points form a curve rather than a straight line, what does this suggest about the relationship?

• The relationship is linear.

• The relationship is non-linear.

• Temperature has no effect on reaction rate.

• The reaction rate decreases as temperature increases.

A local business tracks the number of customers and the amount of money spent each day. If the scatter plot shows a linear relationship with a positive slope, what does this tell you about customer spending habits?

• Customer spending is unrelated to the number of customers.

• Customer spending remains constant regardless of the number of customers.

• Customer spending increases with the number of customers.

• Customer spending decreases with the number of customers.

In a survey, the amount of time spent on homework and students' grades were recorded. If the scatter plot shows a weak correlation, what does this imply about the relationship between homework time and grades?

• More homework always leads to higher grades.

• There is little to no consistent relationship between homework time and grades.

• There is a strong positive correlation between homework time and grades.

• Homework time directly determines grades.

A study found that as the number of hours of sleep increases, the number of mistakes made on a test decreases. If this relationship is plotted on a scatter plot, what type of correlation would you expect to see?

• Causal relationship

• No correlation

• Negative correlation

• Positive correlation