Question

select the correct answer. annabelle works in a deli and has been tracking the daily sales of different items over several months. annabelle found that when there was an increase in the number of cups of hot chocolate sold, the number of cups of coffee sold also increased. similarly, when there was a decrease in the number of cups of hot chocolate sold, the number of cups of coffee also decreased. which of the following is a valid conclusion? a. the increase in the sale of hot chocolate is associated to, but not caused by, the sale of coffee. b. the increase in the sale of hot chocolate caused an increase in the sale of coffee. c. no conclusion can be drawn about the association or causation of the sale of hot chocolate and the sale of coffee. d. there is no association between the sale of hot chocolate and the sale of coffee.

Explanation:

Just because there is a correlation (when hot - chocolate sales increase, coffee sales increase and vice - versa) does not mean there is causation. There could be other factors at play, like weather or customer preferences on a given day. We can only say there is an association, not that one causes the other.

Answer:

A. The increase in the sale of hot chocolate is associated to, but not caused by, the sale of coffee.