Question

women in the army
(chart: x - axis = year (1981, 1991, 2001), y - axis = percent (2 - 16 range), data points show increasing percent over years)
source: time magazine, march 24, 2003

a. positive; as time goes on, more women are in the army.
b. no correlation
c. negative; as time goes on, fewer women are in the army.
d. negative; as time goes on, more women are in the army.

Explanation:

To determine the correlation, we analyze the scatter plot. As the year (x - axis) increases, the percentage of women in the army (y - axis) also increases. A positive correlation exists when an increase in one variable (year) is associated with an increase in the other variable (percentage of women in the army). Option a correctly describes this: positive; as time goes on, more women are in the army. Option b is incorrect as there is a clear trend. Option c and d are incorrect because the trend is positive (not negative) as the percentage increases with time.

Answer:

a. positive; as time goes on, more women are in the army.