Correlation vs. Causation Worksheet
Explore the difference between correlation and causation with real-world examples and critical thinking questions for Grade 10 students.
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Correlation vs. Causation
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Read each statement carefully and determine whether it describes a correlation, a causation, or neither. Justify your answer with a brief explanation.
1. As ice cream sales increase, the number of drownings increases. Therefore, eating ice cream causes drowning.
True
False
Explanation:
2. Smoking cigarettes causes an increased risk of developing lung cancer.
True
False
Explanation:
3. Students who spend more time studying tend to achieve higher grades.
True
False
Explanation:
4. Which of the following best describes a correlation?
One event directly causes another event to happen.
Two events happen at the same time by chance.
There is a relationship or pattern between two variables.
One event prevents another event from happening.
5. A study found that people who eat breakfast regularly tend to have a lower body mass index (BMI). This is an example of:
Causation, because eating breakfast directly causes lower BMI.
Correlation, but not necessarily causation.
Neither correlation nor causation.
A spurious relationship.
6. Explain the difference between a positive correlation and a negative correlation. Provide an example for each.
7. Describe a scenario where two variables are correlated but there is no direct causal link between them. What might be a lurking variable in your example?
8. When two variables move in the same direction (both increase or both decrease), this is known as a correlation.
9. A relationship indicates that a change in one variable directly leads to a change in another variable.
10. Observing a correlation between two variables does not automatically mean that one the other.