Which statement illustrates correlation without implying causation?

Which statement illustrates correlation without implying causation?

• A. Ice cream sales and drownings rise together in summer due to heat.
• B. Weather and wind speed.
• C. Height and intelligence.
• D. Temperature and color.

Answer: (A)

Understanding correlation versus causation is key: two things can move together without one causing the other. In this example, hot summer weather causes both actions to rise—more ice cream is sold and more people swim, which can lead to more drownings. The rise of ice cream sales and drownings at the same time doesn’t mean buying ice cream causes drownings; the heat is the shared cause. That makes this a clear illustration of correlation without causation.

The other options don’t clearly show two variables that move together due to a shared cause. The statement about weather and wind speed is vague and doesn’t link two measurable variables in a way that demonstrates correlation. Height and intelligence is a debated, weak association and not a clean, universally accepted example of a correlation driven by a common cause. Temperature and color don’t describe a meaningful, consistent relationship.