A student wonders if people with similar heights tend to date each other. She measures herself, her dormitory roommate, and the women in the adjoining rooms; then she measures the next man each woman dates. Here are the pairs of data (heights in inches): Which of the following statements is true?
A)The variables measured are all categorical.
B)There is a strong positive correlation between the heights of men and women, because the women are always smaller than the men they date.
C)There is a positive correlation between the heights of men and women.
D)Correlation makes no sense here, because gender is a categorical variable.

Question

A student wonders if people with similar heights tend to date each other. She measures herself, her dormitory roommate, and the women in the adjoining rooms; then she measures the next man each woman dates. Here are the pairs of data (heights in inches):  Which of the following statements is true?
A)The variables measured are all categorical. 
B)There is a strong positive correlation between the heights of men and women, because the women are always smaller than the men they date. 
C)There is a positive correlation between the heights of men and women. 
D)Correlation makes no sense here, because gender is a categorical variable.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The data involves measuring heights, which are quantitative variables. The question is exploring whether there is a relationship between the heights of men and women, which can be explored through correlation. While gender is a categorical variable, it is not being used as the variable of interest in this case - heights are. The fact that the women are smaller than the men they date doesn't necessarily mean there is a strong positive correlation, as there could be outliers or other factors at play. Therefore, the statement that there is a positive correlation between the heights of men and women is the best choice.

A Student Wonders If People with Similar Heights Tend to Date