An association is the overall pattern in how two measurements move together on a scatterplot. When a question asks what happens as the horizontal measurement increases, read the dots left to right and watch whether their heights rise or fall. Don't read in the opposite direction or rely on one dot; use the whole pattern.
Hints
- Hint 1
The horizontal axis runs left to right and gives each sample's depth; the vertical axis gives its temperature. What measurements belong to the leftmost and rightmost dots?
- Hint 2
An association describes a pattern across the dots, not just one pair. As you move left to right, do the dots between the endpoints climb, fall, or stay at roughly the same height?
Step-by-step
Read the scatterplot from left to right
Step 1Read the endpoints
No Desmos needed. The scatterplot already shows the dots, and the question asks for their direction.
The horizontal axis gives depth and the vertical axis gives temperature, so pairs meters with degrees Celsius. At the other end, pairs meters with degrees Celsius.
- Step 2
Check the whole pattern
The middle dots also move down as you scan right. So the lower temperature at meters isn't an exception to the pattern: the dots fall from left to right.
- Step 3
Describe the association
A negative association means the vertical measurement tends to fall as the horizontal one rises. Here, read increasing depth from left to right: as depth increases, temperature tends to decrease. Choice A.