Given below are two statements. In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below.
Statement I:A spurious relationship can be there when a relationship appears to exist between two variables.
Statement II:The relationship between two variables is always direct, without any scope for an intervening variable.
ABoth Statement I and Statement II are correct
BBoth Statement I and Statement II are incorrect
CStatement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect ✓ Correct
DStatement I is incorrect but Statement II is correct
Correct answer: (C) Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect
Explanation
A spurious relationship is one that only appears to exist between two variables because a hidden third variable drives both.
Statement 1 correctly describes this apparent, misleading association.
Statement 2 is false because relationships are not always direct; an intervening variable can mediate the link.
An intervening or mediating variable transmits the effect of one variable onto another.
Controlling for the third variable makes a spurious correlation vanish.
Establishing causation still needs association, time-order, and elimination of alternative explanations.
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