Question

Two statements are given below. Statement I: The prices of vegetables have risen sharply in the local market this week. Statement II: Heavy rains and floods damaged standing crops in the region last week. Which of the following best describes the relationship between the two statements?

• A. Statement I is the cause and Statement II is its effect.
• B. Statement II is the cause and Statement I is its effect.
• C. Both statements are independent causes.
• D. Both statements are effects of independent causes.

Hint:

Ask which event could not possibly have caused the other, then check the timing of the remaining event against the outcome.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Test the direction of causation both ways instead of assuming it. First ask: could Statement I (rising vegetable prices this week) have caused Statement II (heavy rains and floods last week)?
Step 2: That direction is impossible - market prices cannot influence the weather, so I cannot be the cause of II.
Step 3: Now ask: could Statement II have caused Statement I? Floods damaging standing crops reduces the supply of vegetables reaching the market; with demand roughly unchanged, reduced supply pushes prices up. This is a standard, well-understood economic mechanism.
Step 4: The timing also supports this direction - the floods happened "last week" and the price rise is being observed "this week", meaning the cause precedes the effect.
Correct option: (2) Statement II is the cause and Statement I is its effect.