Which statement best describes the relationship between cause and effect?

Which statement best describes the relationship between cause and effect?

• A. They occur in isolation and never influence each other.
• B. The effect determines the cause.
• C. Cause and effect are always unrelated.
• D. The cause is an event that produces another outcome.

Answer: (D)

Cause and effect describe how one event leads to another. The cause is the event that brings about a result, and the effect is what happens because of it. This idea is captured by saying the cause is an event that produces another outcome. For example, turning on a switch (the cause) makes the light come on (the effect). The cause happens first and leads to the outcome. The other ideas—suggesting the effect determines the cause, that they’re unrelated, or that they occur in isolation—ignore the directional connection that shows how one event brings about another.

Cause and effect describe how one event leads to another. The cause is the event that brings about a result, and the effect is what happens because of it. This idea is captured by saying the cause is an event that produces another outcome. For example, turning on a switch (the cause) makes the light come on (the effect). The cause happens first and leads to the outcome. The other ideas—suggesting the effect determines the cause, that they’re unrelated, or that they occur in isolation—ignore the directional connection that shows how one event brings about another.