Question

Statement I: Many vegetarians are suffering from stomach ailments.
Statement II: Many dead fish were found near the lake shore.

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

Hint:

If both events could stem from an unseen common cause but not from each other, classify them as independent effects.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understand Statement I — A group of vegetarians has health issues (stomach ailments), which could be due to contaminated vegetables or water.
Step 2: Understand Statement II — Dead fish at a lake shore indicate severe water pollution or oxygen depletion in the lake.
Step 3: Check direct cause-effect — Vegetarians suffering stomach issues does not cause fish to die; these events are unrelated on a direct level.
Step 4: Reverse check — Fish dying in a lake cannot directly cause vegetarians to fall ill unless both are linked to a common water contamination source.
Step 5: Common cause analysis — Both problems could be effects of the same root cause: contaminated water being used both for irrigation (affecting vegetables eaten by vegetarians) and present in the lake (killing fish).
Step 6: Conclusion — Since both are effects of a possible common cause, they are independent effects, making option (d) correct.