As part of a bear population study, data were gathered on a sample of black bears in the western United States to examine the relationship between the bear’s neck girth (distance around the neck) and the weight of the bear. A scatterplot of the data reveals a straight-line pattern. The r2-value from a least-squares regression analysis was determined to be r2 = 0.963.

Which one of the following is the correct value and corresponding interpretation for the correlation?

(a) The correlation is −0.963, and 96.3% of the variation in a bear’s weight can be explained by the least-squares regression line using neck girth as the explanatory variable.

(b) The correlation is 0.963. There is a strong positive linear relationship between a bear’s neck girth and its weight.

(c) The correlation is 0.981, and 98.1% of the variation in a bear’s weight can be explained by the least-squares regression line using neck girth as the explanatory variable.

(d) The correlation is −0.981. There is a strong negative linear relationship between a bear’s neck girth and its weight.

(e) The correlation is 0.981. There is a strong positive linear relationship between a bear’s neck girth and its weight.