For the student survey data set described in Exercise 1.11, the sample correlation between y = political ideology

(scored 1 to 7, with higher values representing more conservatism) and x = number of times a week reading a newspaper is r = −0.066.

(a) Would you conclude that the sample association is strong, or weak?

(b) Interpret the square of the correlation.

(c) When y is predicted using x = religiosity (how often attend religious services, scored 0, 1, 2, 3), the sample correlation is r = 0.580.Which of these two explanatory variables seems to have a stronger linear relationship with y?

Explain.