Two items are associated such that when one item increases, the other decreases. This relationship is called:

Two items are associated such that when one item increases, the other decreases. This relationship is called:

• A. Related or Proportional
• B. Inversely related or proportional
• C. Reciprocal relationship
• D. Directly related

Answer: (B)

An inverse relationship. When one item increases while the other decreases, the variables move in opposite directions, which is described as being inversely related (often called inverse proportionality). Mathematically, this looks like Y ∝ 1/X, so as X grows, Y shrinks. This fits the scenario where the two items oppose each other. In contrast, a directly related or proportional pairing means both rise or fall together, which is not the case here. Some contexts use “reciprocal” to hint at this idea, but the key idea is the opposite-direction relationship.

An inverse relationship. When one item increases while the other decreases, the variables move in opposite directions, which is described as being inversely related (often called inverse proportionality). Mathematically, this looks like Y ∝ 1/X, so as X grows, Y shrinks. This fits the scenario where the two items oppose each other. In contrast, a directly related or proportional pairing means both rise or fall together, which is not the case here. Some contexts use “reciprocal” to hint at this idea, but the key idea is the opposite-direction relationship.