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University affiliation and funding decision analysis: Judge the link between Statements I and II — 'Most students oppose the college authority's plan to break away from the university and become autonomous' and 'The university says it cannot provide grants to its constituent colleges' — to decide the most appropriate cause–effect classification.

Difficulty: Medium

Statement I is the cause and statement II is its effect
Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect
Both the statements I and II are independent causes
Both the statements I and II are effects of independent causes
Both the statements I and II are effects of some common cause

Correct Answer: Statement II is the cause and statement I is its effect

Explanation:

Given data

II: University expresses inability to fund constituent colleges.
I: Students oppose the college authority's decision to seek autonomy.

Concept/Approach

Funding constraints (II) plausibly trigger the authority's autonomy move; the students' opposition (I) is an effect of that move. Thus II → (authority decision) → I.

Step-by-step evaluation

1) University can't grant funds (II) ⇒ College authority considers autonomy to access resources.2) Students, reacting to that decision, oppose it (I).3) Therefore, Statement II serves as the cause that eventually leads to the effect captured in Statement I.

Verification/Alternative

Direct I → II is illogical; student opinion does not cause a historical funding inability.

Common pitfalls

Rejecting indirect causation because the intermediary (authority decision) is implicit; such bridging is standard in cause–effect items.

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