If two variables have a strong positive association, then as one variable increases, the other variable also increases. is it fair to say that an increase in one variable causes an increase in the other variable? explain.

No, as correlation does not necessarily imply causation. For example, although the number of ice creams sold and the number of people that fainted may have a strong positive association, this does not mean that buying ice creams causes people to faint - they are both responding to the variable temperature: this is known as a common response.