A linear regression was conducted on the number of cigarettes a person smokes in a day versus the number of times they cough in a day. Suppose the number of cigarettes a person smokes in a day is our x variable and the number of times they cough in a day is the y variable.

In linear regression, the y variable is referred to as the:

a) response variable.

b) correlation coefficient.

c) explanatory variable.

d) true variable.

a) response variable

Step-by-step explanation:

The response variable is the variable that depends on other variables such as the independent or explanatory variable, it is the variable that is being tested. The response variable is also called the dependent variable.

In linear regression, the y variable is referred to as the response variable while the x variable is referred to as the explanatory or independent variable.

In this case the y variable is "the number of times they cough in a day" and this variation depends on the x variable "number of cigarettes a person smokes in a day".