Inference from evidence
Draw a conclusion supported by the passage without adding a story of your own.
What you will learn
- Distinguish explicit details from reasonable inferences.
- Support a conclusion with a textual clue.
Inference links a clue to a conclusion
An explicit detail is directly stated. An inference follows from what is stated, such as concluding that a team was adaptable after it changed a failed design and tried again.
The best inference accounts for the evidence with few extra assumptions. It should not contradict any part of the passage or claim knowledge the writer has not supplied.
Control the strength of the claim
Words such as suggests or indicates can reflect the limited evidence available. Avoid changing a small observation into an absolute claim about a person's character or future behaviour.
When comparing options, eliminate those contradicted by the passage and those requiring unsupported information. Then identify the option most closely connected to the actual evidence.
Worked example
Read: 'After the first shelter collapsed, the volunteers strengthened the frame. It survived the next storm.' What does this suggest about their response?
Show the worked solution
- The first attempt failed.
- They changed the structure instead of abandoning it.
- The later result supports the usefulness of their adjustment.
Answer They learned from a setback and improved the design.
Common mistakes
- An inference is not an invitation to guess unrelated motives.
- One successful repair does not prove the volunteers never make mistakes.
What can you explain now?
A learner checks three sources before accepting a claim. What is a reasonable inference?
Compare with the explanation
They are taking care to verify the claim
Checking several sources supports careful verification; it does not establish whether the claim is ultimately true.
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Original StudyForA teaching content · AI-assisted checks · Human teacher review pending.
These lessons teach the topics represented in our current practice sets. They are not a complete course for every paper or option in the qualification.
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