Inferences

What are "Inferences" questions?

On the Reading and Writing section of your SAT, some questions will provide an unfinished passage that
introduces information about an unfamiliar topic. Based on that information, you'll be asked to select the
choice that most logically completes the text.
Inferences questions will look like this:

Adaptations to cold temperatures have high metabolic costs. It is expensive, in terms of energy use, for land
plants and animals to withstand very cold temperatures, and it gets more expensive the colder it gets, which
means that the lower the air temperature, the fewer species have evolved to survive it. This factor, in
conjunction with the decline in air temperature with increasing elevation, explains the distribution of species
diversity in mountain ecosystems: you find fewer species high up a mountain than at the mountain’s base
because ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A) there are relatively few environments hospitable to species that are adapted to live in low air
temperatures.
B) there are relatively few species with the adaptations necessary to tolerate the temperatures at high
elevations.
C) adaptations that allow plants and animals to survive in rocky environments are metabolically costly.
D) some mountain environments are at elevations so high that no plants or animals can survive them.

Explanation:
We should start by paraphrasing the information provided in the passage:
• Cold temperatures are costly for organisms to survive in.
• Few species have evolved to survive cold weather.
• The temperature is colder at higher elevation.
• Fewer species live at the top of a mountain than at the base of the mountain.

In order to logically complete the text, we need to connect the dots between these ideas. Which choice does
that?

• Choice A has a different focus than the provided information. It focuses on the number of
environments instead of the number of species. We can eliminate this choice.
• Choice C has a different focus than the provided information. It focuses on rocky
environments instead of high elevations or cold temperatures. We can eliminate this choice.
• Choice D doesn't explain the claim we want to focus on. Instead, it makes a new claim about elevation
and species diversity. We can eliminate this choice.

Only choice B connects all the ideas provided in the passage. It uses the first few bullets we identified to
explain the final bullet:
• Few species can survive cold weather.
• Weather is cold at high elevation.
So...
• Few species can survive at high elevation.
Choice B is the answer.

How should we think about inferences questions?

Inferences questions are all about how we connect information and ideas to create arguments.

We can break arguments into two basic parts: premises and conclusions.

Premises are the facts on which an argument is based. When premises are connected, they should provide
strong evidence for the argument's conclusion.

The conclusion is the heart of the argument. It's the overall claim that the argument's author is trying to
support.

SAT with Talal 1

 Inferences

Our example question above presents the following pieces of information:

1. Cold temperatures are costly for organisms to survive in.
2. Few species have evolved to survive cold weather.
3. The temperature is colder at higher elevation.
4. Fewer species live at the top of a mountain than at the base of the mountain.

In this case, we've been provided three premises (statements 1, 2, and 3) and the argument's conclusion
(statement 4).

Notice how the blank is preceded by the transition word "because". This means we're looking for
further support, not a further conclusion. Our job for this question is to find the choice that completes the
premises, tying them together in a way that supports the conclusion already identified.

Sometimes, an inferences passage will present a set of premises, and your task will be to determine the
appropriate conclusion. Other times, an inferences passage will include the conclusion, and your task will be to
identify a gap in the premises that must be filled.

Either way, the basic task is the same: you need to identify what is missingfrom the argument, and fill that gap
with one of the choices.

How to approach inferences questions

To solve an inferences question, consider following these steps:

Step 1: Separate the text into bullet points

Everything you need to successfully answer an inferences question is contained within the provided passage.
Therefore, to find the answer, you'll need to read closely and carefully consider the information contained in
the text.

A great way to do this is to take each idea in the passage and turn it into its own bullet point. This will create a
step by step progression for the argument being made and allow you to see where any gaps might exist.

Step 2: Examine the argument

Consider each piece of information offered in the passage. Then consider how those pieces fit together. Do
they add up to something? What's the connection between them?

Each inferences question is like a mystery. Everything you need to solve that mystery is provided for you. You
just need to be a detective and piece the clues together!

By the end of this step, you should have a solid understanding of the argument being made. This should give
you some idea of what might fit in the blank. At the very least, you'll be better prepared to recognize
what doesn't fit in the blank.

Step 3: Explore the choices

Look at the choices one by one. Ask yourself if the information contained in the choice completes the
argument in the passage.

Be wary of choices that broaden the discussion or introduce ideas not explicitly mentioned in the rest of the
passage. The arguments made in inferences passages are often highly specific. Eliminate any choices that
stray from or disagree with the points made in the passage.

Step 4: Select the choice that strengthens the argument

SAT with Talal 2

 Inferences
The choice you select should fit in fairly obviously with the information provided in the passage. But even
further, the choice you select, when combined with the rest of the passage, should make the argument both
clearer and stronger. Once you find such a choice, you can select it with confidence!

Top tips

Stay specific
Don't stray beyond what can be inferred. Be cautious with words like "most" or "many" when a passage only
discusses one thing in particular. And look out for small twists and turns that make a choice seem relevant
when it actually changes the focus of the argument.

Look at the choices in our example question:

• Choice C changes the focus of the argument. Instead of discussing cold environments, choice C
introduces the idea of "rocky environments". We can eliminate this choice.

Lean on transitions

Pay close attention to the transition words used throughout an inferences passage. These transitions will show
you how the ideas in the passage are related. In particular, the transition words used before the blank at the
end of the passage will provide a useful clue to what information you're looking for.

In our example question, the blank is introduced by the transition word "because".
This tells us that we're looking for further support for a conclusion that's already introduced in the passage.
• Transitions like "therefore", "thus", and "this suggests/implies" will introduce conclusions.
• Transitions like "because", "due to", and "since" will introduce further support.

Let the punctuation help

Similar to transitions, punctuation marks give shape to the ideas in the passage and show how those details
are connected. Colons, semicolons, and dashes can all be used to inject conclusions, examples, and exceptions.
Take a closer look at these punctuation marks to see what type of information they signal within the text.

SAT with Talal 3