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Approach To Inferences

The document provides strategies for succeeding on inference questions, emphasizing the importance of being broad and flexible in answers, paying attention to transitional words, and avoiding overly literal interpretations. It reassures that there is a definite answer to each question and advises against eliminating answer choices too quickly. An example is given to illustrate how to logically complete a text based on inference.

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Quang Nguyễn Xuân
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9 views1 page

Approach To Inferences

The document provides strategies for succeeding on inference questions, emphasizing the importance of being broad and flexible in answers, paying attention to transitional words, and avoiding overly literal interpretations. It reassures that there is a definite answer to each question and advises against eliminating answer choices too quickly. An example is given to illustrate how to logically complete a text based on inference.

Uploaded by

Quang Nguyễn Xuân
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Inferences

Sample Question Language:


Which choice most logically completes the text?

How Can You Succeed on Inference Questions?


Inference questions will ask you to determine what the author suggests or implies based on
different selections of a passage. How can you do well on these questions?
Have a general feel of your answer before evaluating the choices. There are plenty of
ways you could state what could logically complete a short text. When creating your own
answer on these types of questions, it is better to be broad and flexible than it is to be
specific and rigid. Doing so will ensure that you are open-minded as you review the
possible options.
Watch the transitions before the underlined portion. There will often be a transitional
word immediately before the underlined portion—be sure you pay attention to it since it
will have an impact on how you answer.
Do not be overly literal. Look for what the author may be saying indirectly—what is
being suggested or implied? Especially watch out for overly literal interpretations when
you read genres like fiction, poetry, and drama.
There will be a definite answer. It is easy to dismiss an inference question as being just
based on someone’s opinion, making it a matter of luck to pick the correct option. This
will not be the case on the SAT Reading—inference questions (along with all other test
questions) will have a definite answer with a clear justification. If you are having
difficulty formulating an answer on inference questions, give the test the benefit of the
doubt instead of immediately assuming there must be a test question error.
Do not eliminate answers too quickly. Since you are determining the best possibility for
completing a text, you will be better served by keeping answer choices open as
possibilities instead of crossing them off too quickly. Sometimes when you look at an
answer choice a second time, you will more fully grasp its meaning and it will make
more sense as a possibility.

Example
Microplastics are microscopic particles of plastic that tend to accumulate toxins and are in
some cases toxic themselves. Unfortunately, microplastics tend to end up being eaten by
various organisms. The primary reason for this problem is that in recent years,
approximately 380 million tons of plastic are produced annually. Plastic is not
biodegradable, which means that once it enters the environment it can take several hundred
years to degrade. Some have proposed plastic-eating microorganisms as a revolutionary
solution to this critical issue. Others are skeptical of the claims made about __________

Which choice most logically completes the text?


(A) whether a bacteria could have any role in harming the environment.
(B) the capacity of microbiologists to analyze bacteria in a laboratory setting.
(C) this bacteria’s utility in consuming massive plastic deposits.
(D) the possibility of plastic extending the length it needs to biodegrade.

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