Reading · Original worked example
Make an inference the passage can support
Use a short original passage to distinguish a supported inference from an attractive guess, with evidence for every answer choice.
Before you begin
Useful foundation: Identify what a passage explicitly says before interpreting it.
Your goal: Choose the smallest reasonable conclusion supported by the details.
An inference connects details in the text. It can go beyond the exact words, but it must not require an invented fact or a stronger claim than the evidence supports.
Work through an example
Each morning, Lina arrived at the community garden before the volunteers. She checked the soil and filled the watering cans. When a volunteer thanked her for organizing the work, she pointed to the task list they had written together.
- Start with observations: Lina arrives early, prepares supplies, and refers to a shared task list.
- A supported inference is that she contributes preparation while acknowledging the group’s role.
- “She dislikes the volunteers” invents a motive. Nothing in the passage indicates dislike.
- “She alone runs the garden” ignores the shared list. Prefer a conclusion that accounts for all the details.
Try a question yourself
On the first rehearsal, Amir read every line from his script. Over the next week, he left the script on a chair during several scenes. Before the final scene, he still picked it up and checked a few lines.
Choose an answer, then check your reasoning. This public practice is not saved.
Read all answer explanations
Amir has memorized every line.: Checking lines before the final scene does not support complete memorization.
Amir knows some scenes better than he did initially. — correct answer: Yes. Moving from reading every line to performing several scenes without the script supports improved familiarity with some scenes.
Amir plans to leave the production.: The passage gives no evidence about leaving the production.
Amir has stopped preparing for rehearsals.: Checking lines suggests continued preparation. The passage does not say he stopped.
What to do next
For your next passage, underline the exact details that support each inference and explain why the nearest competing answer goes too far.
Revisit the idea in a week using a different question. Repeating this example can help you understand it, but remembering its answer is not evidence of learning a new problem.
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