How To Make An Inference

Introduction

Standardized tests are a part of every student’s academic life and they have to go through these at some point or the other. In these tests, you are provided a passage of text which you need to go through and then answer a number of related questions. These questions may be of different types and may ask you to determine the main idea of the passage or understand the author’s purpose. Another important and generally the toughest questions related to the passage are the ones that ask you to make inferences. Making inferences refers to the real life implications of the passage text. There are a few necessary skills that can help you answer inference questions in standardized tests more effectively.

Identify an inference question

In order to answer an inference question, you must have the ability to understand whether a particular question is asking you to make an inference or not. An important pointer towards understanding inference questions is the usage of words like suggest, imply or infer in the question. However, you may come across certain questions which may not mention any of these words but can still be considered as inference questions. An example of such a question can be one that asks you which statements of the author you agree with most. Identification of an inference question is the first important step in making inferences.

Hunt for clues

The next important step you must take while making an inference is to search for clues within the passage. These clues can be supporting details, use of words, actions taken by characters, descriptions and dialogue between characters among others that prove one of the inferences mentioned below the question. In order to locate clues that indicate the right answer, you must look for descriptions in the passage that would support the first adjectives in the answer choices. Finding clues can be of great help in making an inference in standardized tests.

Narrow down choices

The last yet most important step to making an inference is narrowing down the answer choices that have been provided. By using clues from the passage, you can eliminate the answer choices that will not apply to the question that is asking you to make an inference. Both identifying inference questions and searching for clues within the passage can help you in narrowing down the answer choices that have been provided below the question.

Conclusion

Following the above three steps can certainly help you in making inferences in a multiple choice standardized test. But being successful in making an inference in the test also requires you to practice a lot before you actually appear for the test. You may soon realize that it is not as difficult as you thought it would be.

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This article has been compiled by Evelyn, who is a writer on various academic topics.