Crack the Code: Mastering SAT Inference Questions with Detective-Level Skills
When it comes to SAT inference questions, think of yourself as a detective on the case. Each question presents you with a set of clues (premises), and your job is to piece them together to reach a logical conclusion. It’s not about guessing; it’s about cracking the code with sharp reasoning skills and careful analysis. In this blog, we’ll explore how to master inference questions step by step, analyze high-quality examples, and even tackle a mini “mystery challenge” to test your skills.
What Are Inference Questions?
Inference questions ask you to identify the most logical conclusion based on information provided in a passage. These questions often feature a blank that you must complete or a prompt like, “Which choice most logically completes the text?” The key to success is staying grounded in the passage—everything you need is already there. Your task is to:
- Connect the dots between the ideas presented.
- Avoid traps that go beyond the information given.
- Think critically about how the clues fit together.
Detective Skills for Breaking Down Passages
Let’s walk through the essential detective skills you need to solve inference questions like a pro:
1. Break the Passage into Bullet Points
Think of the passage as a list of clues. Break it down into simple, digestible statements that capture the main ideas and their connections. For example:
- Fact 1: Resin casting destroys burrows.
- Fact 2: CT scanning provides ongoing measurements without destruction.
2. Pay Attention to Transition Words
Words like “because,” “therefore,” and “but” are your best friends. They signal the relationships between ideas and help you anticipate what information might fill the blank.
3. Use Punctuation as Clues
Colons, dashes, and semicolons are like signposts—they indicate what kind of information is coming next. A colon might introduce an explanation, while a semicolon might connect two closely related ideas.
4. Stay Specific, Not Speculative
Inference questions don’t ask you to predict the future or make wild guesses. Stick to what the passage actually says, and eliminate any answers that go beyond the text.
Example
Let’s put these skills into action with a real SAT-style question:
Many animals, including humans, must sleep, and sleep is known to have a role in everything from healing injuries to encoding information in long-term memory. But some scientists claim that, from an evolutionary standpoint, deep sleep for hours at a time leaves an animal so vulnerable that the known benefits of sleeping seem insufficient to explain why it became so widespread in the animal kingdom. These scientists therefore imply that ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
This doesn’t logically complete the text. The text says that it is already known that prolonged deep sleep is widespread in the animal kingdom. Rather, what some scientists can’t explain is WHY prolonged deep sleep is so widespread, given that the known benefits of sleep don’t seem to make up for how vulnerable it leaves an animal.
This logically completes the text. The text says that some scientists can’t explain why prolonged deep sleep is so widespread, given that the known benefits of sleep don’t seem to make up for how vulnerable it leaves an animal. This suggests that prolonged deep sleep probably has unknown evolutionary benefits that make up for the vulnerability.
This doesn’t logically complete the text. The text only discusses the benefits and risks of one trait: sleep. So there’s no basis for an inference about "many traits."
This doesn’t logically complete the text. The text only discusses the benefits and risks of one trait: sleep. So there’s no basis for an inference about "most traits."
Overall Analysis
To crack this question, we broke down the passage into key ideas:
- All animals sleep, and sleep has known benefits.
- However, deep sleep for hours at a time leaves animals vulnerable.
- Some scientists think the danger of this vulnerability outweighs the known benefits of sleep.
This argument presents a discrepancy. From what we know, animals shouldn’t have evolved to sleep for hours at a time, but they did evolve that way. The conclusion of this argument is becoming clear: there must be something good about deep sleep that we don’t know. Choice B matches this prediction and is the best answer.
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