4.3 Inference & Drawing Conclusions

Making Inferences and Drawing Conclusions

Some of the hardest GED RLA items never state their answers outright. An inference is a logical conclusion you reach by combining what the text says with reasoning. A drawn conclusion is a broader judgment built from several inferences. On literary passages especially, writers show rather than tell, so you must infer characters' feelings, motivations, and outcomes from evidence on the page. The golden rule: every inference must be supported by text evidence — it can lean on reasoning, but never on outside facts or personal opinion.

Inference Is Not a Guess

Students often treat "inference" as free association. The GED means something stricter. A valid inference:

• Must be true if the passage is true — it follows necessarily from the details.
• Uses only information the passage supplies, plus ordinary common-sense reasoning.
• Never requires outside knowledge the text does not give you.

The formula is simple: text evidence + logical reasoning = inference. If your answer needs a fact the passage never mentions, it is unsupported.

Worked Example: Character Feeling

"Maria sat at the kitchen table long after dinner... turning the envelope over and over in her hands... She had told no one."

What can you infer about Maria's state of mind? The details — sitting "long after dinner," turning the envelope repeatedly, and telling no one — point to anxiety and hesitation about what the letter contains. The wrong answers ("excited and eager," "confident she will be accepted") contradict her stalling behavior. Nothing in the text supports anger at her mother, either. Only "anxious and hesitant" is anchored to evidence.

Worked Example: Character Motivation

"Her father never spoke of danger, but his hands shook slightly every evening at dinner. She realized years later that he was afraid every single day."

Why do the father's hands shake? A GED item lists tempting distractors: a medical condition, cold weather, anger. But the passage ties the trembling to a coal-mining town and to the daughter's later realization that "he was afraid." The supported inference is that the father felt suppressed fear and anxiety about the dangers of mining. The medical and weather explanations require facts the text never gives — classic unsupported conclusions.

Predicting What Comes Next

Prediction is inference aimed at the future: using the story's pattern to say what is likely to happen next. A prediction is strong only when the trend in the text points clearly toward it. If a character has grown more confident scene by scene, predicting she will finally speak up is supported; predicting she will suddenly move to another country is not — nothing builds toward it. Return to the envelope example: because Maria has hidden the letter and stalled for hours, a supported prediction is that opening it will be a private, emotionally charged moment — not that she will casually toss it aside.

The prediction that fits the established pattern of secrecy and tension is the one the GED rewards.

Supported vs. Unsupported Conclusions

The skill the GED rewards most is telling a supported conclusion from an unsupported one. Use this table when the choices all sound plausible:

The Elimination Method

When two answers seem close, eliminate rather than reach for the "best":

1. Cross out anything that contradicts the text. Even one wrong detail kills an answer.
2. Cross out anything you cannot point to a line for. No evidence, no answer.
3. Beware extreme wording. Words like all, none, always, never, and proves usually overstate what a passage supports.
4. Watch for half-right answers. A choice can start true and end false; both halves must hold.
5. Choose the answer that needs the fewest assumptions — the GED rewards the most directly supported option.

Inference vs. Explicit Detail

Not every "read between the lines" question is an inference item. An explicit detail is stated in the text; the answer is nearly word-for-word. An inference requires you to connect dots. Read the stem: "According to the passage..." usually signals an explicit-detail question, while "The passage suggests / implies / you can conclude..." signals an inference. Answering an inference question with a verbatim quote — or an explicit-detail question with an assumption — is a common error.

Common Traps

• Bringing in outside knowledge. You may know a real fact about mining or college admissions, but if the passage does not state it, it cannot justify your answer.
• Choosing the most dramatic option. The boldest conclusion is usually the least supported.
• Guessing feelings the text contradicts. Match the character's behavior, not your own reaction.
• Confusing "could be true" with "must be true." An inference has to follow necessarily, not merely be possible.

Quick Checklist for Inference Items

• Find the exact lines that hint at the answer.
• Add only common-sense reasoning.
• Reject any choice that needs outside facts or extreme wording.
• Confirm the answer must be true if the passage is true.