Supported Inference guide
Supported Inference questions ask which conclusion the passage lets you draw. The right answer is the smallest step beyond what is stated that the passage still guarantees — if reaching it needs an extra assumption, it is not supported.
The method
- Identify what the passage actually establishes.
- Choose the option that follows from that with no additional assumption.
- Prefer the modest, guaranteed step over the bold, interesting one.
- If an option could be false while the passage stays true, it is not supported.
Common mistakes
- Overreach — an option that goes further than the text guarantees.
- Scope shift — quietly widening or narrowing the claim.
- Causal leap — reading a correlation as a cause.
- Confusing 'true in the real world' with 'supported by this passage'.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from True/False/Cannot Say?
TFC asks you to judge a given statement. Supported Inference asks you to pick the conclusion the passage licenses — the discipline of staying inside the text is the same.