The Bus Route Clue
Andre is working on an inference question about a passage he read in class. The passage says: “Every morning Mr. Okafor arrives twenty minutes before his route begins. He walks the aisle with a flashlight, checking seats for torn upholstery. He keeps a box of gloves in the front pocket and a spare umbrella behind his seat. When the district cut the heating budget, he brought a thermos of tea and offered cups to riders waiting at the first stop. He never mentioned the tea to his supervisor. On the coldest day in January, ridership on his route rose by 18 percent.” The question asks, “Which statement is best supported by the passage?” Andre is torn between (A) “Mr. Okafor added a new bus route in January” and (B) “Riders may have chosen Mr. Okafor’s route because of his attention to their comfort.” He worries that B is only a guess because the passage never says riders liked the tea.
1. Why is B the better inference, and why is A unsupported?
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B is the better inference because it takes the smallest step beyond the text. The passage supplies a chain: Mr. Okafor arrives early, checks seats, keeps gloves and an umbrella, and brings tea when heating is cut. The tea is offered to riders at the first stop, and he does not seek credit. On the coldest day, ridership rises 18 percent. B says “may have chosen” and “attention to their comfort,” which matches the evidence without claiming that every rider came for tea or that tea caused the increase. A has no support: nothing says a route was added, and a new route would not explain the timing on the coldest day. Inference questions reward hedged, evidence-based conclusions. Andre’s worry is reasonable, but “may have” is the signal that B is not overreaching.
2. What does the detail “He never mentioned the tea to his supervisor” imply?
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It implies that he was not performing for his supervisor or seeking recognition. The detail matters because it rules out a simpler explanation: that the tea was a formal district program or a bid for praise. It also reinforces the pattern of quiet, practical care shown by the flashlight, gloves, and umbrella. A careful reader should not leap to “he was humble” as a personality trait, because the passage reports an action, not his self-concept. The safest inference is about motive in this episode: he helped riders without turning it into a report. That supports B’s emphasis on attention to comfort rather than on publicity or policy.
3. Rewrite B as an overreach and explain what makes it too strong.
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An overreach would be: “Every rider on the route preferred Mr. Okafor to every other driver.” The passage says ridership rose 18 percent on one route on one cold day. It does not compare drivers, state that all riders switched, or give a reason from the riders themselves. A second overreach: “The tea caused the increase in ridership.” The passage reports a correlation in time, not a controlled cause. B avoids both errors by using “may have” and by focusing on comfort rather than a single cause. Rewriting B this way shows the boundary: inference may explain evidence, but it may not add comparisons, total claims, or certainty that the passage withholds.