Inference and Drawing Conclusions from Written Text
Inference: what the text commits the writer to
An inference is a conclusion that follows from the passage without being stated outright. The test is not 'is this plausible?' but 'does the passage, as written, require me to accept it?' A good inference is supported and modest: it stays inside the evidence and adds no new causes, motives or predictions.
Sort options into three categories. Necessary inferences must be true if the passage is true. Possible inferences could be true but are not compelled. Overreaching inferences add claims the writer never made, usually about the future, about a whole group, or about someone's feelings. Only the first category is correct.
Traps: (1) Reversal - the option inverts a relationship the passage set up. (2) Degree shift - 'most' becomes 'all', 'often' becomes 'always', 'suggests' becomes 'proves'. (3) True but irrelevant - accurate outside knowledge the passage never uses. (4) Emotive appeal - an option that sounds like a sensible opinion but has no textual anchor. (5) Assumed causation from mere sequence or correlation.
Worked example. Passage: 'Sales of the new rail pass rose sharply in the month after the fare increase; the operator reported no change in the number of journeys.' What follows? Revenue per journey rose, since fares rose while journey numbers held steady. It does not follow that the pass attracted new passengers or that travellers were satisfied - nothing supports those. Note the question asks what follows, not what is likely.
Rule of thumb: ask 'if this option were false, would the passage collapse?' If not, it is not a required inference.