Inference questions?? Forum

[blair27]

I am starting to become familiar with most of the question types now. I still need to increase my speed but I am nonetheless feeling ok with most of the LR question types. Inference questions however, take me the longest to solve and I get the majority of them wrong. I am sure other people have had this problem....Any methods or tips you guys could offer to get me going down the right path will be greatly appreciated....

[gdane]

Remember that inference questions are essentially "must be true" questions. The correct inference will be proven by something that was said in the stimuls. Watch out for answers that mention things that werent in the stimulus. It just takes a bit of practice to get them down. Just remember that the answer choice has to be 100% supported by what was said in the stimulus.

Good luck!

[whymeohgodno]

Inferences can be a pain in the ass.

There's almost no conclusion in inference questions so you have to keep in mind all the relevant details instead of focusing on a conclusion/premises. That makes it harder for me but once you practice it becomes a lot easier.

[dakatz]

Remember the following: Any quantifier (aside from none), can be broken down into "some". So if you have "few" apples, or "many" oranges, or "all" strawberries in the fridge, you always can infer that you have 'some" apples, or "some" oranges, etc. This inference was the lifesaver on more questions than I can count.

[blair27]

dakatz: That is certainly a helpful tip. A lot of times I forget that and at least keeping that in mind can eliminate a few wrong choices.

Aside from that do you employ a general strategy for each inference question...like a diagram of some sort (similar to conditional reasoning), or do you tackle each question differently based on the stimulus and the question?

Thanks a ton!

[Sandro]

Inferences get me a lot too. Just remember that any correct answer choice must relate to the stimulus 100%. It HAS to be true. Look for ways to directly connect the stimulus to the answer choices, and like the previous poster said, modifier words are key. If a stimulus talks about some some and some .... rarely will a correct answer say something as definitive as ALL XXX etc...

LR Bible has a good chapter on it.