10 original Inferences questions, easiest first. Complete the text with the conclusion it most logically forces. Answer them all, then submit once to see every answer explained.
In a laboratory experiment, seedlings grown in soil inoculated with a particular beneficial fungus developed root systems 40% larger than genetically identical seedlings grown in sterile soil with the exact same nutrient content.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A — nutrient content alone may not fully determine root system development.. Since nutrient content was identical but the fungal presence changed the outcome, this suggests factors beyond nutrient content—like fungal interaction—matter, supporting choice A.
In a controlled taste test, participants rated an unfamiliar bread more favorably when it was described as 'artisanal, slow-fermented' than when the identical bread was described using its plain ingredient list.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
C — the way a food is described may influence how people perceive its taste.. Since the bread was identical in both conditions but ratings differed based only on the description used, this implies the description itself influenced perceived taste—matching choice C. Choice D is directly contradicted since the bread was identical yet rated differently.
A study found that customers who used a bookstore's self-checkout kiosk browsed the store's promotional table for less time but ultimately purchased a similar number of additional items compared with customers who used a staffed register, even though both groups walked past the same promotional displays.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
C — browsing time alone may not be the primary factor determining how many additional items a customer purchases.. Since additional purchases were similar despite different browsing behavior, this suggests browsing time itself isn't the deciding factor in additional purchases—matching choice C logically without the overstatements in A or B.
A city's traffic engineers found that intersections with pedestrian countdown timers, which display the number of seconds remaining to cross, had fewer pedestrian injuries than similar intersections with standard walk/don't-walk signals lacking a countdown, even though both types of intersections had comparable traffic volume.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
C — providing pedestrians with more precise timing information may improve crossing safety.. Since traffic volume was comparable between the two intersection types, the difference in injuries is more likely linked to the timing information itself, supporting choice C. Choice D is an overstatement not supported by 'fewer' injuries, which doesn't mean zero.
When a popular ride-sharing app temporarily suspended service in a mid-sized city due to a technical outage, local taxi companies reported a spike in calls during the outage, but call volumes returned to pre-outage levels within a day of the app's service being restored.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A — many riders who used taxis during the outage returned to using the ride-sharing app once it was available again.. Call volumes spiking during the outage and then quickly returning to normal once the app was restored suggests riders reverted to their prior preference, supporting choice A. There is no evidence for lasting reputational damage (choice D).
A researcher comparing two groups of novice archers found that those who practiced with a coach providing feedback only after every fifth shot improved their accuracy faster over two months than archers who received feedback after every single shot, despite both groups shooting an equal total number of arrows.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
D — less frequent feedback may be a more effective method for improving accuracy than feedback after every attempt.. Since total arrows shot was equal between groups but the feedback frequency differed in effectiveness, this suggests the specific method (less frequent feedback) may be more effective, matching choice D without overstating that frequent feedback is worthless (choice A).
A study of hospital patients found that those assigned to rooms with visible artwork on the walls reported lower self-rated anxiety before a scheduled procedure than patients in otherwise identical rooms with bare walls.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A — visible artwork in a patient's room may be associated with lower pre-procedure anxiety.. Since the rooms were 'otherwise identical' except for the artwork, and anxiety ratings differed, this suggests the artwork itself is associated with the outcome—matching choice A, without overstating the effect as choice B does.
When a popular grocery delivery app temporarily suspended same-day delivery due to a technical issue, orders through a competing app with same-day delivery rose noticeably, but overall order volume for the original app returned to its earlier stable level within a week of same-day delivery being restored.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
B — many customers who switched to the competing app for same-day delivery returned once the original app restored the feature.. Order volume for the original app returning to its earlier stable level once same-day delivery was restored suggests customers who had switched away returned once the feature came back, supporting choice B.
A survey of office workers found that employees who had access to a shared break-room coffee machine reported similar levels of reported job satisfaction to employees without one, but employees with the coffee machine reported significantly more informal interactions with coworkers from other teams.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
C — having a shared coffee machine may influence how much employees interact with other teams without necessarily affecting overall job satisfaction.. Since job satisfaction was similar between groups but cross-team interaction differed, the coffee machine is linked to one outcome (interaction) but not necessarily the other (satisfaction)—matching choice C, and directly showing choice A (they're 'always closely linked') is false in this case.
A researcher comparing two groups of novice pianists found that students who practiced with a metronome set slightly faster than their comfortable tempo improved their sight-reading accuracy faster over six months than students who practiced an equal amount of time at their own comfortable tempo.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A — practicing slightly beyond one's comfort level may be a more effective method for improving sight-reading than comfortable-tempo practice.. Since practice time was equal between groups but the type of practice differed in effectiveness, this suggests the specific method (slightly faster tempo) may be more effective, matching choice A without overstating that comfortable-tempo practice is worthless (choice C).
Score:
Every question above is now marked up: the correct answer is highlighted, any wrong option you picked is flagged, and each explanation is open.
No. Every question here is original, written to the College Board's published Digital SAT Reading & Writing specification for the Inferences skill. No retired or copyrighted College Board material appears anywhere on this site.
Inferences gives you a passage ending in a blank, usually after a phrase like "therefore" or "this suggests that", and asks which choice most logically completes it. The answer is not stated in the passage, but it must follow from the passage alone.
Read to the blank and finish the thought yourself before looking at the choices. Then apply one test to each choice: could this be false while everything in the passage is true? If yes, it is not the inference. The correct answer is usually the most cautious of the four, because it is the only one the text fully guarantees.
No, and deliberately so. This drill is 10 Inferences questions back to back; a real Reading & Writing module is 27 questions in 32 minutes drawn from all eleven skills. Use a drill to fix one weakness, then take a full module to practice the real thing.
No. The SAT has no penalty for a wrong answer — a blank and a wrong guess both score zero — so answer every question, including the ones you have to guess.