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 controlled taste test, participants rated an unfamiliar tea more favorably when it was served in a warmed cup than when the identical tea was served in a room-temperature cup.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
D — the temperature of a serving vessel may influence how people perceive a beverage's taste.. Since the tea was identical in both conditions but ratings differed based only on the cup's temperature, this implies the serving vessel itself influenced perceived taste—matching choice D. Choice B is directly contradicted since the tea was identical yet rated differently.
A researcher comparing two groups of amateur potters found that those who watched a single detailed demonstration video before practicing improved their technique faster over one month than potters who practiced for an equal amount of time without watching any demonstration first.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A — watching a detailed demonstration beforehand may be a more effective method for improving technique than practicing without guidance.. Since practice time was equal between groups but the presence of a demonstration differed in effectiveness, this suggests the specific method (watching a demonstration) may be more effective, matching choice A without overstating that practice without one is worthless (choice B).
A city's traffic engineers found that intersections with raised, textured crosswalks had fewer pedestrian injuries than similar intersections with standard flat, painted crosswalks, even though both types of intersections had comparable pedestrian foot traffic.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A — the physical design of a crosswalk may improve pedestrian safety independent of foot traffic volume.. Since foot traffic was comparable between the two intersection types, the difference in injuries is more likely linked to the crosswalk design itself, supporting choice A. Choice C is an overstatement not supported by 'fewer' injuries, which doesn't mean zero.
A wildlife biologist tracking a population of urban raccoons found that raccoons living closer to residential trash collection routes had shorter average lifespans than raccoons living in less developed areas farther from such routes, despite having easier access to food overall.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A — easier access to food does not necessarily correspond to better survival outcomes for urban wildlife.. Despite having easier food access, the raccoons near trash routes had shorter lifespans, implying that greater access to food doesn't guarantee better survival—likely due to other urban risks—matching choice A directly.
Archaeologists excavating a river-valley settlement found imported obsidian tools concentrated almost exclusively within a small group of dwellings located near the settlement's central plaza, while dwellings elsewhere at the site contained only locally sourced flint tools.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
B — the individuals living near the central plaza likely held a role connected to trade or resource distribution.. Finding imported trade goods concentrated only near the central plaza, unlike locally sourced tools found elsewhere, suggests those individuals had a distinct connection to trade—matching choice B.
When a popular food-delivery app temporarily raised its delivery fees, orders from independent local restaurants on the app dropped sharply, but orders from large chain restaurants on the same app remained roughly steady.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
D — customers ordering from independent restaurants may be more price-sensitive than those ordering from chain restaurants.. Orders from independent restaurants dropping sharply while chain-restaurant orders stayed steady after the same fee increase suggests differing price sensitivity between the two customer groups, supporting choice D.
In a laboratory experiment, tomato plants grown in soil inoculated with a particular beneficial bacterium produced fruit with 25% higher vitamin C content than genetically identical plants grown in sterile soil with the exact same nutrient and light conditions.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
C — nutrient and light conditions alone may not fully determine a fruit's nutritional content.. Since nutrient and light conditions were identical but the bacterial presence changed the fruit's vitamin C content, this suggests factors beyond nutrients and light—like microbial interaction—matter, supporting choice C.
A city's traffic engineers found that intersections with high-visibility, brightly painted crosswalks had fewer pedestrian near-miss incidents than similar intersections with standard white-painted crosswalks, even though both types of intersections had comparable overall pedestrian foot traffic.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
D — the visual design of a crosswalk may improve pedestrian safety independent of overall foot traffic volume.. Since overall foot traffic was comparable between the two intersection types, the difference in near-misses is more likely linked to the crosswalk's visual design itself, supporting choice D. Choice A is an overstatement not supported by 'fewer' incidents, which doesn't mean zero.
A wildlife biologist tracking a population of urban foxes found that foxes living closer to human food sources, such as restaurant dumpsters, had shorter average lifespans than foxes living in less urbanized areas farther from such sources, despite having easier access to food overall.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
D — easier access to food does not necessarily correspond to better survival outcomes for urban wildlife.. Despite having easier food access, the urban foxes had shorter lifespans, implying that greater access to food doesn't guarantee better survival—likely due to other urban risks—matching choice D directly.
In a controlled taste test, participants rated an unfamiliar soup more favorably when it was served in a heavy ceramic bowl than when the identical soup was served in a lightweight plastic bowl.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
C — the container in which food is served may influence how people perceive its taste.. Since the soup was identical in both conditions but ratings differed based only on the bowl used, this implies the serving container itself influenced perceived taste—matching choice C. Choice A is directly contradicted since the soup was identical yet rated differently.
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.