9 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.
A linguist studying an endangered language found that fluent speakers under the age of 40 could name only about half as many traditional plant species in the language as fluent speakers over 60, even though both groups had grown up in the same rural region.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
C — knowledge specific to traditional plant vocabulary may be declining across generations even among fluent speakers.. Since both groups are described as fluent, but younger speakers know fewer plant names, this suggests that this specific cultural/vocabulary knowledge—not general fluency—is what's declining across generations, matching choice C.
A study of hospital patients found that those assigned to rooms with a window offering a view of moving traffic reported higher self-rated stress during recovery than patients in otherwise identical rooms with a window facing a quiet inner courtyard.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
B — the visual environment during recovery may be associated with a patient's reported stress level.. Since the rooms were 'otherwise identical' except for the window view, and stress levels differed, this suggests the view itself is associated with the outcome—matching choice B, without overstating the effect as choice C does.
A survey of office workers found that employees who had access to adjustable-height desks reported similar levels of reported back pain to employees without one, but employees with adjustable desks reported significantly fewer instances of feeling physically restless during long meetings.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
D — having an adjustable-height desk may influence feelings of restlessness without necessarily affecting back pain.. Since back pain was similar between groups but restlessness differed, the adjustable desk is linked to one outcome (restlessness) but not necessarily the other (back pain)—matching choice D, and directly showing choice A is false in this case.
A city's traffic engineers found that intersections with audible pedestrian signals had fewer pedestrian injuries among visually impaired residents than similar intersections with only visual walk signals, even though both types of intersections had comparable overall pedestrian foot traffic.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A — the type of signal provided may improve safety for visually impaired pedestrians independent of overall foot traffic volume.. Since overall foot traffic was comparable between the two intersection types, the difference in injuries among visually impaired pedestrians is more likely linked to the signal type itself, supporting choice A. Choice B is an overstatement not supported by 'fewer' injuries, which doesn't mean zero.
A researcher found that job candidates who used more confident-sounding language in their cover letters received callbacks at a similar rate to candidates with identical qualifications who used more tentative language, once the researcher controlled for the specific length of each cover letter.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
C — cover letter length, rather than confident language alone, may have influenced callback rates in the uncontrolled comparison.. Since controlling for length eliminated the callback-rate difference, this suggests length (not confident language) may have driven differences observed before that control was applied—matching choice C's cautious inference.
A survey of office workers found that employees who had a plant on their desk reported similar levels of reported stress to employees without a desk plant, but employees with a plant reported significantly higher satisfaction with their physical workspace.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
D — having a desk plant may influence how employees perceive their workspace without necessarily reducing their overall stress.. Since stress levels were similar between groups but workspace satisfaction differed, the plant is linked to one outcome (satisfaction) but not necessarily the other (stress)—matching choice D, and directly showing choice A (they're 'always closely linked') is false in this case.
Economists studying two neighboring towns with nearly identical demographics found that the town which introduced a matching-funds grant for storefront facade renovations saw a measurable increase in downtown pedestrian foot traffic, while the comparison town, which did not introduce the grant, saw no similar increase over the same period.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
D — introducing a facade renovation grant may translate into increased downtown foot traffic.. The grant program in one town corresponded with a measurable increase in foot traffic not seen in the otherwise similar comparison town, suggesting a link between the grant and downtown foot traffic—matching choice D.
Researchers studying a species of sea turtle found that individuals fitted with satellite tags consistently took longer routes to reach their nesting beaches than untagged individuals of the same population, monitored via aerial drone surveys.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
C — the satellite tags themselves may be affecting the turtles' navigation or swimming performance.. A consistent route difference specifically among tagged turtles compared to untagged turtles of the same population suggests the tagging equipment itself (e.g., added drag) may be influencing the outcome being measured—matching choice C.
A public health study found that neighborhoods that gained a full-service grocery store after previously lacking one saw a measurable increase in reported vegetable consumption among residents, while a comparison neighborhood that continued to lack a full-service grocery store saw no similar increase over the same period.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A — access to a full-service grocery store may influence residents' dietary habits.. The grocery store opening in one neighborhood corresponded with a measurable increase in vegetable consumption not seen in the otherwise comparable neighborhood without one, suggesting a link between store access and dietary habits—matching choice A.
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 9 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.