TABLE OF CONTENTS
A. CONTENTS................................................................................................ 1
I. DEFINITION............................................................................................1
II. HOW TO MAKE AN INFERENCE.......................................................1
III. FREQUENTLY QUESTIONS...............................................................3
IV. PRACTICE.............................................................................................5
B. REFERENCES............................................................................................9 A. CONTENTS I. DEFINITION
An inference is a conclusion you can make from the information given
in a passage. Some inferences can be made from a single sentence. Some
inferences are based on a whole paragraph or on the entire passage.
Making inferences is an analytical strategy that deduces a conclusion
based on specific evidence, including prior knowledge. Making inferences is a
way of connecting unknown information with the known. You must
understand an idea that is not stated directly by the author. What the author
does not state directly, he or she may imply or suggest by mentioning certain
details. To do this, you analyse events, facts, ideas, objects and sensations and
compare them with what you already know. Inferences Predictions Assumptions Use logic Use opinions - beliefs individuals have and often take for granted, these can affect your inferences and predictions.
Ex: Eating cold meat can make you sick Ex: Eating cold meat is unappetizing. “What” occurs “Why” occurs
II. HOW TO MAKE AN INFERENCE
To make inferences, you can follow these steps:
1. Identify the premise: You need to identify what you are inferring. This
allows you focus on what are trying to understand
2. Asking a question: You can ask a question about what is occurring. The
conclusion you make at the end of your inference can help answer this inquiry
3. Search for clues: You can do this by focusing on details and supporting ideas.
4. List relevant details: Create a list of relevant details that may help you determine what’s happening. 1
5. Narrow down the choices: Once you have a list of details, begin
eliminating the ones that are probably unlikely. Doing this can help you reach your logical conclusion
6. Make your inference: Finally, put your observation and knowledge
together to make your inference. For example:
Researchers in the early 1990s conducted an experiment that measured
the effect of listening to Mozart on the IQ of college students. Their research
found that the music had a slight positive impact on IQ, though this increase was temporary.
Subsequently, a man named Don Campbell wrote a book stating that
listening to Mozart would make children smarter. Some argued that the ideas
presented in his book overstated the original researchers' findings. Even so,
the media widely reported on the book's claims and called it the "Mozart effect".
When people learned about the Mozart effect, many things happened:
some hospitals started giving the parents of newborns a free classical music
CD, and some preschools were required to play classical music every day.
A few scientists support the idea that listening to music can have an
impact on one's IQ, but others are skeptical. They say that hearing Mozart
while you work may improve your performance on specific tasks, but only if
you enjoy the music. Other researchers have claimed that listening to music
may actually decrease performance. Even so, you'll still hear of parents who
plan to expose their babies to classical music as they grow.
Listening to classical music may not improve one's intelligence in a
significant way for the long-term, but everyone can agree that it helps you to
relax. One thing is certain: more research is needed to find out the truth about the Mozart effect.
1. It can be inferred from the experiment conducted in the early 1990s that ............
A. the students' IQ was not influenced by listening to music
B. there was no relation between music and the students' IQ
C. the effect of listening to music on the students' IQ was not remarkable
D. music could enhance the students' IQ permanently 2
2. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A. Parents have stopped letting their children listen to music.
B. Listening to music only helps in the performing art area.
C. Mozart's music always works on some specific tasks.
D. Not all experts believe in the link between music and people's mind improvement. III. FREQUENTLY QUESTIONS
Questions about inferences look like this:
● It can be inferred from the passage that…
● Which of the following can be inferred about…
● It can be inferred by the phrase
● The author of the passage implies/suggests that…
● In the paragraph… the author implies/suggests that…
● What does the author suggest was…
● What does the author mean by the statement…
● What can be said/concluded about…
● All of the following can be inferred from the passage EXCEPT…
● Which of the following could NOT be said/concluded about…
*Note: Questions with EXCEPT or NOT, look for the one answer choice that
is not supported by the information either stated directly and implied in the passage.
While attempting these questions, you have to be wary of some types of
wrong answers. In inference questions ,some of answer choices may try to trick you by:
● Not being supported by the information stated or implied in the passage
● Being inaccurate or untrue according to the passage
● Repeating words and phrases from the passage in incorrect ways ● Being too general ● Being irrelevant
⇒ You must be careful and not fall into these traps. The best way to avoid
them is to read the argument patiently and have clarity about the ideas
forwarded by it. Always scrutinise an option before choosing it and do not
just judge it by a look at its language 3 For example:
Some people are trying to harness the power of networked computers in
such a way as to avoid this problem. In 1995, a group of American
universities banded together to form what has come to be known as Internet
II. Internet II is a smaller, more specialised system intended for academic use.
Since it is more specialised, fewer users are allowed access. Consequently, the
time required to receive information has decreased.
Businesses are beginning to explore a possible analogue to the Internet
II. Many businesses are creating their own “Intranets”. These are systems that
can only be used by the members of the same company. In theory, fewer users
should translate into a faster system. Intranets are very useful for large
national and international companies whose branches need to share
information. Another benefit of an Intranet is an increased amount of security.
Since only company employees have access to the information on the
Intranet, their information is protected from competitors.
1. As can be inferred from the passage, what benefits does internet II have over the internet I?
A. Small businesses pay higher premiums to access to the internet
B. Internet II contains more information than the internet
C. Internet II has fewer user and therefore is faster to access
D. There is no governmental intervention regulating Internet II For example:
Unlike actors, who may find jobs on both screen and stage , directors
generally work exclusively either in the theatre or in films and television.
There are only a handful of colleges and universities that train theatre
directors, and even graduates of these programs may have a hard time finding
work. Aspiring theatre directors may be able to find work on small local
productions, particularly if they have the confidence and respect of the
theatre's managers. In addition, writers and actors are sometimes able to move into directing positions.
⇒Which of the following could NOT be concluded about theatre directors?
A They sometimes begin as film directors
B. They need to build up their reputation.
C. They are trained formally or through experience.
D. They sometimes begin as actors. 4 IV. PRACTICE Passage 1: GIRLS' EDUCATION
Improving girls' educational levels has been demonstrated to have clear
impacts on the health and economic future of young women, which in turn
improves the prospect of their entire community. The infant mortality rate of
babies whose mothers have received primary education is half that of children whose mothers are illiterate.
⇒It is implied in the first paragraph that ______.
A. there are numerous reasons for women not to come to class worldwide
B. the husband in a family takes little responsibility in rearing the children
C. the children’s standard of living largely depends on their mother’s income
D. the mother in a family makes every effort to raise the children effectively Passage 2:
As a society, we really need to face up to this problem and do
something about it. Parents and coaches should act as better examples for
children. They also need to teach children better values. They should teach
children to enjoy themselves whether they win or not. It's not necessary to
knock yourself out to enjoy sports. Winning isn't everything. In addition,
children shouldn't be allowed to continue to play when they are injured.
Sending a child with an injury into a game gives the child the message that
health isn't as important as winning. If we make some basic changes, children
might learn to enjoy sports again.
⇒What does the author suggest in the last paragraph?
A. Aggressive behaviour is very necessary in playing sports.
B. Children can't avoid hurting or yelling at other players when playing sports.
C. Enjoying themselves should be children's principal purpose when playing sports.
D. Being injured in sports is not acceptable. 5 Passage 3:
However, TV programmes can be both informative and entertaining.
They often provide topics for family members to discuss, bringing them
closer together rather than driving them further apart. What is more,
twenty-first century families do not need to watch the sane proganne at the
same time. The fact that people can watch what they want results in more
time for families to be together rather than less.
The smartphone has taken over from the TV as the major reason for a
lack of communication between family members. Parents often do not see
why their children spend so much time online and fail to see the importance
of having an online identity while most teens feel their online image is part of
who they are. They often criticise the amount of time their children spend
online rather than attempting to understand why they do it. In fact, adults are
often not very good examples themselves. Who has not witnessed a table at a
restaurant where all the family members are silently focused on their mobile devices?
Broadly speaking, smartphones do have some negative effects on
family relationship.This technology is still relatively new, so many families
have not yet learned how to deal with it. Parents and children should discuss
how they use technology to help them all make the most of technology
instead of blaming it for their problems.
⇒Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A. Most families prefer talking to one another to using smartphones in restaurants.
B. Twenty-first century families are generally not in favour of watching television together.
C. Parents in the past did not criticise their children for watching too much television
D. A lot of families are still incapable of making good use of smartphones Passage 4:
As the Internet has become more and more popular, we may be-reading
a great deal more than we used to. However, the way we read materials on the
internet, or online reading, is very different from the way we traditionally read printed materials.
In the traditional way of reading, we would start reading a page, but
never finish it because a link on that page leads us to a passage on a different 6
page, and so on. As we go from one page to another, we have to remember
lots of different ideas at the same time. This new way of reading is quite
different from the traditional one
There are both advantages and disadvantages of online reading. In
online reading, the brain gets better than ever at doing many tasks at the same
time,or multitasking; and thanks to this, we can work quickly and think
creatively. Multitasking is useful in certain working environments, but it also
makes it more difficult for us to read at a deep level. We are, therefore, much
less likely to analyse what we read in a critical way, or gain any real insight
into the contents we are reading. This might lead to a future in which a whole
new generation lacks the ability to think critically and deeply about what they are reading.
The world is changing and our brains are probably changing to meet
new demands in the modern world, just as they have always done throughout
history. However, it is important for us to consider how to maintain our
critical, deeper reading skills, while still dealing with online reading materials
⇒Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A. The brain does not play an important role in a traditional way of reading.
B. The traditional way of reading allows people to read at a deep level
C. We used to read much more in the past than we do now
D. Online reading maintains critical and deeper reading skills Passage 5:
When I saw her name on the screen, it took me right back to the
moment she had moved away with her family ten years before. We had been
such close friends at primary school. We had quickly got over that, though,
and as time went on, we had become really good friends, until you almost
never saw one of us without the other.
And now after so much time apart, there was her name. She had sent
me a friend request. I knew she had been living abroad, and her profile picture
showed her on the beach. I had been expecting her to look different after ten
years. The girl in the photo was the same old Lauren, though.
Nowadays, it is easy to find old friends thanks to social networking
sites. There are lots of stories about long lost friends getting back in touch
after years apart. It was odd because I had been thinking about our friendship too and now here she was! 7
She told me about the place where she had been living for the past ten
years, and I told her about things that had happened to me. Before long, the
years melted away and we were the same two girls who had spent so much time together.
⇒ Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A. The time they were apart was hard for both Lauren and the author.
B. Before Lauren's reappearance, the author thought that their friendship had ended.
C. Lauren had lived in many places since she left the country.
D. Both the author and Lauren had changed in many ways over the last ten years. 8 B. REFERENCES
1. 2020. English 3, Hanoi Procurate University, page 36-44
2. Đề thi tham khảo kì thi THPT quốc gia các năm 2020, 2022, 2023
3. “Making inferences: How To Build This Critical Thinking Skill”, Indeed, 24/06/2022 Link:
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/making-infe rences , 19/11/2023 4. Making inferences
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdaD2FZQFEY 9