Skip to content
Marlow Works

SAT Reading and Writing / Information and Ideas

SAT topic

Inference

A conclusion the passage supports but does not spell out.

Learning goals

  • Draw a conclusion that must follow from the text.
  • Reject leaps that add facts the author never implied.

Explanation

An inference is a small step from what is written, not a jump to a new topic. The passage should make the conclusion hard to avoid. If you have to invent a motive, a later event, or a statistic the author never hinted at, the choice is too large.

Work from the sentence that is doing the work. If a study 'failed to find a difference,' you can infer that the researchers did not demonstrate an effect—not that the effect is impossible forever. Stay inside the author's claim and tense.

Common mistakes

  • Picking the most dramatic statement instead of the one the text actually backs.
  • Confusing 'the author did not mention X' with 'the author denied X.'

Practice

1 of 2Transitions · medium · multiple choice

A paragraph presents a claim and then introduces evidence that contradicts it. Which type of transition is most likely appropriate between the claim and the evidence?

Original Marlow Works item — not a College Board question.

Take your time—this is practice, not a test.

Quick review

  1. 01Underline the lines the inference must rest on.
  2. 02Ask whether the choice could be false while the passage stays true.
  3. 03Prefer the modest conclusion over the headline.
Previous topicNext topic

Related resources

External links with reuse status. Marlow Works is independent and does not copy restricted exam or textbook material.

  • Official / link only

    Official SAT practice hub

    College Board SAT practice landing page, including links to tests and tools.

    College Board · All rights reserved · accessed 2026-10-01

    Open source

  • Official / link only

    Bluebook full-length practice

    Official digital SAT practice tests in the Bluebook app.

    College Board · All rights reserved · accessed 2026-10-01

    Open source

  • Official / link only

    Student Question Bank

    Official SAT practice questions hosted by College Board.

    College Board · All rights reserved · accessed 2026-10-01

    Use as an external link. Do not republish question stems.

    Open source

  • Official / link only

    Official SAT Prep on Khan Academy

    College Board describes this as free Official SAT Prep with lessons, hints, and walkthroughs.

    Khan Academy / College Board · All rights reserved · accessed 2026-10-01

    Open source