TEAS Ready🔎 Reading · Key Ideas and Details · Lesson 3 of 6 · 5 min
Inferences and conclusions: reading between the lines
🧩 An inference question asks for something the passage doesn't say outright, but strongly suggests. Nurses do this all day: clues plus knowledge equals a sound conclusion.
💡 Key idea
A valid inference is not stated but is strongly supported by clues you can point to.
🧠 The idea
An INFERENCE is a logical idea built from clues in the text plus everyday knowledge. A CONCLUSION is an inference about what the evidence adds up to, often the author's larger point or purpose. A valid inference must be SUPPORTED by the text: you should be able to point to the words that suggest it. Good inferences are modest; wrong answers usually go too far ("always," "never," "proves"), bring in outside opinions, or restate a detail that is printed directly (that is a detail, not an inference). Ask: "What must be true, or is very likely true, based on what I read?" Then find the evidence. If you can't point to any clue, the choice is a guess, not an inference.
✏️ Worked example
Passage: "Ms. Ortiz checked the forecast twice, packed extra water and left the trail map on the kitchen table by mistake. By noon, the trail signs were hard to read in the fog." Question: What can be inferred? "Ms. Ortiz will get lost" goes too far; nothing proves it. "Ms. Ortiz packed extra water" is stated, not inferred. "Ms. Ortiz may have trouble finding her way" is supported by two clues: no map and fog hiding the signs. That is the best inference.
📌 Takeaways
- Inference = not stated, but supported by clues.
- Avoid extreme words that go beyond the evidence.
- If the text says it directly, it's a detail, not an inference.
📖 Terms in this lesson
Inference: A logical conclusion drawn from clues in the text that the author does not state directly; for example, wet umbrellas by the door suggest it is raining.
✅ Check yourself
Question 1 of 3
A memo says the break room fridge will be emptied every Friday at 4 p.m. and unlabeled items will be thrown out. What can be inferred?
- Most staff members dislike the new fridge rule.
- Labeled items will also be thrown out on Friday.
- The company plans to remove the fridge soon.
- Employees keep food in the break room fridge.
Show the answer and rationale
Answer: D
A rule about emptying the fridge only makes sense if employees store food there, so that inference is supported. Nothing suggests removing the fridge, the memo protects labeled items, and staff feelings are never mentioned.
Question 2 of 3
Which choice is the strongest sign that an answer goes BEYOND an inference?
- It uses words that differ from the passage.
- It is based on two clues taken from different paragraphs.
- It claims the passage proves something always happens.
- It describes a likely cause of an event in the text.
Show the answer and rationale
Answer: C
Absolute claims like "always" or "proves" usually go beyond what the evidence supports. Different wording, combining clues and identifying a likely cause are normal features of valid inferences.
Question 3 of 3
A passage states that a town's clinic hired three more nurses after its waiting times doubled. Which conclusion is best supported?
- Waiting times at the clinic will never rise again.
- The town's nurses were poorly trained for the job.
- The clinic hired staff partly to reduce waits.
- The clinic will soon close its doors for good.
Show the answer and rationale
Answer: C
Hiring right after waits doubled suggests the hires were meant to shorten waits; "partly" keeps the conclusion modest. "Never" goes too far, and neither poor training nor closing is suggested by any clue.
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