The questions that the SAT labels “Inferences” are, almost without exception, formatted the same way: a developing sequence of information finishes with a “blank” for you to fill in. The closest information to the blank will be most revealing, but in general, all the information is necessary. Questions typically summarize some sort of research, including the purpose of the investigation and what initial results it discovered. In most cases, the missing information will be some conclusion that can be drawn from the information given. Since these questions typically involve a fill-in-the-blank situation, don’t hesitate to actually fill in the blank before you consider the answer choices–that is, formulate how you would complete the paragraph before considering your options for doing so.
Urban sociologist Kendall Yamato investigated trends in temporary architecture, such as pop-up shops, modular housing, and seasonal pavilions. Yamato observed that such structures are increasingly used in cities to accommodate fluctuations in population density, tourism, and even climate. Unlike traditional buildings, temporary structures offer a flexibility that allows rapid adaptation to social and economic shifts. Yamato’s research indicates that cities relying on this approach are, implicitly or explicitly, adopting a philosophy that views the built environment as ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A. an obstacle to long-term economic growth if not modified frequently.
B. a permanent reflection of civic identity that should resist rapid change.
C. a dynamic system responsive to immediate and evolving human needs.
D. a passive backdrop rather than a participant in urban planning.
Like all SAT passages, this passage begins by introducing its topic and then narrows its focus. About the general topic, temporary architecture, we learn that there are many kinds of structures and that these structures accommodate changes in cities. We also see a note of contrast with the word “unlike”, showing how these buildings differ from permanent structures. Words like “fluctuation” and “adaptation” provide significant hints that we need an answer focused on frequent change. As it approaches the “blank”, the passage focuses on a philosophy with a particular view of the “built environment.”
With this background in mind, we should formulate a prediction–something like “a constantly modifying, growing organism that answers the changing needs of urban dwellers.” Notice that our prediction focuses on change and response to inhabitants, two themes of the passage.
Considering the answers, we can rule out the choice that calls the built environment an “obstacle”; that idea is too negative and adversarial for this passage. The choice mentioning a “reflection” might sound good, but “permanent” rings false given the emphasis on change. Finally, the idea of a “passive backdrop” doesn’t capture the way the built environment is responding to a changing context.
This leaves choice C, which refers appropriately to a “dynamic (changing) system” that it refers to as “responsive to … needs.” This wording captures the themes of change and responsiveness quite effectively.
On rare occasions, an inference question will not include the “blank” at the end. Rather, the passage will end and you will be called upon to draw a conclusion. In these cases it is not recommended to predict the right answer; otherwise, the process is the same.
Answer this: what do the letters in the QUICKER method stand for?
Read the QUESTION stem first.
UNDERSTAND the question type.
IDENTIFY the kind of information you’ll see in the passage.
CONTEXT is king.
KNOCK OUT wrong answer.
EXAMINE your preferred answer to confirm.
REVIEW as necessary by rereading key parts of the passage.
The “drop test” is a common way to check how well packaging protects products during shipping. In one test, researchers dropped boxes from different heights to see how much damage was done to the items inside. They found that boxes with extra padding inside kept the items safer—even when dropped from higher places—than boxes with less padding dropped from lower heights. This finding suggests that ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A. using lighter boxes is better than using heavier ones.
B. the height of a fall matters more than the quality of the packaging.
C. strong internal packaging can reduce damage even during hard impacts.
D. products that are already strong don’t need protective packaging.
The answer is C. Whenever an SAT passage presents a study, pay careful attention to the study’s findings, including any comparisons made. In this passage, the emphasis is on the effect of extra padding (no surprise–it provided extra protection!); the effect is emphasized by the fact that the results held even when the box with heavier padding was dropped from a height higher than the box with lighter padding. That’s a clear advantage that we should see reflected in the right answer.
Choice A is out because the comparison made is not about the weight of the boxes. And since the passage is actually emphasizing the packaging more than the height of the fall, choice B has things backward. Choice D is irrelevant because the whole study is about comparing certain amounts of packaging, not discussing products that don’t need packaging. That leaves the choice that discusses the effect of extra padding. Notice that, even though the evidence in the passage is quite strong, the right answer avoids extreme language; it simply says “can reduce,” rather than something like “always reduces.”
To learn more about bats’ behavior at night, scientist DeShawn Grant placed sound sensors around a forest. The sensors recorded high-pitched calls made by different bat species as they flew by. Grant noticed that most bat activity happened just after sunset and again just before sunrise, with a quiet period in between. These findings suggest that bats in this forest ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A. are usually asleep during the day and the middle of the night.
B. avoid making noise when flying in groups.
C. tend to fly only once each night, shortly after sunset.
D. are more active during twilight hours than during the darkest part of the night.
The answer is D. The findings presented in this passage present a challenge to the student; they can lead to the common mistake of over-inferring, that is, taking as true more than the passage can support. Notice that the only times specifically described are just after sunset and just before dawn–in other words, the beginning and end of the dark of night. The entire night is not in view, so we can’t conclude anything generally about the whole night. On the other hand, the only thing we can infer about the middle of the night is that bats are less active at that time than during the two specific times mentioned. Because this would also be true of the daytime, answer choice A might be tempting; however, the passage does not imply that bats are asleep during all their less active times–rather, that they are simply less active.
Choice B cannot be the answer because, although the passage mentions “high-pitched calls,” it doesn’t relate those calls to whether bats are flying alone or in groups. Choice C, meanwhile, though it does address the time right after sunset, fails to address the other key period mentioned in the argument; it also talks about flying, which is not the same as activity.
That leaves choice D, which draws on the comparison between the times when bats are more active than at other times. (Technically, “twilight” can refer to both the time right after sunset and the time just before dawn.) The comparison fits right the comparison made in the passage, and the answer choice sticks with the idea of activity, the central finding of the research described in the passage.
In 2022, environmental engineer Talia Weiss tested a new method for cleaning oil spills using magnetic nanoparticles coated with biodegradable polymers. In laboratory conditions, the particles bound to the oil and were then removed using a magnet, leaving behind cleaner water with minimal ecological disruption. Assuming these findings can be replicated and confirmed, they suggest that ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A. oil cleanup methods based on polymer chemistry are more effective than traditional chemical dispersants.
B. magnetic nanoparticles may offer a less invasive and more eco-friendly way to remediate oil spills.
C. future environmental engineers will rely entirely on magnetic materials in their cleanup efforts.
D. ecological disruptions caused by oil spills are now a thing of the past.
The answer is B. This passage presents promising findings (notice the positive tone implied by “cleaner water” and “minimal ecological disruption”) involving the use of nanoparticles. We are called upon to make some sort of prediction, as suggested by the lead-in phrase, “[these findings] suggest that …” Our prediction should stick to the nature of the positive findings without overstating the matter. We might predict something like, “This new method may allow oil spills to be cleaned up in a more environmentally friendly way in the near future.” This prediction best matches choice B; even though choice B makes a comparison with current methods that is not mentioned in the passage, the modest phrasing of “may offer” and the focus on the benefits of the new method make it the best answer.
Choice A is close, but it gets two broad in addressing all methods “based on polymer chemistry” and comparing those methods to all “traditional chemical dispersants.” We do not know enough about these broad categories to sustain this answer. The prediction about what environmental engineers will do is too sweeping; we have a description of one promising method, but we do not know what engineers will decide based on many other factors the passage doesn’t address. And Choice D is certainly too extreme; it’s one thing to mention a promising approach but quite another to declare that a certain problem is “a thing of the past.”
In a 2023 study of coral reefs off the coast of Belize, marine biologist Daphne Liang and her team found that certain reef fish species were more abundant near seagrass beds than in areas without them. The researchers hypothesized that seagrass beds serve not only as food sources but also as nurseries that provide protection from predators. However, they noted that juvenile fish were especially abundant in transitional zones between reefs and seagrass. These observations suggest that efforts to restore coral reef ecosystems might benefit from a broader conservation focus that ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A. prioritizes only those areas where seagrass beds are most fully established and productive.
B. recognizes the ecological importance of habitats that connect multiple marine environments.
C. aims to reduce fish predation by removing larger fish from transitional zones.
D. replaces coral reef restoration with large-scale seagrass planting initiatives.
The answer is B. The word “however” will draw the attention of the alert reader. Although we already have a hypothesis about how seagrass beds help certain organisms, the “however’ sentence adds an additional finding that goes beyond the hypothesis. The answer is almost certain to allude to this additional finding! We have to bear down and read carefully, noting that the best area for juvenile fish seems to involve movement between reefs and seagrass (“transitional zones”). When thinking about what to put in the blank concerning a “conservation focus,” we should place the emphasis on these “transitional zones.” A prediction might be something like, “give attention to areas where seagrass is changing into reef-based surroundings.”
Choice C is an effective trap answer because it mentions the all-important “transitional zones.” But the passage gives us no reason to think “removing larger fish” is going to be helpful; larger fish are not mentioned as a threat to juvenile fish. Meanwhile, while Choice D mentions both seagrass and reefs, it speaks of replacing one with the other; the passage does not favor one of these ecosystems over the other. With Choice A, the word “only” should set off warning bells in your mind; answers with an extreme word like “only” are rarely correct. In any case, this answer choice focuses on seagrass beds, not transition zones.
Choice B, although it doesn’t use the phrase “transition zones,” speaks of “habitats that connect multiple marine environments,” which is another way of saying the same thing. The “multiple marine environments” are the seagrass and reef areas mentioned in the passage, areas between which the healthiest activity was apparently happening. This is the best answer.
While studying early botanical illustrations from the 16th and 17th centuries, art historian Paolo Dumas noted that many included features not observable in dried specimens, such as the plant’s natural colors, petal orientations, and even cross-sections. Dumas points out that these renderings predate the use of microscopes and formal plant taxonomy, yet often achieved remarkable accuracy. He argues that these illustrations were more than decorative—they were epistemological tools. His claim supports the broader idea that ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A. artistic representations often served as legitimate forms of scientific documentation.
B. scientific inquiry during the early modern period lacked rigor and objectivity.
C. early botanists misunderstood basic plant structures due to a lack of equipment.
D. color and scale are unnecessary for meaningful scientific observation.
The answer is A. At times, an SAT question can feel difficult because of its use of obscure vocabulary. Very close to the “blank” in this passage, we find the word “epistemological”. If you are unsure what that means, your best bet is to use the context to approximate its meaning. According to the beginning of that sentence, early botanical illustrations were “more than decorative,” according to an art historian. What would it mean to be more than decorative? The previous sentence provides a clue with the phrase “remarkable accuracy.” Without a microscope or a formal classification system, scientists could learn something from these illustrations. With all this in mind, we might guess that “epistemological” has something to do with learning or facts.
With this idea in mind, we can predict that the answer will have to do with how art can provide some sort of scientific knowledge in a surprisingly accurate way. Notice that we have broadened the idea from “early botanical illustrations” to art in general; the passage invites us to do this by using the phrase, “the broader idea that …”
Choice B is negative in tone, the opposite attitude to the passage. Similarly, Choice C is wrong to access early botanists of misunderstanding; the passage speaks positively about how art can reveal scientifically helpful information. And Choice D doesn’t match the passage either; we learn that color and scale are apparent from the illustrations, but those characteristics were helpful, if anything, not “unnecessary”. This thinking leaves choice A, which helpfully speaks of artistic representations being helpful to science–exactly the idea illustrated by the discussion of botanical illustrations.
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