Inference Lesson Test for Paragraph Comprehension

Answer: A

Correct answer: He expected wet weather during the trip. The evidence is the rain jacket, waterproof boots, wrapped sleeping bag and tarp. The bridge is that people pack such items when they expect rain, so the modest conclusion is that Ray expected wet weather.

• A (correct): Rain gear, waterproof wrapping and a tarp are all things people pack when they expect rain.
• B: The brother's teasing shows nothing about what he packed; this adds an unsupported fact.
• C: The passage says nothing about past trips; this invents a reason for his packing.
• D: Nothing suggests the trip was canceled; this predicts an outcome the passage never gives.

Answer: D

Correct answer: Some first-month borrowers used the shelf more than once. The librarian says many first-month borrowers came back. A correct inference stays on that rung of the quantity ladder or steps down, so some borrowers used the shelf more than once is safe, while most or every climbs too high.

• A: This climbs from many to most, a stronger quantity than the passage supports.
• B: A waiting list for the only pressure washer does not show it is borrowed more than every other tool.
• C: This jumps from many to all, ignoring borrowers who may never have returned.
• D (correct): Many people returning to borrow again means at least some borrowers used the shelf more than once.

Answer: D

Correct answer: She will probably pass the test on her first attempt. The passage says most course graduates pass on the first try, and Dana is a graduate. That supports a likely pass, but not a certain one, because most is not all.

• A: Nervousness is described as a common reason students fail, not as a trait of Dana.
• B: The session is only for students who fail, and nothing suggests Dana will fail.
• C: Most leaves room for exceptions, so certain upgrades the evidence.
• D (correct): Most graduates pass on the first try, so a likely pass for a graduate matches the passage's level of confidence.

Answer: C

Correct answer: To give residents time to plan for the shutoff. The signal words so that give the purpose directly: the notice went up a week early so residents could store water and plan around the four-hour repair. Any other motive would have to be invented.

• A: This invents a hidden motive that the passage never states or signals.
• B: The pressure warning was part of the notice, but it is not the stated reason for posting it early.
• C (correct): The words so that state the purpose: residents could store water and plan around the repair.
• D: Nothing in the passage mentions an earlier date or any schedule change.

Answer: D

Correct answer: A walk-in donor may have to wait while people with appointments go first. The flyer states that appointments will be seen first, so the bridge is simple: walk-ins may wait their turn. Age, parking and how often drives are held are never mentioned, so nothing can be inferred about them.

• A: The flyer never mentions age, so nothing can be concluded about younger donors.
• B: Parking is not addressed at all; silence on a topic is not evidence about it.
• C: The flyer describes one Saturday drive and says nothing about how often drives are held.
• D (correct): Because appointments are seen first, a walk-in donor could be kept waiting; this follows directly from the flyer.

Answer: C

Correct answer: The camp will most likely add one new activity next summer. The camp has added one activity per year, and the board has funded exactly one more. The safest prediction continues that pattern within the budget limit: one new activity next summer.

• A: The director is still collecting ideas, so the type of activity is unknown.
• B: The board approved money for one activity, so several goes beyond the stated limit.
• C (correct): This continues the one-a-year pattern and matches the money the board has already approved.
• D: Nothing suggests any activity will be removed; this invents a change.

Answer: C

Correct answer: Something other than its length makes it slow to hike. The contrast word but sets a two-mile length against a three-hour hiking time. The resting hikers and the advice about boots and walking sticks point the same way, so the modest inference is that something besides distance slows hikers down.

• A: The passage states the length as two miles; this contradicts the text instead of explaining the contrast.
• B: Advice about boots and water does not show danger, and beginners are never mentioned.
• C (correct): The word but contrasts a short distance with a long time, implying the trail is slow going for some other reason.
• D: Nothing mentions getting lost; this invents a cause for the long hiking time.

Answer: A

Correct answer: The crew's location alone does not prove the alarm sounded. The rule says if the alarm sounds, workers gather in the north lot. It does not say workers gather there only when the alarm sounds, so seeing the crew outside does not prove the alarm went off.

• A (correct): The rule runs one way: an alarm sends workers outside, but workers outside could be there for some other reason.
• B: This goes even further than assuming the alarm sounded, adding an actual leak with no evidence.
• C: Nothing shows the crew broke any rule by standing in the parking lot.
• D: This reverses the if-then rule, treating the result as proof of the condition.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Neighborhoods with more sidewalks tended to have more adults who exercised often. The report pairs more sidewalks with more frequent exercise, which is a correlation. Because the same neighborhoods also had more parks and younger residents, the passage cannot show what caused the difference.

• A: A lower share of frequent exercisers does not mean no one there exercises.
• B (correct): This states the association the report found without claiming that one thing caused the other.
• C: The report names several differences, including parks, so picking age as the only cause is unsupported.
• D: The report shows the two go together, but parks and age also differ, so causation is not proven.

Answer: C

Correct answer: On a day with no coordinator present, the tool sheds stay locked. The word unless ties unlocked sheds to a coordinator being on site, so with no coordinator the sheds remain locked. Only limits who may plant without requiring every member to plant, and except names the one closing period.

• A: The garden is open daily; the only stated exception is the winter closing.
• B: Only members may plant, but that does not mean every member does, or how often.
• C (correct): Unless a coordinator is on site means the sheds are locked whenever no coordinator is there.
• D: Only members may plant, and the garden is closed during the winter closing anyway.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Construction workers probably buy many of the burritos. The passage gives only a current figure of about 60 burritos a day, with no earlier number, so claims about growth have no baseline. What it does support is that crews, who are a large share of morning customers, likely buy many of the morning burritos.

• A: The passage gives only today's figure, so it cannot show any trend over time.
• B (correct): The burritos are a morning item, and crew members make up a large share of morning customers, so they likely buy many of them.
• C: This predicts a future decision that the passage never discusses.
• D: No earlier sales figure is given, so doubled is an invented number with no baseline.

Answer: C

Correct answer: Kendra, after she finished the tire rotation. Track who does what: Ortiz assigns the order to Kendra, then leaves for an afternoon class. Kendra handles the supplier's confirmation call, so she most likely placed the order after finishing the tires.

• A: Ortiz gave the task to Kendra rather than doing it himself; this attaches the action to the wrong person.
• B: The supplier called back to confirm an order someone else placed.
• C (correct): Ortiz asked Kendra to order the pads after the rotation, and she is the one who handled the supplier's follow-up call.
• D: The class lasted all afternoon, and the supplier was already confirming the order that afternoon.

Answer: B

Correct answer: The flashing around the vent may be loose. The notes move through three kinds of statements. The stains after storms are what the engineer saw, the loose flashing is offered as a possible cause, and the inspection by the contractor is urged as an action. Only the loose-flashing statement interprets the evidence.

• A: The word should urges an action, which makes this a recommendation.
• B (correct): This offers a possible explanation for the stains, which makes it an interpretation.
• C: This reports what the engineer saw, so it is an observation.
• D: This is another report of what was seen, so it is an observation.

Answer: C

Correct answer: Supportive, with some reservations. Phrases such as sensible first step and on time so far show approval, while still and leaves out plastics add a reservation. The mild wording calls for a mild label: supportive, with reservations.

• A: Her language is calm and hopeful; nothing approaches outrage.
• B: She took the time to praise and suggest improvements, which shows real interest.
• C (correct): She praises the program as sensible and on time but notes that plastics are left out, which is mild approval with a concern.
• D: She points out a gap in the program, so complete satisfaction overstates her approval.

Answer: A

Correct answer: The new heat pump may have helped lower the heating bill. Two possible factors appear: the heat pump and the milder winter. The choice that says the heat pump may have helped needs no extra facts, while the others assume dollar amounts, a single cause or future plans.

• A (correct): This links the new equipment to the lower bill cautiously and leaves room for the milder weather.
• B: Naming one cause as the only cause ignores the new heat pump.
• C: No future plans are mentioned; this adds an invented decision.
• D: The passage gives no costs or savings amounts, so this assumes figures that are never provided.

Answer: C

Correct answer: A new hire who has not finished safety training may not drive a forklift. Must states a requirement, can states a permission, and may states a possibility. Only the forklift statement keeps the passage's level of force: training is required before driving.

• A: Can request describes a choice an employee may make, not a schedule everyone will follow.
• B: This turns a choice into a requirement and also gets the timing backward.
• C (correct): Must complete training before operating any lift truck makes training a requirement, so an untrained hire may not drive one.
• D: May offer names a possibility that depends on volume, so will goes too far.

Answer: A

Correct answer: It could not cover every project the town wanted to do. The mayor's remark that the roof must wait until the money is there implies the town lacked funds for every planned project. A choice that merely restates the repaving may be true, but it does not answer the question about the budget.

• A (correct): The mayor said the roof must wait until the money is there, implying funds ran short for all projects.
• B: This invents a motive that the passage never states or suggests.
• C: The roof project was postponed, so this contradicts the passage.
• D: The roof was put off until the money is there, so the passage points to a shortfall, not a surplus.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Fallen power lines led to the closing of Route 9. The linking word because shows the order of events: the storm brought down power lines, and that caused the county to close Route 9. A choice that flips this order is a reverse-cause distractor.

• A: This reverses cause and effect; the lines fell first and the closure followed.
• B (correct): The word because shows the downed lines came first and caused the closure.
• C: The road reopened Thursday evening, shortly after repairs were finished.
• D: The passage says the detour took fifteen minutes, so this number is wrong.

Answer: A

Correct answer: Weekday ridership on the commuter routes went up after the change. The report says only that ridership rose sharply and gives no figures. An answer that stays with an increase is supported, while doubled or 25 percent invents precision and main reason claims a cause the report does not establish.

• A (correct): The report says ridership rose sharply, so an increase is supported without adding any figures.
• B: This invents a percentage; the report gives no numbers at all.
• C: Doubled supplies a precise amount that the report never gives.
• D: The report pairs the two events but never says the internet caused the increase.

Answer: D

Correct answer: The new system caused a slowdown that did not last. The qualifier at first limits the slowdown to the early weeks, and by July pick times were back to their old level. The answer must keep both details, so the slowdown was temporary.

• A: Workers were using the scanners and got training; nothing suggests a refusal.
• B: This drops the qualifier at first and ignores that pick times returned to normal.
• C: Pick times returned to where they had been, not better than before.
• D (correct): The words at first and the July report of normal pick times show the slowdown was temporary.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Taco Rio does not currently meet the market's permit rule. Join the general rule to the specific case: a permit lasts one year from inspection, and Taco Rio was last inspected fourteen months ago, so its permit has lapsed. Since every truck must display a current permit, Taco Rio does not meet the rule right now.

• A: An expired permit is a paperwork problem; nothing shows the food itself is unsafe.
• B (correct): A permit lasts one year, and Taco Rio's last inspection was fourteen months ago, so it lacks the current permit the rule requires.
• C: The passage gives no basis for predicting the result of the coming inspection.
• D: The passage describes only Taco Rio's inspection history, not inspectors' visits to the market.

Answer: D

Correct answer: The afternoon time likely clashed with many would-be students' jobs. Test each explanation against every detail. Enrollment fell right after the class moved from evening to a weekday afternoon, and almost everyone who still enrolled is retired, which fits a conflict with work hours. The other explanations rely on facts the passage never gives or fail to explain the drop.

• A: Nothing in the passage points to lost interest; the change it highlights is the new time.
• B: This may be true, but it does not explain why so many other people stopped enrolling.
• C: The passage never says who teaches or how students feel about anyone.
• D (correct): The drop followed the move to a weekday afternoon, and the few who enrolled are retirees, who are usually free at that hour.

Answer: D

Correct answer: The main power feed did not fail. Work the chain backward using negation. No incident report was filed and all rules were followed, so the generator did not start. Since a power failure would have started the generator, the main feed did not fail.

• A: This would break the reporting rule, yet the supervisor confirmed every rule was followed.
• B: The rules say a failure starts the generator automatically, so this contradicts them.
• C: Nothing in the passage describes the technician's checks; this adds an unsupported event.
• D (correct): No report means the generator did not start, and if the generator did not start, the main feed did not fail.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Truck 2. Apply each rule in turn. Truck 4 fails the price limit, Truck 3 fails the four-wheel-drive rule, and Truck 1 fails the 8,000-pound towing rule. Only Truck 2 passes all three, though the passage does not say the board will actually buy it.

• A: It has the best towing capacity, but its $44,000 price is over the $42,000 limit.
• B (correct): It costs $41,800, which is under the limit, has four-wheel drive and tows 9,000 pounds, so it passes every test.
• C: It is the cheapest and tows the most within budget, but it has rear-wheel drive instead of four-wheel drive.
• D: It meets the price and drive rules, but its 7,500-pound towing limit is below the required 8,000 pounds.

Answer: A

Correct answer: About six weeks. Space left is 600 minus 240, or 360 tons.

At about 60 tons a week, the shed fills in about six weeks, as long as the pattern holds and no storm uses salt.

• A (correct): The shed has 600 minus 240, or 360 tons of space, and 360 divided by 60 tons per week is 6 weeks.
• B: This divides the 240 tons already in the shed by 60 instead of dividing the empty space.
• C: This divides the full 600-ton capacity by 60, ignoring the 240 tons already stored.
• D: This subtracts 150 tons for a storm, but the question says no storms occur.

Answer: B

Correct answer: The lower speed limit may be one of several reasons crashes fell. The engineer says the lower limit likely played a role, while also naming the bike lanes, new signs and reduced traffic as possible factors. The best-supported conclusion keeps that caution and treats the limit as one of several possible reasons.

• A: This predicts an exact result for roads the passage never discusses.
• B (correct): The engineer says the limit likely helped but names other possible factors, so a cautious, shared role fits.
• C: The passage never ranks the bike lanes above the other changes.
• D: The engineer names several other possible factors, so crediting the limit alone is unsupported.

Answer: D

Correct answer: A rider carrying an umbrella could not bring it aboard. Normally a list says nothing about items it leaves out, but the words the only items make this list complete. Since an umbrella is not on it, a rider could not bring one aboard; the end of service, by contrast, is simply not addressed.

• A: A sealed water bottle is one of the listed items that riders may bring.
• B: The rules require a ticket and never mention a fare, so this adds an unsupported way to board.
• C: The rules say when service starts but not when it ends, so nothing can be concluded.
• D (correct): The rules give a complete list of allowed items, and an umbrella is not on it.

Answer: A

Correct answer: The volunteers had helped most of the homes on their list by the third Saturday. The list dropped from nineteen homes to four, so 15 of 19 homes had been helped, which is most of them. The other statements rely on emotional appeal, outside knowledge or an unsupported prediction.

• A (correct): The list fell from nineteen homes to four, so fifteen of nineteen, which is most of them, had been helped.
• B: This may be true in general, but it comes from outside knowledge, not from the passage.
• C: The group plans to return, but the passage gives no basis for predicting it will finish every home.
• D: This sounds appealing, but the passage reports actions and never compares the group with anyone else.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Some shoppers came early hoping to buy sale items before they ran out. Evidence: people lined up before opening while holding an ad that warned quantities were limited. Bridge: shoppers arrive early when they fear an item will sell out. The modest conclusion is that some came early to get sale items; the wrong answers add predictions, totals or rules the passage never gives.

• A: The passage ends before the store opens, so any sell-out time is an unsupported prediction.
• B (correct): The early line, the ads in hand and the warning about limited quantities all point to people wanting to get sale items while they lasted.
• C: Only several people held the ad, and none is said to want a drill in particular; this turns a partial claim into a total one.
• D: Nothing says the store opened early, and one sale day cannot establish a rule about all sale days.

Answer: A

Correct answer: Some respondents found the weight room crowded early in the morning. Find the quantity word for each claim: "many" for the weight room and "a few" for the cardio machines. A correct inference stays on the passage's rung or steps down, so "some respondents" is safe, while "most" and "every hour" climb higher than the evidence allows.

• A (correct): "Many" respondents reported crowding, so "some" stays on the same rung of the quantity ladder or below it.
• B: This climbs from "many" to "most"; the passage never says the complaints came from a majority.
• C: Only "a few" mentioned the cardio machines, so "most" jumps several rungs up the ladder.
• D: The complaints are limited to 5 to 7 a.m.; the passage says nothing about crowding at other hours.

Answer: A

Correct answer: The gauge never read above 70 percent that day. The rule is one-way: a reading above 70 percent requires the dehumidifier. The only safe reversal uses negation. The dehumidifier was not switched on and the rule was followed, so the reading did not go above 70 percent.

• A (correct): If the gauge had gone above 70 percent, the rule would have required the dehumidifier; since the rule was followed and it stayed off, the reading never passed 70 percent.
• B: The rule only tells you the reading did not exceed 70 percent; the figure of 50 percent is an invented number.
• C: The passage says staff followed the rule, so nothing points to a broken machine; this invents a cause.
• D: No damage is mentioned anywhere, and a low reading makes moisture damage even less likely; this adds an event.

Answer: C

Correct answer: The walk may take too much of a short lunch period. "Even so" tells you the outcome is surprising, which hints at a reason. The details the writer adds right afterward are the five-minute walk and the thirty-minute lunch, so the modest inference is that the trip eats into a short break. The wrong answers contradict the passage, invent a rule, or turn "most" into "all."

• A: The passage describes padded chairs, coffee and a view, so this conflicts with the details given.
• B: No rule against leaving the floor appears; this invents a restriction the passage never mentions.
• C (correct): The contrast word "even so" signals a hidden reason, and the passage stresses the distance and the thirty-minute lunch, so the time cost is the best-supported explanation.
• D: The passage says "most" workers eat at their machines, which leaves room for some who use the break room.

Answer: D

Correct answer: A member with two years of service is not required to join the dog-handling unit. Sort the verbs: "must" states a requirement (the first-aid course), "can choose" states a choice left to the member (dog handling), and "may" states a possibility (night drills). Only the choice that keeps dog handling voluntary matches the sheet; the others turn can into must, may into will, or must into something a member may skip.

• A: This turns "can choose" into a requirement for everyone; the sheet offers the training only as a choice.
• B: The sheet says the team "may" hold them, depending on conditions; changing "may" to "will" upgrades a possibility into a certainty.
• C: The sheet says members "must" finish the course within six months; nothing allows anyone to skip it.
• D (correct): The sheet says members "can choose" to train with the unit, which describes a free choice, not a requirement.

Answer: C

Correct answer: Marcus was getting ready for an early-morning fitness test. Evidence: an early bedtime, a 4:30 alarm, gym clothes by the door and a note about a 0600 fitness test. Bridge: people prepare like this before an important early event. Conclusion: Marcus was getting ready for the test. The wrong answers add past results, habits or feelings the passage never mentions.

• A: No earlier test result appears anywhere in the passage; this invents a past event.
• B: The passage says he went to bed earlier than usual, which suggests this schedule is unusual, not a daily habit.
• C (correct): The early alarm, the laid-out gym gear and the note about a 0600 test at the track all point to preparation for the test.
• D: Nothing describes his feelings about running; this assigns a motive the passage never signals.

Answer: D

Correct answer: The sensors may have helped, but the vans' age and routes could also explain part of the difference. The passage compares two groups that differ in three ways: sensors, vehicle age and route type. Because the comparison never separates these factors, it shows an association, not proof of a single cause. The best answer keeps the sensors as a possible factor while leaving room for the others.

• A: This credits the whole 30 percent gap to the sensors, ignoring the newer vans and easier routes the manager pointed out.
• B: This swaps one single cause for another; the passage does not rule out the sensors any more than it proves them.
• C: The passage reports results only and mentions no plan, so this is an unsupported prediction.
• D (correct): The manager names two other differences between the groups, so the sensors are one possible factor among several, which this choice keeps.

Answer: C

Correct answer: Hale's plane could not take off at 7:30 a.m. Chain the rules. Takeoff needs both a flight plan and clearance, and clearance needs visibility of at least three miles. At 7:30 visibility was two miles, so no clearance was possible, and without clearance Hale could not take off, even though her plan was filed.

• A: The passage never says when or whether the fog lifted, or whether she flew at all; this invents a later event.
• B: Filing a plan is required but not enough; clearance is also required, and the low visibility ruled it out.
• C (correct): Visibility of two miles is below the three-mile minimum, so the tower could not clear the flight, and without clearance takeoff is not allowed.
• D: The passage reports conditions only at 7:30 a.m.; nothing supports a full-day cancellation.

Answer: D

Correct answer: Cracked paint likely let salt spray reach the bolts. Sort the log into three kinds of statements. What Lin found (rust streaks) is an observation, the sentence with "probably" offers an interpretation of why the rust appeared, and the sentence with "should" is a recommendation. The question asks for the interpretation.

• A: This is the observation, reported as what Lin found during the inspection.
• B: This is a recommendation, signaled by "should," urging action rather than explaining a cause.
• C: The log never makes this prediction; it adds an outcome the writer does not state.
• D (correct): The word "probably" marks this as an interpretation offered to explain the rust, not as something Lin directly observed.

Answer: B

Correct answer: The shelter will probably build one more dog run this spring. A sound prediction continues the pattern within its stated limits. The shelter has added one run a year using breakfast money, this year's breakfast raised the usual amount, and there are no other funds. So the safest prediction is one more run, not several and not a larger project.

• A: The usual breakfast total has paid for only one run each year, and there are no other construction funds.
• B (correct): The pattern of one run per year, paid for by a breakfast that raised its usual amount, supports exactly one more run, stated with suitable caution.
• C: Nothing in the passage mentions a new building, and the limited budget makes such a project unsupported.
• D: The breakfast just raised its usual amount and funds the runs; nothing suggests it will end.

Answer: A

Correct answer: The work on the field led to the change in rehearsal location. Look for the linking word. The message says the band moved "because" a crew would be repainting the field, so the field work is the cause and the new location is the effect. Check the arrow's direction before accepting any choice that mentions both events.

• A (correct): The director's message links the move to the cafeteria to the repainting crew, using "because."
• B: This reverses the cause: the repainting was for the homecoming game, and it moved the rehearsal, not the other way around.
• C: No preference is stated; the band moved only because the field was being repainted.
• D: The passage says the painting was done for Saturday's game, not that the game was delayed.

Answer: D

Correct answer: Darnell will not be kept from starting the course just because he has no tent. Because the notice says the list is complete, an item missing from it is not required, and Darnell has every listed item. However, the notice's silence about shelter tells you nothing about how trainees will sleep, so a choice claiming they will have no shelter treats absence of mention as evidence.

• A: The rule bars only trainees missing a listed item, and a tent is not listed.
• B: The list names five items and calls itself complete; the compass is not among them.
• C: The notice is silent about shelter; it may be provided, so silence does not prove there is none.
• D (correct): The notice calls its list complete, and a tent is not on it, so lacking one does not break the stated rule.

Answer: A

Correct answer: generally favorable, with some reservations. Match the strength of the attitude word to the strength of the language. Phrases like "works well most of the time" show approval, while "freezes now and then" and "ought to keep a phone line" add mild criticism. Mixed, moderate wording calls for a mixed, moderate label.

• A (correct): He praises the system as working well most of the time while noting occasional freezes and the lack of a phone line, which is mild approval with concerns.
• B: He points out two problems, so "free of any complaints" overstates his approval.
• C: He says it saves a trip and usually works well; that is not the language of strong opposition.
• D: He gives specific praise and specific criticism, so he clearly has an opinion.

Answer: C

Correct answer: In a typical week now, printed-book loans outnumber audiobook loans. Only current numbers are given: about 250 printed books and about 80 audiobooks per week, so printed loans are higher now. To claim growth or decline you need a starting figure, and the passage gives none. The plan for next year depends on the budget, so it is not a sure thing.

• A: No earlier figure for printed books is given, so there is no baseline to show a decline.
• B: Without a figure from before January, the passage cannot show any change in total loans.
• C (correct): The passage gives current figures of about 250 printed books and about 80 audiobooks a week, so printed loans are higher.
• D: The librarian would like to add titles only if the budget allows; this turns a hope into a certainty.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Specialist Grant, because Grant signed the truck out. Combine the general rule with the specific case. The rule says a vehicle returned below half a tank must be refueled by whoever signed it out. A quarter tank is below half, and Grant signed out Truck 12, so the duty is Grant's even though Moss drove it back.

• A: This attaches the duty to the wrong person; the rule names the one who signed the truck out, not the one who returned it.
• B (correct): The rule ties the duty to the soldier who signed the vehicle out, and the passage says Grant did; a quarter tank is below the half-tank line.
• C: The rule applies to any return below half a tank, and a quarter tank is below that line.
• D: The passage never assigns refueling to the staff; the rule names the soldier who signed the vehicle out.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Waiting times at the dock became much shorter after the change. The passage describes the change only in words: waiting times "dropped sharply." Any choice that supplies a number, such as "in half" or "20 minutes," adds precision the passage never provides, so the best answer keeps the description general.

• A: "Dropped sharply" gives no number, so "exactly in half" invents precision the passage lacks.
• B (correct): The newsletter says waiting times "dropped sharply," which this choice restates without adding any figures.
• C: No time figure appears anywhere in the passage; the 20 minutes is made up.
• D: Ticket sales are never mentioned, and "doubled" is an invented number.

Answer: C

Correct answer: Priya expected to serve a large number of people at the fairgrounds. Find the evidence first: two hundred sandwiches, three coolers, a business sign and a booth number. The bridge is that people prepare that much food when they expect many customers, so the passage supports the conclusion that she expected to serve a large crowd. The other choices add ownership, a sales result or a popularity ranking that the passage never gives.

• A: The passage only says the cousin will meet her at the booth; nothing says who owns or rents it.
• B: This predicts an exact outcome that the passage never addresses; how many sandwiches sell is unknown.
• C (correct): More than two hundred sandwiches, a booth and a sign with a business name all point to feeding many people at the fair.
• D: Nothing in the passage compares her stand with others, so this adds an unsupported claim.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Some sailors liked the omelet station. The evidence is that several sailors praised the omelet station. A safe inference stays on the same rung of the quantity ladder or steps down, so "some sailors liked it" is supported. "Most" and "no sailors" change the quantity, and "will keep the menu" predicts a decision the manager has not made.

• A: The passage says several sailors praised one part of the menu; "several" does not climb to "most."
• B (correct): Several sailors praised the station, and "some" stays at or below that level of quantity.
• C: The manager has not decided yet; the passage says she will read the cards first.
• D: Only a few sailors complained about speed, so jumping to "no sailors" turns a partial claim into a total one.

Answer: D

Correct answer: The summit wind never went above 40 miles per hour. Work backward with negation. No red flag means the upper chairlift was never shut down, because every shutdown requires a flag. If the upper lift was never shut down, the summit wind never exceeded 40 mph, because high wind would have forced a shutdown. Reading the rules forward from a flag to high wind is the one-way trap, and the lower lift's motor problem has nothing to do with the wind rules.

• A: The passage gives a mechanical reason for the lower lift's closing, and the wind rules apply only to the upper lift.
• B: The rules show only that the summit wind stayed at or below 40 mph; that is not the same as calm everywhere.
• C: This reverses the chain; a flag follows any shutdown of the upper lift, and a shutdown could have a cause other than wind.
• D (correct): No flag means the upper lift was never shut down, and an unshut upper lift means the wind never passed the 40 mph trigger.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Cover crops went along with higher yields, though other factors may also explain the gap. The survey found an association: farms with cover crops had higher yields. But the report notes that the same farms often had deeper soil and newer irrigation, so the survey cannot show which factor made the difference. The best answer states the association without claiming proven cause or inventing a size for the effect.

• A: The survey shows only that the two things went together; deeper soil and better irrigation might also explain the difference.
• B (correct): This keeps the link the survey found while respecting the other differences the report itself points out.
• C: The passage never tests cover crops separately on bottomland, so this claim has no support.
• D: The passage gives no percentage, so this invents a precise number.

Answer: D

Correct answer: The climbing wall cannot be used on Mondays. Read each limiting word carefully. "Except Mondays" tells you the wall is closed on Mondays. "Only" restricts who may climb but does not require anyone to climb, the under-16 rule adds a second condition, and "can be borrowed" describes a choice rather than a requirement.

• A: "Only" limits who may climb; it does not mean that everyone allowed to climb actually does.
• B: Passing the class is not enough for someone under 16, who also needs a parent present.
• C: The sign says shoes can be borrowed, which describes a choice, not a requirement, so bringing your own is not required.
• D (correct): The sign says the wall is closed on Mondays for equipment checks, so no one can climb then.

Answer: C

Correct answer: Kim most likely carried out the inspection that had been assigned to Reyes. Track each actor and action. Dawson assigned the inspection to Reyes, Kim was assigned the painting, and Reyes was then sent to the pier. The signed sheet is the evidence that Kim, not Reyes, most likely did the inspection; answers that credit Reyes or that invent a motive assign the work to the wrong person or go beyond the text.

• A: This attaches the inspection to the person who was assigned it, but the signature on the sheet belongs to Kim.
• B: Dawson gave the inspection order to Reyes; Kim's task in the order was the painting.
• C (correct): Reyes was called away, and the completed sheet carries Kim's signature, so Kim most likely did the check.
• D: Reyes was ordered to the working party; he did not volunteer, so this invents a motive the passage contradicts.

Answer: B

Correct answer: She wants customers to see the worn parts before they approve repairs. When a passage states a purpose, use it. The sign says the photos let customers see the problem before approving the work. The drop in phone calls happened afterward, so it is an effect, not the stated reason, and claims about higher charges or a state law invent a motive or an outside fact.

• A: Nothing in the passage mentions prices, so this invents a hidden motive.
• B (correct): The sign at the counter states this purpose directly, so it is the best-supported reason.
• C: The passage never mentions any law; this relies on an outside fact that the text does not supply.
• D: Fewer calls is a result the passage reports, but the stated reason on the sign is letting customers see the problem.

Answer: D

Correct answer: About 12 rooms will still be unfinished when the shutdown begins. Rooms left now:

In the 4 weeks before the shutdown, crews finish 4 x 6 = 24 more rooms, leaving

The prediction stays within the stated limits: the pace, the contract's work stoppage and nothing beyond them.

• A: This divides the 36 remaining rooms by 6 per week but forgets that no work happens during the two-week shutdown.
• B: This is the number of rooms left today; it ignores the 24 rooms crews will finish in the next 4 weeks.
• C: The manager only hopes for a spring reopening, and the passage never says when spring begins relative to the work.
• D (correct): With 36 rooms left and 24 more finished in the next 4 weeks, 12 rooms remain when work must stop.

Answer: D

Correct answer: On a typical weekday, more than half of the garage's spaces are taken by noon. Two-thirds of 500 is about 333, which is more than 250, or half of the spaces, so the garage is more than half full by noon. A claim about growth needs a baseline, and the passage gives only today's passenger count. The other choices invent an effect or mix up passengers with cars.

• A: The passage gives only the current passenger count and no earlier figure, so it offers no baseline for growth.
• B: Wait times are never mentioned, so this supplies an effect the passage does not report.
• C: The 1,200 figure counts passengers, not cars, and the garage holds only 500 spaces.
• D (correct): Two-thirds of 500 spaces is about 333 spaces, which is more than half of the garage.

Answer: A

Correct answer: Right after 0200, Shelf 4 held no boxes of gloves. A necessary conclusion must follow from the log alone. Once the last box of medium gloves was taken from a shelf used only for medium gloves, that shelf held no boxes at all. Who took the box, why supplies ran low and what other rooms hold are only possibilities the log does not settle.

• A (correct): The last box of medium gloves was taken, and the shelf holds only medium gloves, so no boxes were left on it at that moment.
• B: The log does not say who took the box or why, so this is a guess, not a necessary conclusion.
• C: This could be one explanation for running out, but the log does not establish it.
• D: The log covers only one supply room, so it says nothing about medium gloves on other floors.

Answer: B

Correct answer: The snorkeling trip might not take place. Match each helping verb. "Can" offers a choice, "must" sets a requirement, and "may" names a possibility. Since the snorkeling trip may be canceled, it might not take place; changing "can" to "must" or "may" to "will" changes the meaning.

• A: The notice says passengers can use the television, which is one choice alongside the desk, not a requirement.
• B (correct): The notice says the trip may be canceled in rough seas, which means it is possible the trip will not happen.
• C: This turns "may be canceled if the sea is rough" into a certainty and drops the condition.
• D: Passengers must be aboard at least 30 minutes before departure, so returning just before the ship leaves breaks the rule.

Answer: A

Correct answer: The idea that the beavers likely came from the creek upstream. An observation reports what was seen, an interpretation explains it, and a recommendation urges action. The stump count and the flooded trail were seen directly, and "should wrap" is advice. The statement about where the beavers probably came from explains the evidence, so it is the interpretation.

• A (correct): The ranger did not see the beavers arrive; "probably" marks this as an explanation of what was seen.
• B: Counting stumps is something the ranger directly saw, so it is an observation.
• C: "Should" urges an action, which makes this a recommendation.
• D: This reports a condition the ranger saw on patrol, so it is an observation.

Answer: A

Correct answer: Approving, with some reservations. Match the strength of the attitude word to the strength of the language. Phrases such as "a solid choice" are positive but measured, and the comments on the dust bag and heavy shop use add limits. That mix is mild approval with reservations, not enthusiasm, disappointment or indifference.

• A (correct): She praises the weight and battery life and calls it a solid choice, while pointing out real drawbacks.
• B: Her praise is moderate and she criticizes the dust bag, so a strong word like this overstates her tone.
• C: Calling the sander a solid choice for most projects does not fit disappointment.
• D: She gives specific praise and criticism, which shows she has clear opinions about the tool.

Answer: D

Correct answer: The site will accept the battery but not the propane tank. Usually silence tells you nothing, but here the notice claims to be complete by saying the site accepts "only" the listed items. Car batteries appear on the list, and propane tanks do not, so the site takes the battery and refuses the tank.

• A: The propane tank is not on the list, and the list is introduced with "only," so the site will not take it.
• B: Car batteries are named on the list of accepted items.
• C: This reverses the list: car batteries are named as accepted, while propane tanks are left off a list introduced with "only."
• D (correct): Batteries are listed, and the word "only" makes the list complete, so an unlisted item such as a propane tank is excluded.

Answer: A

The words "even so" mark a contrast: the depot is close, yet a part takes nearly an hour. That contrast implies something other than distance slows the process, and the passage points to the computer entry and supervisor approval. The best answer stays general and adds no motives or numbers.

• A (correct): The short distance contrasts with the long wait, and the passage describes a two-step paperwork process that could slow each request.
• B: The passage stresses that the depot is only about 200 yards away, so distance is the one cause the contrast rules out.
• C: Nothing describes how the clerks work, so this blames them with no evidence.
• D: This predicts an exact result that the passage never discusses.

Answer: C

Correct answer: By shivering their flight muscles. "According to the passage" asks for a stated fact, so find the sentence that answers it. The passage says the workers shiver their flight muscles and that this shivering produces heat. The other choices either add outside ideas or contradict details in the text.

• A: The passage never mentions sealing the hive; this comes from outside the text.
• B: The passage says the workers gather around the queen, so she stays in the middle.
• C (correct): The passage states that shivering the flight muscles produces the heat that warms the cluster.
• D: The bees shiver without flapping their wings, so they are not flying.

Answer: D

Correct answer: The crop failures in Ireland helped increase the populations of some North American port cities. Follow the chain of cause and effect in the order the passage gives it: crop failure, then families unable to eat, then emigration, then growth in port cities. Joining the first and last links gives the supported conclusion. Reversing the cause, making the claim total or inventing a number all go beyond the text.

• A: This flips the order of events; the passage says the crop failures led people to leave, not the other way around.
• B: The passage says more than a million people left and many went to North America, not that every family left or that all went there.
• C: The passage says the populations swelled but gives no figure, so "doubled" invents a number.
• D (correct): The passage links the failures to emigration, and the emigrants' arrival to growth in cities such as Boston and New York.

Answer: B

Correct answer: The drop in cooling use among enrolled homes may have had more than one cause. The passage gives two possible influences on lower cooling use: thermostats that raise the setting on hot afternoons and a cooler summer. The best-supported statement keeps both possibilities open. Choices that name a single cause, add a percentage or describe homes the passage never mentions all go past the evidence.

• A: The newsletter says only that use fell noticeably; this percentage appears nowhere in the passage.
• B (correct): The passage mentions both the thermostat settings and cooler weather, so either or both could have contributed.
• C: The passage gives the thermostats as a second possible factor, so a single cause is not supported.
• D: The passage says nothing about homes that were not enrolled.

Answer: C

Correct answer: Vance is required to log at least 10 hours of underwater practice each quarter. Join the general rule with the specific case. Every salvage-team diver must log 10 practice hours a quarter, and Vance is on the salvage team, so he is required to log them. Whether he has met the requirement, how he compares with other divers and why he volunteered are not stated.

• A: The rule says what is required, not what Vance has actually done; his hours so far are not given.
• B: The passage gives no information about when the other divers joined.
• C (correct): The rule covers every diver on the team, and Vance is on the team, so the requirement applies to him.
• D: The passage gives no reason for his volunteering, so this invents a motive.

Answer: A

Test each explanation against every detail. Steady lift-ticket sales and similar temperatures rule out fewer visitors and warmer weather. Two cafe changes came just before the drop, so the best answer names them as likely factors without claiming that one of them alone was the cause.

• A (correct): The passage names two changes that happened just before sales fell and rules out a drop in visitors or warmer weather.
• B: Lift-ticket sales were about the same in both months, which works against this explanation.
• C: The passage says temperatures were similar in both months, so weather does not explain the change.
• D: The machine was also moved at the same time, so the passage cannot single out the price as the only cause.

Answer: C

Correct answer: On some weekday mornings, a rider at a station near the train depot may find no bikes. Find each qualifier and make sure the answer keeps it: "usually," "in some cases" and "for now." Only the statement about some mornings at the depot stations preserves the passage's limits. The others turn "usually" into "always," "in some cases" into "every weekday" or a study into a promise.

• A: This drops "usually" and ignores the passage's point that some depot stations run empty.
• B: The office is only studying the idea, so "will soon expand" upgrades a possibility into a plan.
• C (correct): "In some cases" the depot stations run out by 8 a.m., so a rider there may sometimes find them empty.
• D: The passage says this happens only in some cases, so "every weekday" drops the qualifier.

Answer: A

Correct answer: Moving the counter may have made the drop-off spot easier for customers to find. Count what each choice needs beyond the passage. The evidence is that after the counter moved to the front with a sign, customers stopped asking where to leave orders, so the move may have made the spot easier to find. The other choices need a rival shop, a customer count or a sweeping claim the passage never makes.

• A (correct): This links the move and the new sign to fewer questions and adds no facts beyond the passage.
• B: No competing shop appears in the passage, so this adds both a rival and a motive.
• C: The passage says nothing about customer counts, so this invents a number.
• D: The passage mentions only questions about where to leave orders, so this stretches a small change into a total one.