our study tribeby sobena
How Do You Make an Inference?Bonus Chapter · Video 2 of 8

How Do You Make an Inference?

How Do You Make an Inference?

An is a conclusion you draw from a source, plus what you already know (). It is not a , because it rests on evidence, and it is not a copy, because it says something the source does not say outright. Exam questions ask for inferences in many different words, but it is always the same skill, done in three steps: find the , pick out the , then add what you know and conclude.

What Is an Inference?

A wet road on a rainy morning with puddles and people holding umbrellas
You didn't see it rain, but you can tell it did. Illustration drawn for Our Study Tribe.
  • Everyday example: a wet road and dripping umbrellas. You didn't see it rain, but you can work out that it did.
  • Inference: a conclusion you draw from a source, plus what you already know.
  • Not a guess: a guess is an opinion with no evidence behind it.

Different Words, Same Skill

  • "What does Source A tell you about…?"
  • "What can you infer from Source B…?"
  • "What does this source suggest about…?"
  • "What is the message of the source?"
  • "Do you think the writer is a supporter or an opponent of…?"

The Three Steps

  1. Identify the keywords in the question.
  2. Identify the source details that answer it.
  3. Use those details, plus what you already know, to reach a conclusion.
  4. Source details + contextual knowledge = inference.

Worked Example: Japanese Soldiers in Malaya

Japanese soldiers riding bicycles along a road in Malaya
Japanese bicycle troops in Malaya, 1942. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
  • The source: based on an account by Freddie Spencer Chapman, a British soldier in Malaya during the Japanese invasion.
  • Keywords: "the Japanese soldiers". Not the British, not the jungle.
  • "Riding bicycles" + the Japanese used bicycles and light tanks to move fast = they could move fast through Malaya.
  • "Carried as little as possible" + they were lightly equipped on purpose = they could catch the British off guard.
  • "How determined they were" + young, capable, highly motivated officers = they were confident and determined to win.

Quick Check

  • Not an inference: "Source A says the Japanese were on bicycles." It just repeats the source.
  • An inference: what it means, that they could move fast through Malaya.

In One Sentence

  • An inference combines source details with contextual knowledge to reach a conclusion the source doesn't state outright, so it is never a guess and never a copy.

Think About It

  1. Look around your classroom. What can you infer about your school from one thing you see, and what is your evidence?
  2. Why does an inference need what you already know, not just the source?
  3. "The writer seems angry." Is that an inference, a guess or a copy of the source? How would you check?