LESSON 35.1 Inference and Purpose Items (PETERSON’S TOEFL SUCCESS)

(PETERSON’S TOEFL SUCCESS)

LESSON 35.1

Inference and Purpose Items

INFERENCE ITEMS As in the Listening section, there are questions in the Reading section that require you to make inferences. The answers to these questions are not directly provided in the passage—you must “read between the lines.” In other words, you must make conclusions based indirectly on information in the passage. Many test-takers find these questions to be the most difficult type of reading question. Inference questions may be phrased in several ways. Many of these questions contain some form of the words infer or imply. √ Which of the following can be inferred from the passage? It can be inferred from the passage that . . . The author implies that . . . Which of the following does the passage imply? Which of the following would be the most reasonable guess about ________? The author suggests that . . . It is probable that . . . √ √ √ √ √ √ There will probably be from five to eight of these questions per Reading section. Sample Item A star very similar to the sun is one of the nearest stars to Earth. That star is Alpha Centauri, just 4.3 light-years away. Other than our own sun, the nearest star to the earth is a tiny red star, not visible without a telescope, called Proxima Centauri. It can be inferred from this passage that (A) Proxima Centauri is similar to the earth’s sun. (B) Proxima Centauri is the closest star to the earth. (C) Alpha Centauri is invisible from the earth. (D) Proxima Centauri is less than 4.3 light-years from the earth. The correct answer is (D). Choice (A) is not a valid inference; Alpha Centauri is similar to the sun, but Proxima Centauri is “a tiny red star.” Choice (B) also cannot be inferred; the closest star to the earth is our own sun. Nor can choice (C) be inferred; Proxima Centauri is invisible, but there is no information as to whether Alpha Centauri is. Because Alpha Centauri is 4.3 light-years away, it can be inferred that Alpha Centauri, the closest star, is less than that. PURPOSE ITEMS These items ask why the author of a passage mentions some piece of information, or includes a quote from a person or a study, or uses some particular word or phrase. Sample Items √ Why does the author mention ________? The author refers to ________ to indicate that . . . The author quotes ________ in order to show . . . The phrase ________ in line ________ is mentioned to illustrate the effect of . . . √ √ √ Sample Answer Choices √ To strengthen the argument that ________ To provide an example of ________ To challenge the idea that ________ To contradict ________ To support the proposal to ________ √ √ √ √ There are usually from one to four purpose questions per Reading section. EXERCISE 35.1 Focus: Identifying valid inferences based on sentences Directions: Read each sentence, then mark the one answer choice—(A), (B), or (C)—that is a valid inference based on that sentence. 1 A metalworker of 3,000 years ago would recognize virtually every step of the lost-wax process used to cast titanium for jet engines. (A) Titanium has been forged for thousands of years. (B) The lost-wax method of casting is old. (C) Metal working has changed very little in 3,000 years. 2 When apple growers talk about new varieties of apples, they don’t mean something developed last month, last year, or even in the last decade (A) Apple growers haven’t developed any new varieties in recent decades. (B) Some varieties of apples can be developed in a short time, but others take a long time. (C) New varieties of apples take many years to develop. 3 High cholesterol used to be thought of as a problem only for adults. (A) High cholesterol is no longer a problem for adults. (B) Only children have a problem with high cholesterol. (C) High cholesterol affects both adults and children. 4 Alpha Centauri, one of the closest stars to Earth, is just 4.3 light-years away. It can be seen only from the Southern Hemisphere. However, the closest star, other than our own sun of course, is a tiny red star, Proxima Centauri, which is not visible without a telescope. (A) Proxima Centauri is the closest star to the earth. (B) Alpha Centauri is invisible from Earth without a telescope. (C) Proxima Centauri is closer than 4.3 light-years from the earth. 5 Compared with the rest of its brain, the visual area of a turtle’s brain is comparatively small since turtles, like all other reptiles, depend on senses other than sight. (A) No reptile uses sight as its primary sense. (B) Animals that depend on sight all have larger visual areas in their brains than turtles do. (C) The visual areas of other reptile brains are comparatively smaller than those of turtles. 6 Contrary to popular belief, there is no validity to the stories one hears of initials carved in a tree by a young boy becoming elevated high above his head when he visits the tree as an old man. (A) Trees don’t grow the way many people think they do. (B) If a child carves initials in a tree, it won’t grow. (C) Over time, initials that are carved into a tree will be elevated. 7 Illegible handwriting does not indicate weakness of character, as even a quick glance at the penmanship of George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, or John F. Kennedy reveals. (A) Washington, Roosevelt, and Kennedy all had handwriting that was difficult to read. (B) A person’s handwriting reveals a lot about that person. (C) The author believes that Washington, Roosevelt, and Kennedy all had weak characters. 8 William Faulkner set many of his novels in and around an imaginary town, Jefferson, Mississippi, which he closely patterned after his hometown of Oxford, Mississippi. (A) William Faulkner wrote many of his novels while living in Jefferson, Mississippi. (B) The town of Oxford, Mississippi, exists only in Faulkner’s novels (C) Faulkner actually wrote about his hometown but did not use its real name. 9 Most fish take on, to a certain degree, the coloration of their natural surroundings, so it is not surprising that the fish inhabiting warm, shallow waters around tropical reefs are colored all the brilliant tints of the rainbow. (A) Tropical fish are unlike other fish because they take on the coloration of their environment. (B) Tropical fish are brightly colored because they inhabit warm waters. (C) Tropical reefs are brightly colored environments. 10 Although sheepherding is an older and more beloved occupation, shepherds never caught the attention of American filmmakers the way cowboys did. (A) There have been more American films about cowboys than about shepherds. (B) Films about shepherds were popular before films about cowboys. (C) Cowboys are generally younger than shepherds. 11 The Okefenokee Swamp is a fascinating realm that both confirms and contradicts popular notions of a swamp, because along with huge cypresses, dangerous quagmires, and dim waterways, the Okefenokee has sandy pine islands, sunlit prairies, and clear lakes. (A) People generally feel that swamps are fascinating places. (B) The Okefenokee has features that most people do not associate with swamps. (C) Most swamps do not have huge cypresses, dangerous quagmires, and dim waterways. 12 As an architect, Thomas Jefferson preferred the Roman style, as seen in the University of Virginia, to the English style favored by Charles Bullfinch. (A) The University of Virginia was influenced by the Roman style. (B) Bullfinch was an English architect. (C) Jefferson preferred to build in the English style of architecture.

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