Make Inferences and Draw Conclusions About a Text’s Purpose and Meaning

Step 1: What Is an Inference?

An inference is something you figure out from the text using clues and evidence.

Step 2: What Is a Conclusion?

A conclusion is a logical idea you arrive at based on the details and evidence in the text.

Step 3: Explicit vs. Implicit Information

  • Explicit: directly stated
  • Implicit: suggested by the text and requires the reader to figure it out

Step 4: How Evidence Supports an Inference

Evidence → Inference
Remember to ask yourself:
What does this evidence suggest?

This helps us understand what the evidence might imply. The passage doesn’t always directly state the answer. You use information from the passage to make an inference. Background knowledge may help you understand the information, but your inference must still be supported by the text.

Step 5: How to Draw a Logical Conclusion

Evidence → Inference → Conclusion
Ask yourself:
What can I logically conclude based on this information?

A conclusion should be supported by the information in the passage, not by assumptions that are not supported by the text.

If the passage supports it → consider it.
If the passage doesn't support it → don't assume it.

Step 6: Read the Passage

The Missed Medication

Marcus usually takes his blood pressure medication with breakfast each morning. One Monday, he left home earlier than usual for a doctor’s appointment and realized later that he had not taken his medication.

By the afternoon, Marcus developed a headache and felt lightheaded when he stood up. He sat down and checked his blood pressure, which was higher than it had been during his recent readings.

Marcus decided to contact his healthcare provider for guidance.

Step 7: Identify the Evidence

What evidence from the passage helps us make an inference about Marcus?
  • Marcus usually takes his blood pressure medication with breakfast each morning.
  • He did not take his medication that morning.
  • Later, he experienced a headache and lightheadedness.
  • His blood pressure was higher than his recent readings.

The evidence gives us information we can use to figure out something that the passage does not directly state.

Step 8: Make the Inference

What does the evidence suggest?
Marcus’s symptoms and higher blood pressure may be related to missing his usual medication.

The passage does not directly state that missing his medication caused these changes. The reader uses evidence in the passage to make this inference.

Step 9: Draw the Conclusion

What can we logically conclude based on the passage?
Marcus recognized that his symptoms and higher blood pressure needed attention, so he contacted his healthcare provider for guidance.

Why?

The passage tells us that Marcus noticed changes in his condition and contacted his healthcare provider for guidance.

TEAS Practice

Which conclusion is best supported by the passage?

A. Marcus should stop taking his blood pressure medication.
B. Marcus recognized a change in his condition and sought guidance from his healthcare provider.
C. Marcus’s doctor instructed him to change his medication.
D. Marcus’s blood pressure will return to normal after he takes his medication.
Correct Answer: B

Why?

The passage directly tells us that Marcus noticed changes in his condition and decided to contact his healthcare provider for guidance. The other choices introduce information that the passage does not provide.

TEAS Tip: Stay Within the Text

A correct inference or conclusion must be supported by the information in the passage.

Some answer choices may sound reasonable, but if the passage does not provide enough evidence to support the answer, don’t choose it.