Which statement best describes the approach to inferring information not explicitly stated?

• A. Infer something based only on your own experience, ignoring the text.
• B. Rely solely on a single sentence as evidence.
• C. Use clues from the text and your knowledge to make a supported inference, avoiding assumptions.
• D. Copy a sentence from another paragraph.

Answer: (C)

Inferring means drawing a conclusion about something not stated outright by using evidence from the text along with what you already know. The best approach is to look for clues in the text—details, descriptions, actions, or settings—and combine those clues with your background knowledge to form a conclusion that the passage supports. This keeps your inference grounded rather than guessing without support.

So理, you shouldn’t rely only on your own experiences or guess based on a single sentence, because that can lead to conclusions that aren’t connected to the text. You also wouldn’t copy sentences from another paragraph—that wouldn’t be inferring at all. When you infer, you’re building a reasonable conclusion that the text and what you know together justify.

For example, if a passage mentions someone pulling a coat tighter, looking around nervously, and whispering, you can infer they are feeling cold or cautious in that moment, based on textual clues and general understanding of behavior.