SAT Reading and Writing skill page

SAT Inference Questions Practice

Use what the passage actually says to choose the conclusion it most strongly supports.

Practice inference questions in Dolphin SAT Practice questions

10-16 min practice time3 questions on pageInformation and Ideas

Practice time10-16 min

Question bank3 questions

Best forInformation and Ideas

What this tests

What to know for this SAT skill

Draw conclusions supported by the passage
Avoid answers that add unsupported assumptions
Use specific wording as evidence
Distinguish implication from speculation

Dolphin question bank

Practice your skill

Question 1 of 3Hard

In 2019, 20 previously unknown moons were confirmed to be orbiting Saturn. Three of the moons have prograde orbits (orbiting in the direction the planet spins), and the other 17 have retrograde orbits (orbiting in the opposite direction of the planet’s spin). All but one of the 20 moons are thought to be remnants of bodies that orbited Saturn until they broke apart in collisions. Although the one exceptional moon orbits in the same direction as the planet’s spin, its orbit is highly eccentric compared to the rest, which may suggest that it has a different origin than the other 19 moons.

Based on the text, which choice best describes the moon with the eccentric orbit?

It doesn’t have a retrograde orbit, but it likely has the same origin as the moons with retrograde orbits.
Its orbit is so tilted with respect to the other moons’ orbits that it’s neither prograde nor retrograde.
It has a prograde orbit that is likely the result of having collided with another body orbiting Saturn.
It has a prograde orbit and may not be a remnant of an earlier body that orbited Saturn.

Show answer and solution

Correct answerD. It has a prograde orbit and may not be a remnant of an earlier body that orbited Saturn.

Solution walkthrough

Choice D is the best answer because it most accurately describes the moon with the eccentric orbit. The text indicates that three of the 20 newly discovered moons have prograde orbits, meaning that they orbit Saturn in the same direction as the planet’s spin, while the other 17 moons have retrograde orbits, meaning that they orbit Saturn in the opposite direction of the planet’s spin.
The text then states that 19 of the 20 moons appear to be the remains of earlier bodies that orbited Saturn but were broken apart in collisions. The one exception is a moon that orbits Saturn in the same direction as the planet’s spin, meaning that the exceptional moon’s orbit is prograde.
The text goes on to state that the exceptional moon’s orbit is so eccentric that the moon may have formed through a different process than the other 19 moons. The moon with the eccentric orbit, therefore, has a prograde orbit and may not be a remnant of an earlier body that orbited Saturn.

Why the other choices miss

Choice A is incorrect because nothing in the text supports the idea that the moon with the eccentric orbit likely has the same origin as the moons with retrograde orbits. Although it’s true that the moon has a prograde orbit (and thus doesn’t have a retrograde orbit), the only information the text provides about the moon’s origin is that it may be different than the origin of the other 19 moons. Choice B is incorrect because the text states that the moon in question orbits Saturn in the same direction as the planet’s spin, meaning that the moon’s orbit is prograde, not that its orbit is neither prograde nor retrograde. Choice C is incorrect because the text merely notes that the moon in question has a prograde orbit without giving any indication of what likely caused that orbit.

Question 2 of 3Hard

To better understand the burrowing habits of Alpheus bellulus (the tiger pistol shrimp), some studies have used resin casting to obtain precise measurements of the shrimps’ burrows. Resin casting involves completely filling an empty burrow with a liquid plastic that hardens to create a three-dimensional model; however, recovering the model inevitably requires destroying the burrow. In their 2022 study, Miyu Umehara and colleagues discovered that an x-ray computed tomography (CT) scanner can accurately record a burrow’s measurements both at a moment in time and throughout the entire burrow-building process, something that’s impossible with resin casting because

Which choice most logically completes the text?

it can only be used on burrows below a certain size.
it does not allow for multiple castings of the same burrow over time.
the casting process takes longer than it takes A. bellulus to construct a burrow.
the process of recovering the model distorts the resin's shape.

Show answer and solution

Correct answerB. it does not allow for multiple castings of the same burrow over time.

Solution walkthrough

Choice B is the best answer.
Since resin casting “inevitably requires destroying the burrow,” it would be impossible to make multiple castings of the same burrow over time.

Why the other choices miss

Choice A is incorrect. The passage doesn’t discuss size requirements for completing resin casting, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice C is incorrect. The passage never mentions how long the casting process takes or how long A. bellulus takes to construct a burrow, so there’s no basis for this inference. Choice D is incorrect. The passage never states that recovering the model distorts the resin’s shape, only that it destroys the burrow. Therefore, there’s no basis for this inference.

Question 3 of 3Hard

Data collected by the Mars rover Curiosity at the Gale Crater’s Murray Formation are suggestive of hydrological deposition of sediment in the distant past. To characterize the nature of the depositional environment, Frances Rivera-Hernández et al. analyzed the grain size of Murray Formation sediment, finding that although there are intervals of coarse grains, most of the sediment consists of fine grains that show signs of cracking due to episodic desiccation. Rivera-Hernández et al. concluded that the coarse grains are sandstone, which tends to be deposited by flowing water, whereas the fine grains are mudstone, which is slowly deposited by settling out of suspension in low-flow water, leading the researchers to posit that

Which choice most logically completes the text?

although the area of the Murray Formation experienced a prolonged period of dryness that prevented a lake from forming, water flowing from a distant source was present.
a lake existed at the Murray Formation for a prolonged period, though the lake occasionally experienced drying and there were periods in which one or more streams were present.
one or more streams existed at the Murray Formation for an extended period until being replaced by a lake that persisted for only a brief period before permanently drying.
a stream-fed lake was present at the Murray Formation for an extended period, and although the streams experienced occasional drying, the lake did not.

Show answer and solution

Correct answerB. a lake existed at the Murray Formation for a prolonged period, though the lake occasionally experienced drying and there were periods in which one or more streams were present.

Solution walkthrough

Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the sediments found at the Gale Crater’s Murray Formation on Mars. The text states that data gathered by the Curiosity rover suggest that bodies of water deposited sediment on Mars’s surface long ago.
The text goes on to say that studying the sediment, Rivera-Hernández et al. found some coarse grains they believe are sandstone, which tends to be left by flowing water, and many more fine grains they believe are mudstone, which tends to slowly sink in low-flow water. The text further indicates that the researchers noted cracks in the fine grains that suggest there were cycles of desiccation, or drying, at the site.
Taken together, this information suggests that a lake (a body of low-flow water) existed at the site for a prolonged period but occasionally experienced drying and that there were periods in which one or more streams (flowing water) were present, since the extended existence of a lake would account for the abundance of fine grains, periods of drying would account for the cracks in the fine grains, and periods with streams would account for the sections of coarse grains. Choice A is incorrect because the text indicates that an abundance of fine grains of sediment was found at the Murray Formation site, which suggests that a low-flow water source (such as a lake) was present. Further, the text makes no mention of where the water at the site may have originated from.

Why the other choices miss

Choice C is incorrect because the evidence described in the text doesn’t support the idea that there were streams at the Murray Formation for an extended period and a lake for just a short time. The abundance of fine grains suggests that a lake (a body of low-flow water) was present for an extended time, not just a short time, and the sections of coarse grains suggest that one or more streams (bodies of flowing water) were intermittently present while the lake existed, not at a separate time. Choice D is incorrect. Although the text suggests that both a low-flow body of water (such as a lake) and flowing water (such as streams) existed at the Murray Formation site, meaning that there could have been a stream-fed lake, the text explains that the fine grains that signify the presence of a lake exhibit cracking that indicates periods of desiccation, or drying, which suggests that a lake was present but did occasionally dry out.

Avoid these traps

Common mistakes on this skill

Choosing a plausible statement with no textual support

An inference must follow from details in the passage, even if outside knowledge makes another choice sound reasonable.

Selecting a conclusion stronger than the evidence

Words such as always, proves, and all often overstate limited evidence.

Study plan

How to practice this skill in Dolphin

Locate the specific details that constrain the inference.
State the smallest conclusion those details support before reading the choices.
Reject any answer that adds a cause, certainty, or scope the passage does not establish.

Practice inference questions in Dolphin SAT

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FAQ

Questions about SAT Inference Questions Practice

Can an inference use outside knowledge?

No. The answer must be supported by the text and any accompanying data.

What is a safe inference?

It is the narrowest conclusion that must follow, or that most reasonably follows, from the stated evidence.