Inference questions — hiểu beyond literal meaning

Stated vs implied

Stated: thông tin ghi rõ trong text. Dễ — chỉ cần scan.

Implied: thông tin được suggest gián tiếp qua tone, examples, comparisons. Phải INFER.

Question words signaling inference:

• "the writer suggests/implies/indicates that..."
• "it can be inferred/deduced/concluded that..."
• "the writer's attitude towards X is..."
• "the main purpose of paragraph X is..."

Framework đọc inference

Step 1: Identify the clue type

Inference dựa vào:

• Tone words: positive/negative/neutral vocabulary
• Examples: tác giả pick example A over B → suggests preference
• Comparisons: "unlike traditional methods, this approach..." → implies critique of traditional
• Causation: "because of X, Y happened" → infer relationship
• Hedging: "perhaps", "may suggest" → uncertain tone, not stated fact

Step 2: Stay close to text

RULE: inference phải có evidence trong text. Đừng dùng knowledge ngoài.

• Text: "The drug showed 80% effectiveness in trials, though it requires careful monitoring."
• ✓ Inference OK: "The drug is effective but not without risks"
• ✗ Over-inference: "The drug will be approved by FDA" (text doesn't say)

Step 3: Eliminate trap options