What you'll learn
Authors don't always say everything directly. Good readers fill in the gaps by reasoning from clues. In this lesson you will learn to:
- make inferences: logical conclusions based on evidence in the text;
- draw conclusions that are supported by several details together;
- make predictions about what is likely to happen next;
- apply ideas from a text (such as a policy) to new situations;
- combine information from a passage with a chart, graph or table.
How it shows up on the GED. Inference questions are among the most common on the RLA test. You'll see them with every kind of passage: stories, articles, workplace policies and texts with graphics. Typical stems:
- "Based on the passage, it can be inferred that..."
- "Which conclusion is best supported by the passage?"
- "Based on the passage and the graph, ..."
- "Which employee would qualify under this policy?"
- "What will the character most likely do next?"
The key word in all of them is support. The right answer is never just possible. It is the one that the text gives you the best evidence for.
Key terms
- inference — a logical conclusion based on clues plus what you already know (wet umbrella by the door → it's probably raining).
- conclusion — a judgment reached by putting several details together (sales fell three years in a row → the product is losing popularity).
- evidence — the specific words, facts or data that support an idea ("Many plot holders live in apartments with no yard").
- prediction — a logical guess about what will happen next, based on the text (a character promises to call → she will probably call).
- apply — use a rule or idea from the text in a new situation (use a policy's rules to decide if a new employee qualifies).
- explicit — stated directly ("The meeting is at 3:00").
- implicit — suggested but not stated ("Bring an umbrella" implies rain is expected).
- unsupported — not backed by the text, even if it might be true in real life.
- legend / key — the part of a graph that tells what each color or symbol stands for.
- axis — the scale on the side or bottom of a graph that shows what is measured and the units.
Inference = clue + reasoning
An inference is like detective work. You notice a clue, add common-sense reasoning, and reach a conclusion that the author did not state.
Formula: Text clue + what I know = inference
Example. "Marcus checked the clock for the fifth time and tapped his foot. The interviewer was twenty minutes late."
- Clue: checks clock repeatedly, taps foot, interviewer late.
- What I know: people do these things when nervous or impatient.
- Inference: Marcus is anxious or impatient.
The test of a good inference: can you point to the exact words that support it? If you need to imagine facts the author never gave, it's not an inference; it's a guess.
Stay close to the text. GED wrong answers are often things that could be true but go too far. If a story says a character "slammed the door," you can infer she is upset. You cannot infer she will move to another city.
Inference levels:
| Too weak | Just right | Too far |
|---|---|---|
| "She closed the door." (just restates) | "She was angry." | "She hates her family and will never come back." |
Drawing conclusions and making predictions
A conclusion pulls several details together. Ask: What do all these facts point to?
Example. A report says (1) bus ridership rose 20 percent, (2) the city added late-night routes, and (3) riders' top request in a survey was "more evening buses." Conclusion: the new late-night routes likely helped increase ridership. Each detail alone is not enough; together they support the conclusion.
Predictions use the same skill, pointed toward the future. Good predictions are:
- Based on clues, often in the last paragraph (promises, plans, a character's habits).
- Small and logical, the next likely step, not a dramatic new event.
- Consistent with character. A careful, rule-following character is unlikely to suddenly do something reckless.
Example. "Lena circled the job ad, then looked at her old résumé and sighed. She opened her laptop." Prediction: she will update her résumé and apply. Not supported: she will start her own company.
Applying ideas to new situations. The GED may give you a policy, a rule or a principle and ask how it applies to a case the text doesn't mention. Turn the rule into a checklist, then test the case against every item. One failed condition is enough to change the answer.
Integrating text with charts and graphs
Many GED passages come with a graph, table or chart. Some questions ask you to use both sources together.
Step 1: Read the graphic carefully.
- Title: what is it about?
- Axes: what is measured, and in what units (number, percent, dollars)?
- Legend: which color or symbol stands for which group?
- Time span: what years or periods are shown?
Step 2: Find the pattern. Is something rising, falling, staying the same? Are two series moving apart or together?
Step 3: Connect it to the text. The text often explains why the graph looks the way it does. For example, a graph shows a line going flat; the text says a site reached its maximum size.
Example.
| Year | Library visitors | Computer sessions |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 50,000 | 8,000 |
| 2023 | 48,000 | 11,000 |
| 2024 | 47,000 | 15,000 |
The text says: "The library added 20 new computers in 2023 and began free job-search classes." Conclusion supported by both: even though total visits dipped slightly, computer use grew quickly after new computers and classes were added. Not supported: "People stopped reading books" (the table doesn't measure books).
Here is the table drawn as two bar charts:
Watch out: a "both sources" answer must be supported by the text and the graphic. An answer supported by only one is a trap.
Worked example 1: Inference about a character
Ms. Patel read the email twice. Then she folded her reading glasses, set them on the desk, and stared out the window for a long time. When her assistant knocked, she said, "Not now, Jen," without turning around.
Question: Which inference about Ms. Patel is best supported? A. She is excited about a promotion. B. She received upsetting news. C. She dislikes her assistant. D. She is about to retire.
Think-aloud:
- Clues: reads the email twice (surprise or shock), stares out the window a long time (deep thought), says "Not now" without turning (wants to be alone).
- These are common signs of someone absorbing bad or troubling news. That is B.
- Eliminate A: excitement would look different (smiling, calling someone). C: "Not now" shows she's preoccupied, not that she dislikes Jen; one short reply is weak evidence. D: nothing mentions retirement. That goes too far.
Answer: B.
Worked example 2: Applying a policy
Overtime Policy. Hourly employees who work more than 40 hours in a week are paid 1.5 times their regular rate for each hour over 40. Overtime must be approved in advance by a supervisor. Salaried employees are not eligible.
Question: Which employee should receive overtime pay? A. Luis, salaried, worked 46 hours. B. Tasha, hourly, worked 44 hours with her supervisor's advance approval. C. Omar, hourly, worked 39 hours. D. Beth, hourly, worked 45 hours without approval.
Think-aloud:
- Turn the policy into a checklist: (1) hourly? (2) more than 40 hours? (3) approved in advance?
- Luis: not hourly → fails (1). Omar: 39 hours → fails (2). Beth: no approval → fails (3).
- Tasha: hourly ✓, 44 hours ✓, approved ✓.
Answer: B. She would get overtime pay for 4 hours (44 − 40).
Worked example 3: Text plus graph
A city added protected bike lanes on Oak Avenue in 2023. The table shows average daily bike trips on Oak Avenue.
| Year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily bike trips | 310 | 320 | 540 | 690 |
Question: Which conclusion is best supported by the text and the table? A. Bike trips fell after the lanes were built. B. Bike trips rose sharply after the lanes were added. C. Car traffic on Oak Avenue dropped by half. D. Most residents now bike to work.
Think-aloud:
- Read the table: 310 → 320 (small change before the lanes), then 540 and 690 after 2023 (big jumps).
- Connect to text: the lanes were added in 2023, right where the jump begins. So B is supported by both.
- Eliminate A (opposite of the data). C: car traffic isn't measured. D: "most residents" goes far beyond 690 trips on one street.
Answer: B.
Worked example 4: Prediction
Every Saturday for three months, Andre had walked past the community theater's audition sign. This week he stopped, read it twice, and took a photo of the date with his phone. That night, he practiced a monologue in front of the bathroom mirror until his roommate pounded on the door.
Question: What is Andre most likely to do next?
Think-aloud:
- Clues build in steps: walks past for months (interest), stops and photographs the date (planning), practices that night (preparing).
- Each clue moves him closer to one action: going to the audition.
- Possible traps: "He will become a famous actor" (too far), "He will move out because of his roommate" (one knock on the door doesn't support that), "He will ignore the sign again" (contradicts his new actions).
Answer: He will most likely go to the audition.
Common traps
- Going too far. Wrong: "The garden will close because it is full." Right: Being full limits growth; nothing says it will close. Choose the smallest conclusion the evidence fully supports.
- Taking characters literally. Wrong: A bus driver tells dispatch he "had a mechanical issue," so "the bus really broke down." Right: Compare words with actions. If he was watching the street for a late rider, not fixing the engine, his words may be an excuse.
- Using outside knowledge instead of the text. Wrong: "Fees are too high, as they usually are." Right: Only the passage counts. If it isn't there, it isn't supported.
- Checking only one condition. Wrong: "Mei works 40 hours a week, so she qualifies." Right: Test every rule. If the policy also requires 6 months on the job and Mei was hired 4 months ago, she does not qualify.
- Misreading the graph. Wrong: mixing up the two colors or the units. Right: Read the legend and axes first.
- Choosing an answer supported by only one source when the question says "both the passage and the graph."
Test-day strategy
- Read the question first. Words like infer, suggest, most likely, best supported signal an inference question.
- Find the evidence before looking at the choices. Locate the lines (or bars) the question points to, and form your own answer.
- Use the "prove it" test. For each choice, ask: Which words or numbers prove this? No proof → eliminate.
- Beware of extreme words: all, never, always, completely, most people. Inferences on the GED are usually moderate.
- For policies, make a checklist on your noteboard and test each person or case against every condition.
- For graphics, read title, axes, units and legend before the data. Write down key numbers you need.
- For predictions, look at the last paragraph and the character's habits. Pick the next logical step, not a dramatic twist.
- Manage time: if two choices seem close, pick the one closer to the exact words of the text, flag the question, and move on.
Check your understanding
Riverside Community Garden: Growing Demand
(1) When the Riverside Community Garden opened in 2021 on a former parking lot behind the public library, organizers worried that no one would sign up. They had 40 raised-bed plots, each about the size of a parking space, and they rented them to local households for $25 a season.
(2) Those worries did not last. Every plot was claimed in the first month, and by the end of the season, a dozen households were on a waiting list. The garden added 8 plots in 2022 by using a strip of lawn next to the building. In 2023, the city allowed the garden to take over the rest of the old lot, bringing the total to 60 plots. That is as many as the site can hold.
(3) Gardeners say the benefits go beyond fresh tomatoes. Many plot holders live in apartments with no yard. Retirees mentor first-time growers, and a local elementary school uses two plots for science lessons. Last season, gardeners donated more than 900 pounds of produce to the food pantry down the street.
(4) The garden's volunteer board is now considering two proposals. The first would lease a vacant lot on Elm Street, about half a mile away, which could hold roughly 30 new plots. The second would limit each household to two seasons in a row so that people on the waiting list get a turn. Some longtime gardeners oppose the second idea. "It takes three years to really learn your soil," one said at a recent meeting.
(5) The graph below shows how many plots were in use and how many households were waiting for a plot at the end of each season.
Graph data: 2021, 40 plots in use and 12 households waiting; 2022, 48 and 25; 2023, 60 and 41; 2024, 60 and 58; 2025, 60 and 73.
Based on the graph, which statement best describes what happened between 2023 and 2025?
Hint
Look at the blue bars and the red bars separately for 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Step-by-step solution
Read each series in the graph for 2023 to 2025:
- Plots in use (blue): 60 in 2023, 60 in 2024, 60 in 2025. No change.
- Waiting list (red): 41 in 2023, 58 in 2024, 73 in 2025. It rose every year.
The passage explains why the blue bars stopped rising: after 2023, the garden had 60 plots, and "That is as many as the site can hold."
So the number of plots stayed the same while the waiting list kept growing.
The correct answer is B.
Choice A misreads the blue bars (they are flat at 60). Choice C reverses the red bars (they rise, not fall). Choice D is wrong because only one of the two numbers stayed the same.
Tip: With a graph that has two series, read each one on its own first using the legend and colors, then compare them. Always check which color stands for which measure.
Check your understanding
Riverside Community Garden: Growing Demand
(1) When the Riverside Community Garden opened in 2021 on a former parking lot behind the public library, organizers worried that no one would sign up. They had 40 raised-bed plots, each about the size of a parking space, and they rented them to local households for $25 a season.
(2) Those worries did not last. Every plot was claimed in the first month, and by the end of the season, a dozen households were on a waiting list. The garden added 8 plots in 2022 by using a strip of lawn next to the building. In 2023, the city allowed the garden to take over the rest of the old lot, bringing the total to 60 plots. That is as many as the site can hold.
(3) Gardeners say the benefits go beyond fresh tomatoes. Many plot holders live in apartments with no yard. Retirees mentor first-time growers, and a local elementary school uses two plots for science lessons. Last season, gardeners donated more than 900 pounds of produce to the food pantry down the street.
(4) The garden's volunteer board is now considering two proposals. The first would lease a vacant lot on Elm Street, about half a mile away, which could hold roughly 30 new plots. The second would limit each household to two seasons in a row so that people on the waiting list get a turn. Some longtime gardeners oppose the second idea. "It takes three years to really learn your soil," one said at a recent meeting.
(5) The graph below shows how many plots were in use and how many households were waiting for a plot at the end of each season.
Graph data: 2021, 40 plots in use and 12 households waiting; 2022, 48 and 25; 2023, 60 and 41; 2024, 60 and 58; 2025, 60 and 73.
Which conclusion is best supported by both the passage and the graph?
Hint
Find one fact in the text and one pattern in the graph that point to the same conclusion.
Step-by-step solution
Combine the two sources:
- Text: paragraph 2 says that in 2023 the garden reached 60 plots, and "That is as many as the site can hold." Paragraph 2 also says every plot "was claimed in the first month" in 2021.
- Graph: the waiting list climbs every year, from 12 in 2021 to 73 in 2025, even after the plot count stopped at 60.
Together, these show that interest in garden plots has grown faster than the garden is able to expand. The text explains why the garden cannot grow on its current site; the graph shows that demand kept rising anyway.
The correct answer is C.
Choice A is contradicted by the rising waiting list. Choice B is not supported: nothing suggests the garden will close. Choice D is unsupported: the passage never says the $25 fee is a problem, and a growing waiting list suggests people are willing to pay it.
Tip: For "both the passage and the graph" questions, the right answer needs support from each source. Test each choice: can I point to a sentence and a bar or number that support it?
Summary
- An inference = text clue + reasoning. You must be able to point to the evidence.
- Conclusions combine several details; predictions extend clues to the likely next step.
- To apply a policy or idea, turn it into a checklist and test every condition.
- With graphics, read title, axes, units and legend; then connect the pattern to the text.
- "Both sources" answers need support from the text and the graphic.
- Avoid answers that go too far, rely on outside knowledge, or take characters' words at face value.