Which word means to make an educated guess based on what you know and observe?

Which word means to make an educated guess based on what you know and observe?

• A. Infer
• B. Main idea
• C. Conflict
• D. Section heading

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is understanding how to draw conclusions from clues and what you already know. Infer means to make an educated guess about something that isn’t stated directly, using evidence you observe plus your background knowledge. It’s the word that captures the act of using clues to arrive at a reasonable conclusion, not just guessing. For example, if you see dark clouds, hear thunder, and feel the wind shift, you infer that a storm is approaching. In a story, if a character quietly slips away and hides a letter, you infer they’re hiding something important. The other options describe different reading skills or features: the main idea is the overall point of a passage, conflict is a problem or struggle in the plot, and a section heading is simply a label for a part of the text.

The idea being tested is understanding how to draw conclusions from clues and what you already know. Infer means to make an educated guess about something that isn’t stated directly, using evidence you observe plus your background knowledge. It’s the word that captures the act of using clues to arrive at a reasonable conclusion, not just guessing. For example, if you see dark clouds, hear thunder, and feel the wind shift, you infer that a storm is approaching. In a story, if a character quietly slips away and hides a letter, you infer they’re hiding something important. The other options describe different reading skills or features: the main idea is the overall point of a passage, conflict is a problem or struggle in the plot, and a section heading is simply a label for a part of the text.