Inferences
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SAT Reading & Writing › Inferences
Which choice most logically completes the text?
the companywide trend does not isolate the pilot's effect beyond the participating units.
the drop in absenteeism is why those departments were chosen for the pilot.
productivity must also have declined in the reorganized units.
all flexible schedules will reduce absenteeism everywhere.
Explanation
C follows because the concurrent reorganization confounds companywide comparisons, so only within-pilot reductions are informative. A reverses causality, B is an overgeneralization, and D is a non sequitur.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
regional aridity compelled all communities to abandon barley and wheat entirely.
farmers intentionally innovated to adapt, choosing drought-tolerant crops to withstand the climate.
drought-tolerant grains constitute a larger proportion of the site's deposits from the arid interval than from earlier layers.
the shift toward drought-tolerant grains caused the decline in grain imports.
Explanation
C restates the supported pattern of proportions in the dated layers. A overgeneralizes, B assumes intent not evidenced, and D speculates a causal link not established in the passage.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
ornamental plants attract pollinators at higher rates than native plants.
pollinators never distinguish among plant species when foraging.
there is no evidence of an inherent preference for native plants over ornamentals.
higher pollinator visitation causes plants to produce denser floral displays.
Explanation
D follows because equal visitation under controlled conditions indicates no intrinsic preference. A contradicts the results, B overgeneralizes far beyond the data, and C reverses cause and effect.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
120 orders received the discount
at least 210 orders qualified for the discount
50 orders received the discount
receiving the discount caused some orders to be logged as having both a clearance item and a subtotal over $50
Explanation
By inclusion–exclusion, the number meeting both is 120 + 90 − 160 = 50, so 50 orders received the discount. The other choices either assume one criterion suffices, overcount or generalize beyond the data, or reverse cause and effect about logging and discounts.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
the ragweed increase coincided with expanded plowing rather than a documented rainfall shift.
any landscape disturbed by plowing will always exhibit a ragweed surge.
ragweed became invasive only after settlers imported it.
the surge in ragweed caused farmers to expand plowing.
Explanation
C is the only conclusion demanded by the evidence: the ragweed rise aligns with expanded plowing and not with a documented rainfall shift. A reverses causality, B introduces an unmentioned importation claim, and D overgeneralizes from a single context.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
students studied fewer hours when projects replaced exams
rising campuswide satisfaction caused students to flock to project-based courses
nonparticipating courses increased their satisfaction ratings
the project option will raise graduation rates
Explanation
Only participating courses rose in ratings and their enrollment share increased, so the overall gain does not evidence improvement in nonparticipating courses. The other options introduce unsupported outcomes (A, D) or reverse the causal relationship (B).
Which choice most logically completes the text?
algae blooms are harmless to wildlife in these lakes
phosphorus always causes blooms to increase, regardless of other conditions
temperature rose because blooms became more frequent
bloom frequencies changed only in lakes where nutrient inputs changed, even though temperatures rose similarly in all three
Explanation
C necessarily follows: bloom shifts align with nutrient changes while temperatures rose similarly everywhere. A is irrelevant, B reverses cause and effect, and D overgeneralizes beyond the presented data.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
the data do not show that the protected zone itself reduces bycatch independently of time at depth.
the protected zone increases bycatch risk for turtles that avoid deep water.
turtles experience lower bycatch risk and therefore choose to enter the protected zone.
protected zones never reduce bycatch in any ocean region.
Explanation
Because the difference disappears after adjusting for time at depth, the data do not establish an independent effect of the protected zone on bycatch. The other options add claims not supported (A, D) or invert cause and effect by suggesting risk levels drive zone entry (B).
Which choice most logically completes the text?
Adopt timed-entry, which was the only tested policy that kept density under the safety threshold.
Shorten museum hours, since shorter days reduce crowding.
Invest in new marketing to spread visits across the year.
Conclude that the safety rule is the cause of weekend overcrowding.
Explanation
Only timed-entry met the pledge's criterion of guaranteeing compliance under the tested conditions, so it must be selected. A and C are unsupported options not among the two policies, and D is a non sequitur that misstates causality.
Which choice most logically completes the text?
including rationales caused students to spend more time studying overall.
weaker memorization skills explain the lower conceptual scores for the answers-only group.
students who received rationales outperformed those who did not on conceptual items.
all students benefit equally from rationales across any subject and task type.
Explanation
C directly reflects the measured score difference on conceptual items under controlled study time. A and B assume unmeasured causes, and D overgeneralizes beyond the specific course and item type.