How to answer Inference & Rhetorical questions? | Reading for TOEFL PDF Download

Inference Questions

These questions measure your ability to comprehend an argument or an idea that is strongly implied but not explicitly stated in the text. For example, if an effect is cited in the passage, an Inference question might ask about its cause. If a comparison is made, an Inference question might ask for the basis of the comparison. You should think about not only the explicit meaning of the author's words but the logical implications of those words.

How to Recognize Inference Questions

Inference questions will usually include the word infer, suggest, or imply.

• Which of the following can be inferred about X?
• The author of the passage implies that X , . .
• Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about X?

Tips for Inference Questions

• Make sure your answer does not contradict the main idea of the passage.
•  Don't choose an answer just because it seems important or true. The correct answer must be inferable from the passage.
• You should be able to defend your choice by pointing to explicitly stated information in the passage that leads to the inference you have selected.

Example

Passage Excerpt: “. . .The nineteenth century brought with it a burst of new discoveries and inventions that revolutionized the candle industry and made lighting available to all. In the early-to-mid-nineteenth century, a process was developed to refine tallow (fat from animals) with alkali and sulfuric acid. The result was a product called stearin. Stearin is harder and burns longer than unrefined tallow. This breakthrough meant that it was possible to make tallow candles that would not produce the usual smoke and rancid odor. Stearins were also derived from palm oils, so vegetable waxes as well as animal fats could be used to make candles ...”

Q. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about candles before the nineteenth century?
(a) They did not smoke when they were burned.
(b) They produced a pleasant odor as they burned.
(c) They were not available to all.
(d) They contained sulfuric acid.

Explanation
In the first sentence from the excerpt the author says that “new discoveries and inventions" made "lighting available to all." The only kind of lighting discussed in the passage is candles. If the new discoveries were important because they made candles available to all, we can infer that before the discoveries, candles were not available to everyone. Therefore, choice c is an inference about candles we can make from the passage. Choices a and b can be eliminated because they explicitly contradict the passage (“the usual smoke" and “rancid odor"). Choice d can be eliminated because sulfuric acid was first used to make stearin in the nineteenth century, not before the nineteenth century.

Rhetorical Purpose Questions

Rhetoric is the art of speaking or writing effectively. In Factual Information questions you are asked what information an author has presented. In Rhetorical Purpose questions you are asked why the author has presented a particular piece of information in a particular place or manner. Rhetorical Purpose questions ask you to show that you understand the rhetorical function of a statement or paragraph as it relates to the rest of the passage.
Sometimes you will be asked to identify how one paragraph relates to another. For instance, the second paragraph may give examples to support a statement in the first paragraph. The answer choices may be expressed in general terms, (for example, “a theory is explained and then illustrated") or in terms that are specific to the passage. (“The author explains the categories of adaptation to deserts by mammals and then gives an example,")
A Rhetorical Purpose question may also ask why the author mentions a particular piece of information (Example: Why does the author mention “the ability to grasp a pencil”? Correct answer: It is an example of a motor skill developed by children at 10 to 11 months of age) or why the author quotes a certain person.

How to Recognize Rhetorical Purpose Questions

These are examples of the way Rhetorical Purpose questions are typically worded:

• The author discusses X in paragraph 2 in order to . . .
• Why does the author mention X?
• The author uses X as an example of ...

Tips for Rhetorical Purpose Questions

• Know the definitions of these words or phrases, which are often used to describe different kinds of rhetorical purposes: “definition," “example,” “to illustrate," “to explain," “to contrast," “to refute," "to note,” “to criticize,” “function of.”
• Rhetorical Purpose questions usually do not ask about the overall organization of the reading passage. Instead, they typically focus on the logical links between sentences and paragraphs.

Example

Passage Excerpt! “... Sensitivity to physical laws is thus an important consideration for the maker of applied-art objects. It is often taken for granted that this is also true for the maker of fine-art objects. This assumption misses a significant difference between the two disciplines. The laws of physics do not constrain fine-art objects in the same way that applied-art objects are. Because their primary purpose is hot functional, they are only limited in terms of the materials used to make them. Sculptures must, for example, be stable, which requires an understanding of the properties of mass, weight distribution, and stress. Paintings must have rigid stretchers so the canvas will be taut, and the paint must not deteriorate, crack, or discolor. These are problems that must be overcome by the artist because they tend to intrude upon his or her conception of the work. For example, in the early Italian Renaissance, bronze statues of horses with raised forelegs usually had a cannonball under that hoof. This was done because the cannonball was needed to support the weight of the leg ... ”

Q. Why does the author discuss the bronze statues of horses created by artists in the early Italian Renaissance?
(a) To provide an example of a problem related to the laws of physics that a fine artist must overcome
(b) To argue that fine artists are unconcerned with the laws of physics
(c) To contrast the relative sophistication of modern artists in solving problems related to the laws of physics
(d) To note an exceptional piece of art constructed without the aid of technology

Explanation
You should note that the sentence that first mentions “bronze statues of horses” begins “For example ...” The author is giving an example of something he has introduced earlier in the paragraph. The paragraph overall contrasts how the constraints of physical laws affect the fine arts differently from applied arts or crafts. The fine artist is not concerned with making an object that is useful, so he or she is less constrained than the applied artist. However, because even a fine-arts object is made of some material, the artist must take into account the physical properties of the material. In the passage, the author uses the example of the bronze statues of horses to discuss how artists had to include some support for the raised foreleg of the horse because of the physical properties of the bronze. So the correct answer is choice a.