Vocabulary & Inference Strategies

Vocabulary & Inference Strategies

Vocabulary and inference questions look small but are reliably scoring, because the passage itself hands you the answer if you read around the word.

Meaning from context. When asked for the meaning of a word as used in the passage, never answer from a dictionary definition you half-remember. The same word can mean different things in different sentences, and the examiner is testing the contextual sense. Use the clues surrounding the word:

• Definition clues — sometimes the sentence explains the word directly ("...was frugal, that is, careful not to waste money").
• Contrast clues — a signal like but, however, unlike, whereas tells you the word means the opposite of something nearby.
• Example clues — examples after such as or like reveal the category the word belongs to.
• Tone clues — whether the surrounding sentence is positive or negative narrows the meaning.

Replace the word with your guessed meaning and reread the sentence: if it still makes sense, your meaning is right.

Synonyms and antonyms in context. A synonym question asks for a word from the passage that is closest in meaning to a given word; an antonym asks for the word closest to its opposite. Two disciplines apply. First, the answer must be a word actually present in the passage (when the question says "from the passage") — not any synonym you happen to know. Second, match the part of speech and the contextual sense: the synonym of "fine" meaning delicate is different from "fine" meaning a penalty.

Inference strategies. Inference means reading between the lines — drawing a conclusion the writer implies but does not state outright. The safe method is evidence-based:

1. Find the lines the question points to.
2. Ask, "What must be true for these lines to make sense?"
3. Choose the conclusion the text forces, not merely one it allows. …