VR challenges
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Some questions ask about the author or writer.
Example: ‘The author suggests which of the following…’; ‘The writer would be most likely to agree with which of the following…’
The author agrees with anything supported by the passage.
These questions are not asking you to understand the author’s underlying motivations. They simply ask you to find a match.
The author suggests only what is stated or what must be true, based on the passage.
This means we can approach the question in the same way as usual: scan for key words, then locate support in the passage.
Walkthrough question
Author question
Let’s work through an Author question together.
In a sense, VR questions that mention the author are a misdirect:
- There’s no need to determine ‘more likely’ or ‘less likely’ views of the author.
- If it is stated or implied in the passage, the author must agree.
- The other answer choices are not ‘less likely’ – they are simply unsupported by the passage.
In the vast majority of Verbal questions, the correct answer matches the passage.
Thus, in a sense, all these Verbal questions are author questions (whether or not they explicitly mention the author), as the author agrees with anything stated or implied in the passage.
Many correct answers in the Verbal section will be inferences.
You must train yourself to spot inferences when you compare the passage to Verbal statements and questions.
An inference is something that is not directly stated in the passage, but that must be true based on the information in the passage.
- A valid inference will be very close to the information in the passage – it won’t require a huge logical leap or mental gymnastics to justify.
- Statements that combine pieces of information from different parts of the passage make for tricky inferences – you must check each element of the statement against the passage to see if it’s a match.
- An inference may describe, in general terms, a process or phenomenon described in specific detail in the passage.
Walkthrough question
Making an inference - Verbal statement
Let’s look at a Verbal statement that requires us to make an inference.
Inferences in Verbal Reasoning require you to take a mental step that often goes beyond just recognising synonyms and paraphrases.
They force you to engage with the implication of the ideas being presented.
Sometimes, you must ‘take a step back’ and think about what is happening in the passage to find the correct answer.
Always keep your reasoning for inferences strictly evidence-based:
- Every inference must be backed by something in the passage by clear logic.
- An inference will either mirror the passage or it will be closely linked to the passage.
- A closely-linked inference might summarise what the passage is saying, or it could describe something specific from the passage in abstract or general terms.
Walkthrough question
Making an inference - Verbal question
Let’s work through another Verbal question that requires us to make an inference.
Wrong answers will encourage you to draw invalid inferences that are not supported.
These answers may seem reasonable in a real-world sense, but you can only draw valid inferences in the same scale and scope as the passage.
Walkthrough question
Challenging Verbal statement with an inference
Let’s now look at a more challenging Verbal statement that requires us to make an inference.
A valid inference in the Verbal section will always be reasonable.
This means the inference, if supported, will follow fairly obviously from the information provided in the passage. It will be very close to what is explicitly stated, meaning that it must be true without bringing in outside information.
Don’t fall into the trap of overreaching and attempting to justify intellectually something that in fact falls outside of the passage.
Walkthrough question
Challenging Verbal question with an inference
Let’s work through a challenging Verbal question that requires us to make an inference.
In order to infer reasonably in VR, we sometimes need to differentiate between an implication and an assumption.
Avoid assumptions and the application of outside knowledge.
Stick to what is implied by the passage. Implications are valid inferences.
Basic maths is always a valid inference.
The basic meanings of words are always a valid inference.
VR is not a vocabulary test, but it will assume you will understand common English words, recognise synonyms and spot when the same idea is expressed in different words in the passage and the statement or question.
Timed practice
Two Verbal questions with inferences
As we work to improve our pacing, try to answer two Verbal questions that require us to make inferences.
Most Verbal statements are quick, easy marks. But some statements can be challenging to answer quickly.
If unsure, try to eliminate one answer. For example, it might be clear that the statement isn’t True, or that it isn’t False. This leaves you to decide between only two options.
Remember that eliminating one answer choice in a Verbal statement increases your odds of guessing correctly to 50%.
An ‘if’ clause at the start of a statement is a conditional.
An ‘if’ clause gives extra details you must use in combination with the passage to assess the other part of the statement.
Apply the information in the conditional as if it is true.
Compare the rest of the statement to the passage using the extra details from the conditional along with the passage to assess the rest of the statement.
The usual strategies of using keywords and elimination will help you.
Walkthrough question
Conditional verbal statement
Let’s work through a tricky conditional Verbal statement.
Just because we recommend applying the information in a conditional as if it is true does not mean the statement will be supported in the passage.
It is just as likely to contradict the passage, making the correct answer False.
Or the answer might be Can’t Tell.
There are several ways you can be trapped into selecting an incorrect answer.
Some statements use language that looks like the wording in the passage. However, there may be a shift or twist that results in a different meaning, and therefore a different answer.
Shift = A change in the perspective, tone, scope or emphasis between a statement and the equivalent information found in the passage.
Twist = A distortion in the meaning or implication of a word, phrase or idea between a statement and the equivalent information found in the passage.
Walkthrough question
Challenging Verbal statement
Let’s work through a Verbal statement that uses tricky language.
A single word might make a statement contradict the passage.
Be cautious: if the wording in the passage is extremely similar to an answer choice, it is worth quickly double checking for a shift or twist.
Almost identical language always requires a further thought: Is the meaning the same, or has it changed?
Timed practice
Two challenging Verbal statements
Try answering two challenging Verbal statements in a minute total.
Practise untangling long statements so that you can work quickly and accurately.
Watch out for shifts or twists that could make the answer False or Can’t Tell.
Your inference skills from Verbal questions may help with longer, harder Verbal statements.