What are inference clues?

What are inference clues?

• A. Direct definitions found in a glossary.
• B. Subtle statements that hint at the meaning of a word.
• C. A summary of the passage's main idea.
• D. Synonyms of the target word used in the text.

Answer: (B)

Inference clues are hints in the text that help you figure out the meaning of a word by looking at how it’s used and what’s described around it. These clues are subtle, relying on context, descriptions, contrasts, or examples to let you deduce a word’s sense without a dictionary. They’re not direct definitions you’d find in a glossary, nor a summary of the passage, nor simply synonyms used in the text. When you notice a sentence that uses context or a description that points to a meaning, you’re recognizing an inference clue—the kind of hint that lets you infer the word’s meaning from the surrounding information.

Inference clues are hints in the text that help you figure out the meaning of a word by looking at how it’s used and what’s described around it. These clues are subtle, relying on context, descriptions, contrasts, or examples to let you deduce a word’s sense without a dictionary. They’re not direct definitions you’d find in a glossary, nor a summary of the passage, nor simply synonyms used in the text. When you notice a sentence that uses context or a description that points to a meaning, you’re recognizing an inference clue—the kind of hint that lets you infer the word’s meaning from the surrounding information.