Inference means using clues and evidence to figure out something that is not stated directly.

In other words, you start from what you already know or can observe, and you conclude something new that “follows” from it, even though nobody said it outright.

A few quick examples:

  • You see wet streets and people carrying umbrellas → you infer that it has rained or is raining.
  • In a story, a character is shivering, teeth chattering, and rubbing their arms → you infer they are cold, even if the text never says “she was cold.”

More formally, “inference” can mean:

  1. A conclusion or opinion formed because of known facts or evidence.
  2. The mental process of moving from one or more true (or assumed-true) statements to another statement whose truth seems to follow.
  3. In statistics, using sample data to make general statements about a larger population (this is called statistical inference).

So whenever a test or teacher asks you to “make an inference,” they are asking you to read between the lines, use the hints, and state the logical thing that those hints point to—even if the text never says it word for word.

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