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Reasoning Within the Text
Many CARS questions ask what the passage itself supports. You will learn to draw safe inferences, name the job a sentence does, spot unstated assumptions, and judge whether a new fact helps or hurts an argument.
Study this chapter in PrepMed (free)
What this chapter covers
- Inference: What the Passage Supports. Inference questions reward the answer that must be true or is strongly supported, not the answer that merely sounds wise.
- Function of a Sentence or Paragraph. Function questions ask why the author wrote something, not what it says. The answer is a verb: illustrates, concedes, challenges, or qualifies.
- Assumptions: The Unstated Bridge. Every argument leaps from evidence to conclusion across a gap. The assumption is the plank that makes the leap possible.
- Strengthen, Weaken & Evaluating Evidence. Strengthen and weaken questions ask whether a new fact tightens or loosens the bridge from evidence to conclusion.
Key points to know
- An inference is one small, well-supported step beyond the text
- Merely possible is not enough; you need a sentence that backs the choice
- Function = the job a part does, stated as a verb
- Read the sentences before and after to identify the job
- An assumption is an unstated premise the conclusion needs
- Find the gap by comparing the terms in the evidence and conclusion
- Strengthen or weaken by acting on the assumption
- Rival cause is the most common way to weaken causal claims
Try a practice question
Which conclusion is best supported by the passage?
- Lack of money, not disagreement over the need, was the main obstacle to better storage.
- Basement storage was the sole cause of the water damage.
- The archivists' petition persuaded the donor to give.
- Water damage to the folios has stopped since the annex opened.
Show the answer
A. The archivists asked and were refused for financial reasons, and money later solved the problem. The other choices are too strong: 'sole cause' and 'has stopped' are not stated, and nothing links the petition to the donor.
Common questions
What does this chapter cover?
Reasoning Within the Text covers Inference: What the Passage Supports, Function of a Sentence or Paragraph, Assumptions: The Unstated Bridge, Strengthen, Weaken & Evaluating Evidence.
What should I know first?
An inference is one small, well-supported step beyond the text Merely possible is not enough; you need a sentence that backs the choice Function = the job a part does, stated as a verb
21 original practice questions accompany this chapter in the app. Spaced review brings missed ideas back at the right time; it helps memory but cannot promise you will not miss an idea again.