Question Types 2: Reference, Sentence Simplification & Inference
Reference Questions
What it is asking
They ask what a pronoun or reference word (it, they, this, which, the former…) points back to.
How to recognize it
Stems like 'The word 'they' in paragraph 3 refers to…'. The candidates are usually nouns from the same or the previous sentence.
Step-by-step method
- Find the reference word and read from the START of its sentence — or the previous sentence if it opens the sentence.
- List the plural/singular nouns nearby that match in number.
- Substitute each candidate into the sentence and check which keeps it logical.
- Remember: the referent usually comes BEFORE the pronoun, and close to it.
What evidence to look for
Agreement (singular/plural) plus the verb that follows the pronoun — the verb often disambiguates everything.
Common traps
- The nearest noun, when grammar or logic actually points one noun further back.
- A noun from the same sentence that cannot perform the verb's action.
Why the wrong answers are wrong
Wrong answers are nouns that appear in the text but fail substitution: the sentence becomes false or absurd with them in place.
Time management
Budget ≈45 seconds. Pure mechanics — fast, reliable points.
Beginner strategy
Substitute out loud (mentally). If the sentence sounds broken, it is broken.
Advanced strategy
Check number agreement first — it often eliminates two options before meaning even matters.
Sentence Simplification Questions
What it is asking
They give you one highlighted sentence and ask which option expresses its essential meaning — same facts, same relationships, simpler words.
How to recognize it
Stems: 'Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence?' — with a warning that wrong options change the meaning or omit something major.
Step-by-step method
- Break the original into parts: WHO did WHAT, plus any cause/contrast/condition attached.
- Find the option that keeps ALL the parts — subject, action, and the logical link.
- Kill options that drop a part, reverse a cause, or promote a minor detail into the main claim.
- Watch for changed quantities and certainty ('some' → 'all', 'may' → 'will').
What evidence to look for
The original sentence's logical skeleton — especially its connectors (because, although, unless, so that).
Common traps
- Options with the same vocabulary but a different relationship between the ideas.
- Options that are true according to the passage but simplify a DIFFERENT sentence.
Why the wrong answers are wrong
Wrong answers change the relationship, drop the condition, or exaggerate. Simplification may reword everything — it may not rewire anything.
Time management
Budget ≈75 seconds. Mark each option keep/kill against your part-list; never re-read the whole passage for these.
Beginner strategy
Write the skeleton in three words (X causes Y) before options. It turns a hard question into a matching exercise.
Advanced strategy
Hunt the logical link first: cause/contrast/condition options split 2-and-2 — decide the link and half the field dies.
Inference Questions
What it is asking
They ask what can be inferred, implied or concluded — an answer the passage supports without stating word-for-word.
How to recognize it
Stems with 'infer', 'imply', 'suggest', 'can be concluded', 'most likely'. No single sentence will contain the answer verbatim.
Step-by-step method
- Identify the 1-2 sentences the stem points to.
- Ask: what MUST be true if these sentences are true? Stay one step away — never two.
- Test options for support: correct inference = provable from the text; trap = possible in the world.
- Beware extremes: 'always', 'never', 'completely' are rarely inferable.
What evidence to look for
Usually two facts that combine (a rule + a case, a cause + an effect). The evidence is a small chain, not a sentence.
Common traps
- Answers that are directly STATED — if it is written down, it is not an inference (it answers a factual question).
- Real-world logic that the passage never invites ('scientists probably felt…').
Why the wrong answers are wrong
Wrong answers are either too strong (two steps away), unsupported (the passage is silent), or actually contradicted by a detail nearby.
Time management
Budget ≈90 seconds. If two options survive, choose the WEAKER claim — modest language is the signature of correct inferences.
Beginner strategy
Underline the two evidence sentences before touching options. No evidence pair, no inference.
Advanced strategy
Score options by distance from the text: the answer is the closest claim that is not literally printed.