Which term refers to a conclusion drawn from evidence rather than directly stated information?

• A. Perspective
• B. Inference
• C. Audience
• D. Author Purpose

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is drawing a conclusion from clues rather than taking information at face value. That process is inference: you look for hints in the text—details, actions, dialogue, setting—and combine them with what you already know to deduce something not stated outright. For example, if a character shivers, pulls their coat tighter, and the narrator mentions gray skies, you might infer that it’s cold, even if the text doesn’t say “It was cold.”

This differs from perspective, which is whose viewpoint shapes what you read; audience, which is who the text is intended for; and author purpose, which is why the author wrote the piece. None of those describe concluding something from evidence the way inference does.