Which term refers to deriving a conclusion from textual clues and what you already know?

• A. Prediction
• B. Inference
• C. Summary
• D. Analysis

Answer: (B)

Making a conclusion from textual clues and what you already know is inference. It means using hints in the text together with your background knowledge to figure out something the author doesn’t state directly. For example, if the story says a character checks the weather, grabs a coat, and hurries out the door, you can infer that they expect it to be cold or rainy, even if that exact detail isn’t stated. In this question, the ability being described is inference—deriving a conclusion from clues in the text and what you already know.

This is different from predicting, which is guessing what might happen next based on evidence; from a summary, which is restating the main points; and from analysis, which is breaking something down into parts to understand how it works.