An inference question asks what the passage suggests, not what it states. You answer with a conclusion, one or two clues from the text, and a sentence linking them.
This lesson is in the SPM subjects section. The passage is original and short. Your school decides the texts and tasks for your assessment.
The original passage
كانتِ الشمسُ ساطعةً حينَ خرجتْ منى مِنَ البيتِ، ومعَ ذلكَ وضعتِ المظلةَ في حقيبتِها. نظرتْ إلى الغيومِ الداكنةِ في جهةِ الغربِ، ثمَّ أسرعتْ إلى المحطةِ.
In English: “The sun was bright when Mona left the house, yet she put the umbrella in her bag. She looked at the dark clouds in the west, then hurried to the station.”
Question and plan
Question: “Why did Mona take an umbrella although the sun was bright?” The passage does not say “she expected rain”, so this is an inference.
Plan in three moves.
- Find the contrast: the sun was bright, but she took an umbrella (ومع ذلك, “yet”).
- Find the clue: الغيوم الداكنة في جهة الغرب, dark clouds in the west.
- Link: dark clouds are a sign of rain, so she expected the weather to change.
Model answer
“Mona expected rain later. The passage says the sun was bright, yet she packed the umbrella, and then she looked at الغيوم الداكنة في جهة الغرب. Dark clouds suggest that rain may come, so the umbrella was a precaution.”
The answer states the conclusion first, then gives two clues, then the link. Each part can be found in the passage.
Three kinds of answer compared
| Answer | Type | Why |
|---|---|---|
| “She liked the umbrella.” | Guess | No clue supports it. |
| “She put the umbrella in her bag.” | Restatement | It repeats the text and does not explain why. |
| “She expected rain because of the dark clouds.” | Inference | It names the clue and the conclusion. |
Markers reward the third kind. The second kind is the one most learners write when they are nervous, because it feels safe.
The mistake of over-reading
It is possible to go past the clues. “Mona was late and afraid of her teacher” uses أسرعت (“hurried”) but adds a reason the passage does not give.
Hurrying is a clue for urgency, not for fear. Keep the conclusion only as large as the clues. If your conclusion needs a fact that is not in the passage, reduce it.
Check yourself
Why did Mona hurry to the station? Write an inference with one clue.
Answer
She probably wanted to reach the station before the rain started.
The clue is that she hurried (أسرعت) right after she looked at the dark clouds. The order of events suggests that the clouds made her want to move quickly. A careful answer says “probably”, because the passage does not state her reason.
What to study next
Improve the Arabic you write in your answers with fixing meaning and grammatical agreement in original writing. Then run your finished answer through the structured answer self-review tool.
Assessment arrangements stay with your school. If you want a teacher to practise inference questions with you, see online one-to-one Arabic tuition, starting with a one-hour trial class (from RM50).