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Vocabulary in context and inference questions

By Michael Ukwuma

How to work out unknown words and understand what the writer suggests without saying.

Unknown words

You will meet words you do not know. Stay calm. Look at the sentence for clues. A word is often explained by an example, a contrast or a similar idea nearby. Decide whether the word is positive or negative, and whether it describes a person, an action or a thing. That is often enough to choose the right option.

Replace and test

Try each answer option in place of the word. The correct one keeps the meaning of the sentence smooth. An option that sounds strange or changes the writer's point is wrong.

Inference questions

Some questions ask what the writer suggests or what is most likely true. The answer is not stated in the text, but the text points to it. Choose the option that has direct support. Be careful with options that go too far, for example using words like always or never when the passage only says often.

Key points

• Use nearby clues for new words.
• Test each option in the sentence.
• Reject answers that go further than the text.