How are inference and evidence connected on SOL questions?

• A. The connection is that inference relies on evidence from the text to justify a conclusion.
• B. Evidence is only used to support explicit statements.
• C. Inference ignores textual evidence and relies on reader guesswork.
• D. Inference and evidence have no relation in SOL questions.

Answer: (A)

Inference in SOL questions relies on evidence from the text to justify conclusions. Inference means reading between the lines—drawing ideas that aren’t stated outright by using clues the author provides, like details, descriptions, or actions. The evidence you pull from the passage gives the basis for your inference; without it, a conclusion would be just guesswork. That’s why the best choice says that inference relies on evidence from the text to justify a conclusion. Evidence isn’t limited to explicit statements; it includes hints and implicit details that support what you infer. The other ideas don’t fit because they either limit evidence to explicit statements, suggest guesswork without text support, or claim there’s no relationship between inference and evidence.