Preguntas de Inferencia y Propósito Retórico en el TOEFL

Clase 8 de 39 • Curso de Preparación para TOEFL

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Resumen

¿Cómo abordar las preguntas de inferencia en el TOEFL?

Las preguntas de inferencia evalúan tu capacidad para entender el significado implícito en el texto.

Aquí no basta con identificar información explícita; debes interpretar lo que el autor está sugiriendo.

¿Qué son las preguntas de inferencia?

Características principales:

No están directamente respondidas en el texto.
Requieren que "leas entre líneas" para captar la intención o idea subyacente del autor.

Ejemplos típicos:

"Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph X?"
"Paragraph X suggests that…"

Estrategias para responder preguntas de inferencia

Identifica el contexto: lee el párrafo relevante para entender el tema y el propósito del autor.
Busca pistas indirectas: examina cómo las palabras y frases clave proponen algo más allá de lo explícito.
Descarta opciones irrelevantes: elimina respuestas que contradicen el texto o agregan información no relacionada.
Céntrate en lo implícito: pregúntate: ¿Qué está sugiriendo el autor sin decirlo directamente?

Ejemplo práctico:

"It can be inferred from paragraph 2 that the decline in trade was primarily due to…"

Busca en el texto señales sobre la causa del declive, aunque no se mencione explícitamente.

Preguntas de propósito retórico

Estas preguntas evalúan por qué el autor incluye ciertos detalles o menciones específicas.

Características:

Te preguntan el "por qué" detrás de las declaraciones del autor.
Ejemplo: "Why does the author mention X?"

Estrategias:

Busca intenciones del autor: identifica si el autor busca persuadir, informar, ejemplificar o contrastar.
Conecta con el contexto: relaciona la información mencionada con la idea principal del pasaje.
Identifica ejemplos relevantes: si el autor usa X como un ejemplo, piensa: ¿Qué está tratando de probar?

Preguntas de organización

Estas preguntas exploran cómo el autor conecta ideas o estructura el texto.

Características:

Analizan la secuencia lógica del texto.
Ejemplo: "Why does the author present idea X after Y?"

Estrategias:

Reconoce palabras de enlace: identifica conectores como "however", "therefore" o "for example" para entender la transición entre ideas.
Relaciona ideas: determina cómo una idea amplía, contrasta o complementa otra.

Ejemplo práctico:

"The author discusses idea Y in paragraph 3 to…"

Busca qué propósito cumple Y en relación con el tema principal.

Consejos finales

Practica con textos variados: trabaja con textos científicos, históricos y argumentativos.
Haz deducciones constantemente: lee textos y pregúntate: ¿Qué intenta decir el autor más allá de lo explícito?
Aplica estas estrategias en simulacros: evalúa tu progreso respondiendo preguntas de inferencia, propósito retórico y organización con tiempo limitado.

¡Con paciencia y práctica, dominarás estas preguntas del TOEFL! 🚀

Contribución creada con aportes de Jazmín Saavedra.

Daniel Fernández

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I got wrong the last two questions. I need to practice more the rhetorical questions.

eduardo fletes

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Jess said, let me know in the comments... And I don't know for how long they as teachers are mandatory required to answer to a question or a coment. Still, I'd like to know more explanations about why's that the correct answer

Natalia Michelle Pineda Zorro

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I agree with you, I was waiting for the explanation.

Lina López

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You may ask an AI what's the right answer and why. It works ;)

Jheison Emmanuel Ramírez Cano

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Inference question: In my own words, inference questions are different from factual questions because inference questions are a conclusion based on previous information. It's something that you can assume.

Keywords to inference questions: inferred, suggests/implies.

Rhetorical purpose: ideas behind the information, why the author presented certain information, in other words, why is the purpose of the author presenting this information. it's like a question designed to know about something previous mention in the information, which could begin with a why or any expression that expresses doubt regarding the text. (look for causes and reasons).

Organization questions: require you to understand how various paragraphs are related. (uses of match and connectors: after, before, between, while, so on, and so forth)

Claudia Nazoa

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thanks for your information!

Nicolas Gallego

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La respuesta correcta es la opción b:

b. To question the adequacy of the hypothesis that climatic change related to sea levels caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Explicación:

En el texto, el autor menciona a las serpientes, lagartos, tortugas y cocodrilos como ejemplos de animales de sangre fría que sobrevivieron a los cambios extremos de clima al final del Mesozoico. Este dato se usa para cuestionar la idea de que un cambio climático, causado por el retroceso de los mares poco profundos, fue suficiente para provocar la extinción de los dinosaurios.

Por qué las otras opciones son incorrectas:

a. "To argue that dinosaurs may have become extinct because they were not cold-blooded animals."
- Incorrecta, porque el autor no argumenta que los dinosaurios se extinguieron porque no eran de sangre fría. Más bien, cuestiona que el clima pudiera haber matado a los dinosaurios y no a los animales de sangre fría, incluso si los dinosaurios eran de sangre caliente.
c. "To present examples of animals that could maintain a livable body temperature more easily than dinosaurs."
- Incorrecta, porque los animales mencionados son de sangre fría, y no pueden mantener su temperatura corporal fácilmente; están "at the mercy of the climate". El texto dice precisamente lo contrario.
d. "To support a hypothesis that these animals were not as sensitive to climate changes in the Cretaceous period as they are today."
- Incorrecta, porque el texto no compara la sensibilidad de estos animales al clima entre el pasado y el presente, sino que usa su supervivencia en aquel entonces como argumento contra la hipótesis del cambio climático.

Pavel Solano García

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I'm not sure why this answer is the correct, considering that at the end of the paragraph states that sea levels is insufficient to explain all the data. Could you explain me ?

eduardo fletes

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Same here, I have the same hesitation

Natalia Michelle Pineda Zorro

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I don't know if my analysis is correct, but I got that answer right:

I selected "b" because in the other paragraphs they say changes in temperature are directly connected to changes in seaways. It couldn't be the a, because there's doubt if dinosaurs were "cold-blooded" or "warm-blooded"; the c, can't be either because it uses the verb "easily" and you cannot infer that based on the text; and, finally, d refers to nowadays, but that comparison isn't in the paragraph nor in the text.

Luis Hernandez

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there isn't any document on the resource section, help please!

María Parra

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The material is not available

Juan Olima

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I've asked gpt to understand a little bit more about this concept: 1. Preguntas de Inferencia (Inference Questions)

📌 ¿Qué te piden?

Te piden leer entre líneas. O sea, deducir algo que no está dicho literalmente, pero se puede concluir lógicamente a partir del texto.

🛠️ Palabras clave:

"What can be inferred...?"
"What does the author imply...?"
"Which of the following is most likely true...?"

🎓 Ejemplo:

Texto:

"Although whales live in the ocean, they are mammals and must surface regularly to breathe air."

Pregunta de inferencia:

"What can be inferred about whales from the passage?"

✅ Respuesta correcta (inferida):

Whales cannot breathe underwater.

🧠 El texto no lo dice directamente, pero lo podemos deducir porque si deben salir a respirar aire, es porque no pueden hacerlo bajo el agua.

🎯 2. Preguntas de Propósito Retórico (Rhetorical Purpose Questions)

📌 ¿Qué te piden?

Te preguntan ¿por qué el autor dijo eso? o ¿con qué propósito usó esa información? Es una pregunta sobre la intención comunicativa.

🛠️ Palabras clave:

"Why does the author mention...?"
"What is the purpose of...?"
"Why does the professor discuss...?"

🎓 Ejemplo:

Texto (en una clase de biología):

“Think of a cactus. It’s covered in spines instead of leaves.”

Pregunta de propósito retórico:

"Why does the professor mention a cactus?"

✅ Respuesta correcta:

To provide an example of a plant adapted to dry environments.

🧠 El cactus es usado como un ejemplo, no porque el cactus sea el tema central, sino para ilustrar una idea mayor.

Juvani Aguirre Neira

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Require the most concentration and undertanding of the principal target of the question. The time to answer make it too much difficult

Juvani Aguirre Neira

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It's quite difficult. Although the answer we hat to build it from the text this options are not conclusive to the text.

Oscar Tercero

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I can´t understand the logic of how to response

Gabriel Obregón

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Inference questions

What are they?

Inference questions ask you to deduce what the author is implying.
The answers are not explicitly stated but can be concluded from the passage.

How are they different?

Factual questions: Have exact answers stated in the text.
Negative factual questions: Focus on identifying the one incorrect statement.
Inference questions: Focus on what is implied rather than stated.

Examples of inference questions

"Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph X?"
"Paragraph X suggests or implies that..."
"The information provided in paragraph X implies that..."
"The author suggests that..."

Tips for answering inference questions

Identify the type of text and the author's intention.
Focus on what the author is trying to convey.
Avoid searching for explicit answers—conclusions must be drawn from the information provided.

Practice question

Question: "Paragraph 5 implies that a special explanation of the Ir in the boundary clay is needed because:"

a. The amount of Ir in the boundary clay is too great to have come from microscopic meteorites during the time the boundary clay was deposited.
b. The Ir in microscopic meteorites reaching Earth during the Cretaceous period would have been incorporated into Earth’s core.
c. The Ir in the boundary clay was deposited much more than a million years ago.
d. The concentration of Ir in the boundary clay is higher than in microscopic meteorites.

Answer: A

Rhetorical purpose and organization questions

Rhetorical purpose questions

These focus on the author’s intention behind presenting specific information.
Example question formats:
- "Why does the author mention X?"
- "The author mentions X in order to..."
- "In paragraph X, why does the author compare Y?"

Tips for rhetorical purpose questions

Look for causes and reasons in the text.
Identify evidence that strengthens or weakens the claims presented.

Organization questions

These questions focus on the relationship between paragraphs or ideas.
Example question formats:
- "Why does the author mention X after Y?"
- "The idea X is presented at the beginning of paragraph Y because..."
- "The author presents the idea X between paragraphs Y and Z in order to..."

Tips for organization questions

Match elements that connect paragraphs.
Pay attention to connectors (e.g., "however," "therefore," "in addition") to understand the flow of ideas.

Practice question

Question: "Why does the author mention the survival of 'snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodiles' in paragraph 3?"

a. To argue that dinosaurs may have become extinct because they were not cold-blooded animals.
b. To question the adequacy of the hypothesis that climatic change related to sea levels caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.
c. To present examples of animals that could maintain a livable body temperature more easily than dinosaurs.
d. To support a hypothesis that these animals were not as sensitive to climate changes in the Cretaceous period as they are today.

Answer: B

Gina Abigail Chávez Castillo

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For the second practice exercise I choose option B.

Gina Abigail Chávez Castillo

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About the first example, my answer is letter A

Juan Jose Tovar

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I believe that it would be much better if the teacher explains how to arrive at the answer. It would help the student understand the mindset needed to answer the questions.

David Santiago González Ramos

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Reading question types (Part 2)

Inference question: infer what the author is saying, it is not explicit.
Rhetorical purpose & organization questions: You will only have one, or the other in your TOEFL

Jorge Orozco

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For me this last question was difficult as I thougt and was sure C was the correct. but it´s okay as I´m learning.

Isabella Pinedo Ayala

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i got all answers correct!!!

Valeria Astete

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Well I took much time to anwer but both were correct, yeihh!

Armando Farias

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1/2 I think it is not too bad :D I belive it is a matter of practice