Common mistakes made in inference

So, you've made it through your first few inference exercises and you know you have to give inference, evidence and explanation. Now what?

Simple. Just follow the guide below to understand the kinds of mistakes you should avoid making in the CAs.

• Incomplete explanation

e.g. Therefore I can infer that religion was very important in the lives of the people of the Indus Valley Civilisation.

(At this point, the marker will say “So?” Your explanation should be on HOW your evidence gives you your inference. Ensure that when the marker is reading your answer, he or she is able to see the link.)

• Incongruent explanation

e.g. Therefore, the government was advanced as they made their people’s lives easier.

(Being advanced has nothing to do with making people’s lives easier.)

e.g. The government has a sense of hygiene because they cared for hygiene.

(This explanation is redundant and doesn’t explain anything.)

• No link between explanation and inference

Inference: The government of the Indus Valley Civilisation was very organized

Explanation: Therefore, I can say that the government of the Indus Valley Civilisation were very smart as they could orientate their streets to the cardinal directions.

(Initially, the student inferred that the government was organized, in his explanation, he said that the government was smart. Being organized and being smart are 2 different things altogether.)

• Wrong kind of explanation

Therefore, I can infer that the government wanted to keep the city clean and cared for the people because if they did not build drainage systems and rubbish chutes, the villagers’ homes would be smelly and filthy.

(Explanation is about you explaining how you derived your inference from your evidence. You’re not suppose to explain why people in the source did what they did.)

• Stating the obvious or merely paraphrasing the provenance/source

• Not answering the question

Qn: What does Source B tell you about the fall of the Indus Valley Civilisation?

Ans: Source B tells me that Civilisations do not last forever.

(Before even attempting to answer the question, read the question CAREFULLY to find out what kind of answer are you expected to give.)

• Lifting
Lifting words from the source is an immediate indication that you are not inferring. You should mostly avoid lifting verbs (actions words) adjectives (describing words).

• Using the same piece of evidence for both inferences.
The sources provided are rich in inference. If you use the same piece of evidence for both inferences, it shows that you have not read the source thoroughly for other possible inferences.

• Use of words like “smart”, “intelligent”, “evil”, “stupid”, “foolish”
Avoid using words that are loaded or judgmental. Be more objective. For example, instead of “foolish”, use “not forward-looking”.