CR: Difference between "Inference" and "Conclusion"

[divineacclivity]

Could you please help understand the difference between "Inference" & "Conclusion" in reference to gmat CR questions?

I see inference and conclusion being used alternatively at some places online (gmat related sites) and at others I do see people defining the difference but I'm yet not able to understand the difference between the two. Please help here.

An early reply would be highly appreciated. thanks in advance.

[Willy]

Could you please help understand the difference between "Inference" & "Conclusion" in reference to gmat CR questions?

I see inference and conclusion being used alternatively at some places online (gmat related sites) and at others I do see people defining the difference but I'm yet not able to understand the difference between the two. Please help here.

An early reply would be highly appreciated. thanks in advance.

The grammatical meaning of both is same. Both are synonyms to each other.

But on CR the difference comes into play when you are dealing with different types of questions such as on Inference type questions you'll not be given the conclusion but you have to find one. On the other hand on strengthen and weaken questions, you'll be given conclusion and you'll have to strengthen and weaken conclusion accordingly.

Did I answer your query?

[divineacclivity]

The grammatical meaning of both is same. Both are synonyms to each other.

But on CR the difference comes into play when you are dealing with different types of questions such as on Inference type questions you'll not be given the conclusion but you have to find one. On the other hand on strengthen and weaken questions, you'll be given conclusion and you'll have to strengthen and weaken conclusion accordingly.

Did I answer your query?

hey thanks for replying but I might not be v clear with my question. I meant to ask the difference between the following two type of questions:
1. What do you infer from the paragraph?
2. What conclusion can you draw from the paragraph above?

I found the two things stated as different things at a few places online from gmat cr perspective and others they were just considered the same. So, I'm confused.

[Willy]

The grammatical meaning of both is same. Both are synonyms to each other.

But on CR the difference comes into play when you are dealing with different types of questions such as on Inference type questions you'll not be given the conclusion but you have to find one. On the other hand on strengthen and weaken questions, you'll be given conclusion and you'll have to strengthen and weaken conclusion accordingly.

Did I answer your query?

hey thanks for replying but I might not be v clear with my question. I meant to ask the difference between the following two type of questions:
1. What do you infer from the paragraph?
2. What conclusion can you draw from the paragraph above?

I found the two things stated as different things at a few places online from gmat cr perspective and others they were just considered the same. So, I'm confused.

Oh, I think I get it this time.

1. Infer from the passage questions on CR are same as "Must Be True" questions. So, we infer something that is best proven by the paragraph/stimulus. That is it need not to be the conclusion of the paragraph and it can be any part of the stimulus.

[Also see below an excerpt from Powerscore CR Bible on Must Be True/Inference questions]

The correct answer choice can be a paraphrase of part of the stimulus or it can be a logical consequence of one or more parts of the stimulus. However, when selecting an answer choice, you must find the proof that supports your answer in the stimulus.

2. Conclusion = Main point of the paragraph.

[divineacclivity]

Oh, I think I get it this time.

1. Infer from the passage questions on CR are same as "Must Be True" questions. So, we infer something that is best proven by the paragraph/stimulus. That is it need not to be the conclusion of the paragraph and it can be any part of the stimulus.

[Also see below an excerpt from Powerscore CR Bible on Must Be True/Inference questions]

The correct answer choice can be a paraphrase of part of the stimulus or it can be a logical consequence of one or more parts of the stimulus. However, when selecting an answer choice, you must find the proof that supports your answer in the stimulus.

2. Conclusion = Main point of the paragraph.

Cool, thank you :)
So, what I get is "Inference" - a must-be-true option - may or may not coinside with conclusion
"conclusion" - the center point

Just one small question: can inference sometimes coincide with the conclusion or do the two things alws have to be different?

thank you very much.

[Willy]

Oh, I think I get it this time.

1. Infer from the passage questions on CR are same as "Must Be True" questions. So, we infer something that is best proven by the paragraph/stimulus. That is it need not to be the conclusion of the paragraph and it can be any part of the stimulus.

[Also see below an excerpt from Powerscore CR Bible on Must Be True/Inference questions]

The correct answer choice can be a paraphrase of part of the stimulus or it can be a logical consequence of one or more parts of the stimulus. However, when selecting an answer choice, you must find the proof that supports your answer in the stimulus.

2. Conclusion = Main point of the paragraph.

Cool, thank you :)
So, what I get is "Inference" - a must-be-true option - may or may not coinside with conclusion
"conclusion" - the center point

Just one small question: can inference sometimes coincide with the conclusion or do the two things alws have to be different?

thank you very much.

When we'll dealing with Inference/Must be True questions we are not given conclusion in the stimulus but just the facts/statements. Otherwise GMAT won't ask us to infer something from the passage if it is already present in the paragraph as a cake. :) So, don't worry, we'll never see a conclusion on Infer questions.

[divineacclivity]

I got your point. Thank you for explaining it so nicely :)

Just one more thing that I think is right. Correct me if I'm wrong please.
I think there would be just one fact/must be true (based on the premises ofcourse) in the 5 answer options. We don't really have to choose between 2 right options in inference questions i.e. if one is sure of a true option (even if that's v obvious), that is the answer, right? thanks in advance

[Willy]

I got your point. Thank you for explaining it so nicely :)

Just one more thing that I think is right. Correct me if I'm wrong please.
I think there would be just one fact/must be true (based on the premises ofcourse) in the 5 answer options. We don't really have to choose between 2 right options in inference questions i.e. if one is sure of a true option (even if that's v obvious), that is the answer, right? thanks in advance

Yes, you are right. There will never be two right answer choices in one question.

[divineacclivity]

I got your point. Thank you for explaining it so nicely :)

Just one more thing that I think is right. Correct me if I'm wrong please.
I think there would be just one fact/must be true (based on the premises ofcourse) in the 5 answer options. We don't really have to choose between 2 right options in inference questions i.e. if one is sure of a true option (even if that's v obvious), that is the answer, right? thanks in advance

Yes, you are right. There will never be two right answer choices in one question.

thanks for all your replies :)

[Willy]

You are welcome Divine! :)

[tim]

thanks for working with each other on this one. let us know if you have any further questions..

[divineacclivity]

Thanks Tim and thank you very much Willy.

Tim, please do keep a watch and add information wherever you think it is required.

Also, if possible, I'd really appreciate Ron adding his point of view to this one :)

Talking about difference between "inference" and "conclusion", here's I found a question in which I strongly think "inference" and "conclusion" answers could be different, given the choices it has. Please correct me if I'm wrong & that'll help me perform better on the test.

I agree that Hogan’s actions resulted in grievous injury to Winters. And I do not deny that Hogan fully realized the
nature of his actions and the effects that they would have. Indeed, I would not disagree if you pointed out that
intentionally causing such effects is reprehensible, other things being equal. But in asking you to concur with me
that Hogan’s actions not be wholly condemned I emphasize again that Hogan mistakenly believed Winters to be the
robber who had been terrorizing west-side apartment buildings for the past several months. Which one of the
following most accurately expresses the conclusion of the argument?
A. Hogan should not be considered responsible for the injuries sustained by Winters.
B. The robber who had been terrorizing west-side apartment buildings should be considered to be as responsible for
Winters’s injuries as Hogan.
C. The actions of Hogan that seriously injured Winters are not completely blameworthy.
D. Hogan thought that Winters was the person who had been terrorizing west-side apartment buildings for the last
few months.
E. The actions of Hogan that seriously injured Winters were reprehensible, other things being equal.

OA: C
Source: 700-800 CR

The OA is C and at the same time, D choice is absolutely true based on the infromation given in the argument/paragraph.
I did pick option C because it is a "CONCLUSION" question and had it been an "INFERENCE" question, I'd surely have gone for D because that's the only concrete/MUST BE TRUE kind of an option available. Is my thought process, right?
Thanks

[Willy]

Not only option D but also option E is absolutely true based on the information given in the argument/paragraph! Hence, there will be 3 contenders for Must Be True question as option C is also correct based on the paragraph. So, I don't think this question will ever ask us Must Be True question.

Main Point questions are not much different from Must Be True questions as on Main Point questions you must also identify the author’s point.

I hope I've not made things complicated for you. :) Experts can make you understand better and in easy manner.

[tim]

As per the forum rules, we need a verifiable source for the problem before we can deal with this question. If the question is not one of ours or one that is copyright-free, we will have to delete the question..

[divineacclivity]

hey,

It should be copy right free because it is freely available at:
http://gmatclub.com/forum/download.php
I didn't use any hacks. Please do let me know if this material is not copy-right free.

thanks in advance