Verbal Reasoning Test Practice Course: Inference, main idea and tone

Untimed topic quiz: 15 questions on Inference, main idea and tone, with an explanation after each answer. Questions and answers are shuffled every time.

Course
Canada
96 questions
Checked October 13, 2026
Fact-checked October 13, 2026

Start with the lessonsVerbal Reasoning Course: Lessons: about 180 minutes of reading. Every test question is covered in the lessons.

Topic quiz 6: Inference, main idea and tone

Question 1 of 15
What is an inference?
- A sentence copied word for word from the passage
- A summary of every detail in a text
- A word that means the same as another
- A conclusion you reach from clues in a text
Show answer
Answer: D. A conclusion you reach from clues in a text
An inference is something a text suggests but does not say directly. You work it out from the clues the writer gives.
Question 2 of 15
Which pair of words correctly completes this sentence? "A writer ___ a meaning; a reader ___ it."
- implies ... infers
- infers ... infers
- infers ... implies
- implies ... implies
Show answer
Answer: A. implies ... infers
Imply means to suggest, which a writer or speaker does. Infer means to deduce, which the reader or listener does.
Question 3 of 15
A store sign says: "Cash only today. Our card machine is being repaired." What can you infer?
- Prices are higher today
- The store has never accepted cards
- The store is closing soon
- The store usually accepts cards
Show answer
Answer: D. The store usually accepts cards
If the card machine is being repaired, the store normally uses it. The other options need information the sign does not give.
Question 4 of 15
What is the main purpose of Priya's message?
Hi team,
Thank you for all the extra hours you put in last month. Because of your work, we shipped every order on time during our busiest season. I know it was tiring. Starting next week, we are hiring four temporary workers so that nobody has to work more than one extra shift a week.
Please let me know if you have questions.
Priya
- To announce that some staff will be laid off next week
- To complain about orders that were shipped late
- To thank the team and explain a plan to reduce extra shifts
- To ask staff to keep working extra hours during the busy season
Show answer
Answer: C. To thank the team and explain a plan to reduce extra shifts
Priya thanks the team for the extra hours and explains that temporary workers will be hired so extra shifts are limited.
Question 5 of 15
Which word best describes the tone of Priya's message?
Hi team,
Thank you for all the extra hours you put in last month. Because of your work, we shipped every order on time during our busiest season. I know it was tiring. Starting next week, we are hiring four temporary workers so that nobody has to work more than one extra shift a week.
Please let me know if you have questions.
Priya
- impatient
- angry
- grateful
- worried
Show answer
Answer: C. grateful
Phrases such as "Thank you for all the extra hours" and "Because of your work" show a grateful tone.
Question 6 of 15
What can you infer from Priya's message about last month?
Hi team,
Thank you for all the extra hours you put in last month. Because of your work, we shipped every order on time during our busiest season. I know it was tiring. Starting next week, we are hiring four temporary workers so that nobody has to work more than one extra shift a week.
Please let me know if you have questions.
Priya
- Many orders were shipped later than customers expected
- Priya plans to cut staff pay
- Some staff worked more than one extra shift in a week
- The temporary workers started work last month
Show answer
Answer: C. Some staff worked more than one extra shift in a week
The new plan is "so that nobody has to work more than one extra shift a week", which suggests some people did more than that. Orders were shipped on time, so late orders is wrong.
Question 7 of 15
Which is the best title for this notice?
Notice to tenants: The water will be shut off on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. so that plumbers can replace the main valve. Please fill a jug of water before 9 a.m. if you will need it. We apologize for the short notice; the valve began leaking yesterday.
- How to fix a leaking valve
- Water shut-off on Thursday morning
- New plumbing rules for all tenants in the building
- Rent changes next month
Show answer
Answer: B. Water shut-off on Thursday morning
A good title covers the main idea of the whole notice: the water will be off on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Question 8 of 15
What can you infer from the notice?
Notice to tenants: The water will be shut off on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. so that plumbers can replace the main valve. Please fill a jug of water before 9 a.m. if you will need it. We apologize for the short notice; the valve began leaking yesterday.
- The repair will take two days
- The whole building will be closed to tenants on Thursday
- Tenants will not have tap water on Thursday morning
- Tenants must pay for the repair
Show answer
Answer: C. Tenants will not have tap water on Thursday morning
If the water is shut off from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., taps will not work then. That is why tenants are asked to fill a jug first.
Question 9 of 15
Why does the notice give short warning?
Notice to tenants: The water will be shut off on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. so that plumbers can replace the main valve. Please fill a jug of water before 9 a.m. if you will need it. We apologize for the short notice; the valve began leaking yesterday.
- Tenants asked for a quick repair
- The plumbers asked for it
- The leak started only recently
- The owner forgot to post it earlier
Show answer
Answer: C. The leak started only recently
The notice apologizes for the short notice and explains that the valve began leaking yesterday.
Question 10 of 15
What is the main idea of the passage?
Our customer survey shows that people who wait more than ten minutes at the counter are much less likely to come back. Last year, the average wait at our downtown store at lunchtime was twelve minutes. Adding a second cashier from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. would cost about $9,000 a year. The store manager believes the extra sales would more than cover this cost.
- The store should add a second cashier at lunchtime
- Cashiers should work only during the lunchtime rush
- Customer surveys are too expensive for small stores to run
- The downtown store has higher sales than the other stores
Show answer
Answer: A. The store should add a second cashier at lunchtime
The facts about waiting, the cost and the manager's belief all support one point: adding a lunchtime cashier is worth it.
Question 11 of 15
Which statement is best supported by the passage?
Our customer survey shows that people who wait more than ten minutes at the counter are much less likely to come back. Last year, the average wait at our downtown store at lunchtime was twelve minutes. Adding a second cashier from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. would cost about $9,000 a year. The store manager believes the extra sales would more than cover this cost.
- Most of the store's customers visit at lunchtime rather than in the evening
- Last year the average lunchtime wait downtown was longer than ten minutes
- The store loses $9,000 a year
- The survey was done at the downtown store only
Show answer
Answer: B. Last year the average lunchtime wait downtown was longer than ten minutes
The average lunchtime wait was twelve minutes, which is more than ten. The other statements are not given in the passage.
Question 12 of 15
What does the store manager assume, without saying it directly?
Our customer survey shows that people who wait more than ten minutes at the counter are much less likely to come back. Last year, the average wait at our downtown store at lunchtime was twelve minutes. Adding a second cashier from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. would cost about $9,000 a year. The store manager believes the extra sales would more than cover this cost.
- Most customers would rather shop in the evening than at lunchtime anyway
- Shorter waits would bring in enough extra sales to pay for the cashier
- The survey results are out of date and no longer useful
- The second cashier would need to work all day, every day
Show answer
Answer: B. Shorter waits would bring in enough extra sales to pay for the cashier
The manager believes the extra sales would cover the $9,000 cost. That only works if shorter waits lead to enough extra sales.
Question 13 of 15
Which new fact would most weaken the manager's argument?
Our customer survey shows that people who wait more than ten minutes at the counter are much less likely to come back. Last year, the average wait at our downtown store at lunchtime was twelve minutes. Adding a second cashier from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. would cost about $9,000 a year. The store manager believes the extra sales would more than cover this cost.
- The survey asked customers how long they had waited at the counter
- A second cashier would cut the average wait to about five minutes
- Most lost customers say they left because of prices, not waits
- The downtown store is busier at lunchtime than at other times
Show answer
Answer: C. Most lost customers say they left because of prices, not waits
The argument assumes long waits drive customers away. If customers left because of prices, a second cashier would not bring them back.
Question 14 of 15
By December, an employee has used only one personal day. What happens to the two unused days on January 1?
Employees may take up to three paid personal days each year. Unused personal days do not carry over to the next year. Requests should be made at least two days ahead, except in emergencies.
- They cannot be used in the new year
- They can be used until the end of January
- They become vacation days
- They are added to next year's three days
Show answer
Answer: A. They cannot be used in the new year
The passage says unused personal days do not carry over to the next year, so the employee cannot use them after December.
Question 15 of 15
What can you infer from the passage about personal days?
Employees may take up to three paid personal days each year. Unused personal days do not carry over to the next year. Requests should be made at least two days ahead, except in emergencies.
- In an emergency, less than two days' notice is acceptable
- Employees must give their manager a reason for each personal day
- Requests need a doctor's note
- Personal days are unpaid
Show answer
Answer: A. In an emergency, less than two days' notice is acceptable
Requests should be made two days ahead "except in emergencies", so in an emergency shorter notice is allowed.

Topic quiz 6: Inference, main idea and tone

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