Snapshot
The correct statement must be fully supported by the passage. "Likely", "probably", "reasonable" and "known in the real world" are not enough unless the passage itself gives that probability, reason or fact. The proof rule applies to every noun, date, quantity, condition and causal link inside the option.
The Proof Test
Before you select an answer, ask five questions:
- •Who or what is the subject?
- •What exact claim is made?
- •Does the passage prove the full claim?
- •Does the option add any new detail?
- •Does the option change scope, time, certainty or cause?
If one part fails, the whole option fails.
Why Plausible Additions Are Dangerous
Test writers often add a detail that feels natural. A phone cannot send messages, so a security restriction sounds plausible. A reform appears after a scandal, so the scandal sounds like the cause. A theatre performance has subtitles, so the target audience sounds international. These additions may be true, but they are not proven unless the passage says so.
Proof Strength Levels
| Level | Candidate reaction |
|---|---|
| Direct proof | Strong answer if every clause matches |
| Clean inference | Accept only if no extra assumption is needed |
| Plausible but unstated | Eliminate |
| Contradicted | Eliminate immediately |
Clean Inference
A clean inference is not a guess. It is a conclusion that must follow from the facts. If a passage says a candidate has never failed and a visible streak was reset by a platform move, you may infer the recorded streak understates the real run. If the passage merely says two events occurred, you may not infer one caused the other.
Common Mistakes
- •Treating "probably" as a safety word.
- •Accepting an option because most of it is true.
- •Ignoring a small clause after a comma.
- •Confusing a possible explanation with a proven explanation.