HSRT UPDATED EXAM 2026 SCRIPT QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
✔✔Assumption Example - ✔✔-A DVD company relies on continued demand for DVDs
to survive.
-The company agrees at the beginning of the year, DVDs will continue to sell w/o any
factual evidence
✔✔If I go to the pond today the only birds I will see are swans...
(There will be no ducks at the pond) - ✔✔Assumption made,
if the only bird you will see is a swan, all other birds can't be there. So the assumption is
made that there will be no ducks at the pond, based on the initial claim that the only bird
you will see at the pond is the swan.
✔✔If I go to the pond today the only birds I will see are swans...
(All swans are white) - ✔✔Assumption not made,
The claim isn't stating the color of the swan, just that swans will be there. Therefore the
assumption is not made that all swans are white, based on the initial claim that the only
birds you will see at the pond are swans.
✔✔If I go to the pond today the only birds I will see are swans...
(there will be swans at the pond today) - ✔✔Assumption made,
The claim states that there will be swans, so if the assumption is made that there will be
swans, based on the claim, there will be swans.
✔✔Inference - ✔✔When someone is making an inference, they are coming to a
conclusion based on evidence.
Logic, (inductive or deductive), is applied to the evidence, which brings the individual to
their conclusion
When someone makes an inference they are "reading between the lines", meaning they
aren't coming to an explicit conclusion, rather, an implied conclusion based on evidence
✔✔How are inferences and assumptions different? - ✔✔Inferences are different
because they are based on some evidence
*inferences aren't always correct, and should NOT be accepted as truth
✔✔How are inferences misleading? - ✔✔Although they might seem correct, they might
overlook other possibilities.
, ✔✔How to succeed with inference based questions: - ✔✔Decide the likelihood of an
inference being true
-Definitely true: Given all the info in the passage, it is certainly the case that the
inference is true
-Probably true: Given all the info in the passage, it's likely the inference is true, but not
guaranteed
-Insufficient data to say whether it is true or false: Given all the info in the passage, it's
impossible to say whether the info is true of false
Probably False: Given all the information in the passage, it is likely that the inference is
incorrect. However, this is not guaranteed
-Definitely False: Based on the info in the passage, the inference is incorrect
✔✔Scientific studies have discovered a link between chewing gum and better
performance when it comes to tests. Researchers believe that this is bc the act of
chewing gum correlates with heightened activity in the hippocampus- the region in the
brain that handles memory. When activity in the hippocampus is increased, it appears
as though the ability to recall memories is strengthened.
Chewing gum causes heightened activity in the hippocampus - ✔✔Insufficient data to
say whether it is true or false
The claim states that there is a correlation between chewing gum and heightened
activity in the hippocampus. It DOES NOT say it causes heightened activity in the
hippocampus.
✔✔Scientific studies have discovered a link between chewing gum and better
performance when it comes to tests. Researchers believe that this is bc the act of
chewing gum correlates with heightened activity in the hippocampus- the region in the
brain that handles memory. When activity in the hippocampus is increased, it appears
as though the ability to recall memories is strengthened.
There is a correlation between chewing gum and better recollection of memories -
✔✔Definitely True
The claim states chewing gum is correlated to heightened activity of the hippocampus,
and heightened activity of the hippocampus correlates to more recollection of memories.
✔✔Scientific studies have discovered a link between chewing gum and better
performance when it comes to tests. Researchers believe that this is bc the act of
chewing gum correlates with heightened activity in the hippocampus- the region in the
brain that handles memory. When activity in the hippocampus is increased, it appears
as though the ability to recall memories is strengthened.
Students who chew gum will perform worse in exams than students who do not -
✔✔Probably False
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
✔✔Assumption Example - ✔✔-A DVD company relies on continued demand for DVDs
to survive.
-The company agrees at the beginning of the year, DVDs will continue to sell w/o any
factual evidence
✔✔If I go to the pond today the only birds I will see are swans...
(There will be no ducks at the pond) - ✔✔Assumption made,
if the only bird you will see is a swan, all other birds can't be there. So the assumption is
made that there will be no ducks at the pond, based on the initial claim that the only bird
you will see at the pond is the swan.
✔✔If I go to the pond today the only birds I will see are swans...
(All swans are white) - ✔✔Assumption not made,
The claim isn't stating the color of the swan, just that swans will be there. Therefore the
assumption is not made that all swans are white, based on the initial claim that the only
birds you will see at the pond are swans.
✔✔If I go to the pond today the only birds I will see are swans...
(there will be swans at the pond today) - ✔✔Assumption made,
The claim states that there will be swans, so if the assumption is made that there will be
swans, based on the claim, there will be swans.
✔✔Inference - ✔✔When someone is making an inference, they are coming to a
conclusion based on evidence.
Logic, (inductive or deductive), is applied to the evidence, which brings the individual to
their conclusion
When someone makes an inference they are "reading between the lines", meaning they
aren't coming to an explicit conclusion, rather, an implied conclusion based on evidence
✔✔How are inferences and assumptions different? - ✔✔Inferences are different
because they are based on some evidence
*inferences aren't always correct, and should NOT be accepted as truth
✔✔How are inferences misleading? - ✔✔Although they might seem correct, they might
overlook other possibilities.
, ✔✔How to succeed with inference based questions: - ✔✔Decide the likelihood of an
inference being true
-Definitely true: Given all the info in the passage, it is certainly the case that the
inference is true
-Probably true: Given all the info in the passage, it's likely the inference is true, but not
guaranteed
-Insufficient data to say whether it is true or false: Given all the info in the passage, it's
impossible to say whether the info is true of false
Probably False: Given all the information in the passage, it is likely that the inference is
incorrect. However, this is not guaranteed
-Definitely False: Based on the info in the passage, the inference is incorrect
✔✔Scientific studies have discovered a link between chewing gum and better
performance when it comes to tests. Researchers believe that this is bc the act of
chewing gum correlates with heightened activity in the hippocampus- the region in the
brain that handles memory. When activity in the hippocampus is increased, it appears
as though the ability to recall memories is strengthened.
Chewing gum causes heightened activity in the hippocampus - ✔✔Insufficient data to
say whether it is true or false
The claim states that there is a correlation between chewing gum and heightened
activity in the hippocampus. It DOES NOT say it causes heightened activity in the
hippocampus.
✔✔Scientific studies have discovered a link between chewing gum and better
performance when it comes to tests. Researchers believe that this is bc the act of
chewing gum correlates with heightened activity in the hippocampus- the region in the
brain that handles memory. When activity in the hippocampus is increased, it appears
as though the ability to recall memories is strengthened.
There is a correlation between chewing gum and better recollection of memories -
✔✔Definitely True
The claim states chewing gum is correlated to heightened activity of the hippocampus,
and heightened activity of the hippocampus correlates to more recollection of memories.
✔✔Scientific studies have discovered a link between chewing gum and better
performance when it comes to tests. Researchers believe that this is bc the act of
chewing gum correlates with heightened activity in the hippocampus- the region in the
brain that handles memory. When activity in the hippocampus is increased, it appears
as though the ability to recall memories is strengthened.
Students who chew gum will perform worse in exams than students who do not -
✔✔Probably False
