Which statement best defines an inference?
a. the details stated directly by the author of a passage
ob.
a guess that relies only on the reader's prior experiences
o
c. the background information about a literary work
od.
a conclusion based on evidence and outside knowledge

D) A conclusion based on evidence and outside knowledge

This statement best defines an inference

Explanation:

Simple definition of ‘inference’ is the conclusion or an idea which is resulted from an evidence or by reasoning. We learn things either by our experiences or form sources of knowledge.

In other words, when we observe things and have a logical reasoning to what we concluded from our observation is inference.

For example: If we see a person making faces after eating a bite of food, we may conclude that he did not like the food. We might also make some false inferences at times.