Read the passage: 'The small town of Millfield had not seen rain in forty-seven days. Farmers checked their cracked soil daily with growing desperation. The reservoir that served the town's drinking water had dropped to thirty percent capacity. City officials announced voluntary conservation measures.' What can be INFERRED from this passage?

An INFERENCE is a conclusion that is not directly stated but can be reasonably drawn from the information provided. The passage gives four converging pieces of evidence: 47 days without rain (severe drought indicator); cracked soil and farmer desperation (crisis on the land); reservoir at 30% capacity (significant depletion); voluntary conservation measures (a step that typically precedes mandatory measures). From these clues, the reader can reasonably INFER that: (1) a drought is occurring (directly supported); (2) if conditions do not change, mandatory restrictions — a more serious step than voluntary — may follow. This is a logical inference because: officials typically escalate from voluntary to mandatory if voluntary measures don't work; the combination of factors suggests a worsening crisis. WHAT CANNOT BE INFERRED: flooding — there is no evidence of rain or flood risk; farmer contentment — the opposite is stated (desperation); full reservoir — explicitly 30%. INFERENCE STRATEGY: (1) Identify what IS stated; (2) Ask what a reasonable, informed person would conclude from those facts; (3) Choose the answer most strongly supported by the passage without going beyond what the evidence allows. Good inferences are BASED on the passage. Bad inferences go too far (speculation) or ignore evidence. On the ASVAB, inference questions often ask: 'What can be concluded...?' 'The author implies...,' 'It can be inferred...,' 'Based on the passage....' Always anchor your answer to specific passage evidence.