Question 115·Easy·Inferences
Modern noise-canceling headphones were originally developed for airline pilots, who needed to reduce cockpit noise so they could communicate more effectively. Once the technology became commercially available, it was marketed to frequent business travelers in order to make long flights more comfortable. Today, however, a growing number of librarians recommend noise-canceling headphones to students who find it hard to concentrate in crowded study spaces. This trend suggests that noise-canceling headphones ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
For inference and completion questions like this, first identify what the key summary phrase (such as “this trend suggests”) is referring to by quickly restating the previous sentences in your own words. Look for patterns over time—who is involved, where, and how that changes—and then pick the choice that captures that general pattern without contradicting any details or introducing new, unsupported claims. Always eliminate options that conflict with the timeline, add information not in the passage, or change the direction (e.g., from expansion to decline).
Hints
Identify the user groups
Underlined or mentally list who is using the headphones in each sentence: first, second, and third. How are those users different from one another?
Focus on “This trend suggests that…”
The last sentence is drawing a conclusion about the pattern described earlier. Ask: What overall pattern do you see in the way the users change over time?
Check for new information vs. contradictions
Look for choices that stay consistent with the timeline in the passage and avoid adding claims (like where something was first tested or whether popularity is going up or down) that the passage never states.
Think about scope: narrowing or broadening?
Does the passage make it seem like the headphones are being used by a smaller, more specific group over time, or by a broader range of people?
Step-by-step Explanation
Track who used the headphones over time
First, list the user groups mentioned in order:
- Originally: airline pilots, to reduce cockpit noise.
- Once commercial: frequent business travelers, to make long flights more comfortable.
- Today: students in crowded study spaces, on the recommendation of librarians.
Notice that each sentence adds a new type of user.
Interpret “this trend”
The phrase “This trend” refers to the pattern just described: the movement from use by pilots, to business travelers, to students.
Ask yourself: What is changing over time? It’s not the technology itself, but who is using it and where it is being used.
Infer the general idea the author is pointing to
From pilots (cockpit), to travelers (airplanes generally), to students (libraries or crowded study spaces), the product moves from a narrow, professional setting into many other everyday contexts.
So the general idea is that the user base is becoming broader and more varied, not narrower or more limited.
Match that idea to the answer choices
Now compare each option with that idea:
- Eliminate choices that say the headphones are still limited to one setting, that reverse the timeline, or that mention a loss of popularity that the passage does not discuss.
- The only answer that accurately captures the pattern of growing use among different kinds of people is “have expanded well beyond their initial user group.”