Question 118·Easy·Inferences
A company wanting to lower employee stress conducted a study in one of its buildings. Half of the offices received several small potted plants, while the other half kept their usual décor. Three weeks later, employees completed a survey measuring daily stress. Those working in offices with plants reported significantly lower stress than those in offices without plants. Based on this result, it is reasonable to infer that ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
For inference questions like this, first restate in your own words what the passage actually shows or says, especially the cause-and-effect setup and the result. Then scan the answer choices and immediately cross out any that (1) introduce new topics or details not mentioned (like different objects, people’s preferences, or other variables), or (2) make extreme or absolute claims (like “stronger than any other” or “always”). Among the remaining choices, pick the one that most closely and modestly matches the study’s findings without adding extra assumptions.
Hints
Focus on what actually changed
Look at what the company changed between the two groups of offices. What was different about some offices compared to others?
Use the study’s result as your guide
The passage tells you the outcome of the study. Which group reported lower stress? Your answer should directly connect to that finding.
Watch for answers that add new ideas
Eliminate any choice that mentions things the passage never talks about (for example, specific causes of feeling relaxed, different kinds of plants, or other workspace features).
Check for overgeneralizations
Ask yourself: does this choice claim more than the study actually proved, like saying something is better than all other options or describing people’s preferences?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the study tested
The company changed one thing in some offices: they added several small potted plants. The other offices stayed the same. After three weeks, they measured employees’ daily stress with a survey. So the only deliberate difference between the two groups was the presence or absence of plants.
Identify the key result
The passage says that employees in offices with plants reported significantly lower stress than employees in offices without plants. That means there is a relationship between having plants in the office and lower stress levels in this study.
Decide what kind of conclusion is reasonable
Because this is one study with a specific change (adding plants), a reasonable inference will:
- Stay focused on live plants in workspaces and stress levels.
- Not introduce new variables the study did not test (such as lighting or artificial plants).
- Not claim more than the evidence shows (for example, not talking about what is “stronger than any other feature” or what employees “request”).
Match the choice that stays within the evidence
Only choice D (“having live plants in a workspace can help reduce workers' stress levels”) restates the study’s finding in a careful way, connecting live plants in offices to lower stress without adding extra claims. Therefore, the best answer is: having live plants in a workspace can help reduce workers' stress levels.