Read the passage about the philosophy of pragmatism and choose the inference that can be correctly drawn regarding truth, experience, and reality.

Introduction / Context:
This reading comprehension and inference question is based on a short passage that explains the philosophy of pragmatism. The passage discusses how the mind deals with ideas rather than reality directly and how pragmatists think about truth. Your task is to identify which statement follows logically as an inference, not just which sentence repeats lines from the passage.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The passage says the mind can only deal with ideas, not reality itself.
• It suggests that whether something is true is not about matching an absolute external reality but about consistency with our experience.
• Reality as such is referred to as a metaphysical issue.
• You must choose the statement that best expresses a conclusion that can reasonably be drawn from these points.

Concept / Approach:
In pragmatism, truth is seen as something that is validated by its practical consequences and by how well it fits with experience. The key link in the passage is between truth and experience. A valid inference should capture this relationship clearly. The correct option will not merely repeat individual phrases from the passage but will summarise the idea that experiences play a central role in deciding what we call true.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the core claim. The passage states that truth is not defined by correspondence to an absolute reality but by consistency with our experience. Step 2: Consider option A, "Our experiences define our concept of reality." This is partly suggested but focuses mainly on reality rather than directly on truth, and the passage emphasises truth as consistency with experience, not necessarily that reality is defined by experience. Step 3: Consider option B, "Reality is a metaphysical issue." This is mentioned in the passage, but as a direct statement, not as an inference. The question asks for an inference rather than a restatement. Step 4: Consider option C, "Pragmatism and reality are two sides of the same coin." This is not supported. The passage does not say pragmatism and reality are equivalent or inseparable. Step 5: Consider option D, "Our experiences enable us to determine the truth." This directly captures the main claim that truth is about consistency with experience, making it a logical inference. Step 6: Conclude that option D is the best inference because it connects truth with experience in the way the passage describes.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, restate the passage in your own words: according to pragmatism, the mind only accesses ideas, and what we call truth is judged by how well these ideas match our experiences. This means that experiences serve as the test or measure of truth. Option D expresses exactly that: experiences enable us to determine whether an idea counts as true. Options A and B are either incomplete or direct restatements, while option C introduces a relationship that is never described.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A focuses on reality rather than truth and goes a step further than the passage, which is risky as an inference. Option B simply repeats a phrase that reality is a metaphysical issue but does not express a new conclusion. Option C is clearly unsupported and can be rejected because the passage never claims pragmatism and reality are two sides of the same coin. The question is about inference, so we prefer an option that reorganises the key idea in a new but faithful way, which is what option D does.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often confuse inference questions with direct fact questions. They either pick an option that copies a line from the passage word for word or they choose a statement that sounds philosophically deep but is not actually supported. The safest method is to identify the main conceptual link the passage emphasises and find the option that restates this link in clear and simple language. Here, the crucial link is between truth and experience, not between experience and reality in general.

Final Answer:
The correct inference from the passage on pragmatism is Our experiences enable us to determine the truth.