Inferences

Inference

Reading Strategy

Multiple Choice

Read the following paragraph from an interview with the hiring director at Wizz Trains.

“First of all, my key piece of advice to young people would be that you should always make sure that you’re applying for a job you could see yourself enjoying. Even if you have some idea of the area you’d like to go into, don’t put all your eggs in one basket before you’ve really thought it all through. Sit down with a careers adviser and make sure to have a think about all of the options available to you, think outside of the box and don’t be afraid to take a risk."

What does the phrase "think outside of the box" suggest about the attitude which the speaker believes young people should have while looking for jobs?

• You should apply for more than one job

• You should only apply for jobs which you will enjoy

• You should apply to as many jobs as possible

• You should think differently and creatively

Multiple Choice

Read the following paragraph from an interview with the hiring director at Wizz Trains.

"When you’re sure that you know what you want to do, find out everything you can about the company before writing a cover letter and attending any interviews. If you want to stay ahead of the pack, you need to be doing extra research. Even if everything you’ve read doesn’t come up in the interview, employers will be able to see that you’ve gone the extra mile and it will be sure to make an impression."

What does the phrase "gone the extra mile" suggest about how the speaker believes you should prepare for job interviews?

• You should speak confidently

• You should be polite

• You should do more than is expected of you

• You should be willing to travel a long way

Multiple Choice

Read the following paragraph from an interview with the hiring director at Wizz Trains.

"Finally, the job market today is truly cutthroat, and it’s an unfortunate fact that young people simply have to develop a thick skin to deal with rejection. It’s unlikely that you’ll get the first job you apply for, and you’ll have to be prepared to learn from it and head back to the drawing board with your chin up. If I had to give a ballpark number, I’d say most people apply to at least six positions before landing their first permanent role, so don’t take it to heart if this happens to you."

Which word or phrase suggests that it is currently very difficult for young people to find a job?

• take it to heart

• thick skin

• a ballpark number

• cutthroat

Multiple Choice

Read the following paragraph from an interview with the hiring director at Wizz Trains.

"Finally, the job market today is truly cutthroat, and it’s an unfortunate fact that young people simply have to develop a thick skin to deal with rejection. It’s unlikely that you’ll get the first job you apply for, and you’ll have to be prepared to learn from it and head back to the drawing board with your chin up. If I had to give a ballpark number, I’d say most people apply to at least six positions before landing their first permanent role, so don’t take it to heart if this happens to you."

Which word or phrase suggests that the statement "most people apply to at least six positions" does not include an accurate statistic?

• permanent role

• take it to heart

• thick skin

• ballpark number

Multiple Choice

Read the following paragraph from an interview with the hiring director at Wizz Trains.

"Finally, the job market today is truly cutthroat, and it’s an unfortunate fact that young people simply have to develop a thick skin to deal with rejection. It’s unlikely that you’ll get the first job you apply for, and you’ll have to be prepared to learn from it and head back to the drawing board with your chin up. If I had to give a ballpark number, I’d say most people apply to at least six positions before landing their first permanent role, so don’t take it to heart if this happens to you."

Which word or phrase suggests that the reader should always stay positive even if they are rejected?

• with your chin up

• young people have to develop a thick skin

• a ballpark number

• The job market is truly cutthroat

Multiple Choice

"Joe's complaints fell on deaf ears, and his friends continued with the trip as planned."

What can we infer from this sentence?

• Joe's friends listened to his complaints.

• Joe's friends continued with the trip as planned.

• Joe's complaints were ignored.

• Joe's complaints fell on deaf ears.

Multiple Choice

"Despite the amount of brilliant job opportunities available to people who speak a foreign language, most young people in the UK are, unfortunately, only able to speak English."

What can we infer from this sentence?

• Learning foreign languages is very difficult.

• There are a lot brilliant job opportunities available to people who speak a foreign language.

• Young people should be more encouraged to learn a foreign language.

• Most young people in the UK are only able to speak English.