Inference-Tutorials

Inference-Tutorials

By Keshia Neal-Bolden

Multiple Choice

Bobby was lying in bed when he heard a loud boom and saw a flash of light in the sky outside his window. He pulled the covers over his head and curled into a ball. When he heard another boom, he jumped out of the bed and quickly ran into the room next door. "Can I sleep with you tonight?" he asked the woman sitting in the bed.

The reader can conclude that Bobby is -

• Happy

• Excited

• Scared

• Annoyed

Multiple Choice

Can you infer the cause of this picture?

• He was not looking where he was going.
• He was in a hurry and was peddling too fast.
• His backpack was too heavy.
• He was trying to drive the bike in the rain while holding an umbrella and lost his balance.

Multiple Choice

Can you infer what has happened in this picture?

• airing out stinky feet
• foot fungus
• ant bite
• sunburn and blister

Multiple Choice

What happened?

• He tripped over his shoe string.
• He was rushing and stumped his toe on the door stopper. 
• His arms were too full.
• He slipped on the wet floor.

Multiple Choice

Joseph and Caitlin were choosing the players for their teams. It was Caitlin's turn to choose, and only Jason was left. Caitlin said, "Jason."

We can infer that…

• Jason was the best player.
• Caitlin wanted Jason on her team.
• Jason was not a very good player.
• Caitlin had a hard time choosing a team member.

Multiple Choice

Q1. An inference is...

• Text evidence + what you know

• Retelling a text

• Making a guess without evidence

Multiple Choice

Based on the image, what time of day is it?

• Night

• Morning or Afternoon

• Evening

Multiple Choice

Based on this picture, what season is it?

• Summer

• Fall

• Spring

• Winter

Multiple Choice

Ana and Sophie sat in their chairs staring straight ahead for nearly two hours. They did not talk or hardly even move, but they were not bored at all. Where were Ana and Sophie?

• At the movies

• In class

• At church

• At a football game

Authors do not always tell everything, but you can always find out more about the story or text by using what you already know. Then you can learn more from what you read.

Inference

a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning.

Multiple Choice

Mr. Martin looked at his watch.  Then, he took a bus list out of his bag and looked at it for a moment.  A few minutes later, he looked at his watch again and sighed.
Why does Mr. Martin keep looking at his watch?

• the bus is late
• his watch is broken
• his watch is cool
• his car is out of gas

Multiple Choice

It was 8:30 on Thursday night. Emily stared at the large, empty poster board on her bed. Then she looked at the stack of books about Abraham Lincoln on her desk. Emily began to cry. Why do you think Emily was crying?

• She wanted a different color poster

• It was late and she had a lot of schoolwork to complete before she could end her night

• She did not want to go to sleep

• She wanted a book about George Washington instead

Multiple Choice

What is an inference?

•  An inference is something that you think is true based on information that you have.
• An inference is directly written in the text

Inference

What I Read + What I Know = What I Infer

How do you make an inference?

• With background knowledge and by using text clues.

Multiple Choice

The scout leader looked at the sky and muttered something under his breath. Then he looked at the map. "Let's get moving." He called to the group of tired boys. "The faster the better." Why do you think the scout leader started rushing the boys?

• They were going to be late for dinner

• They were going to miss their ride that was waiting for them

• It was about to rain

• The sun was about to cause it to be too hot for them to stay out much longer

Multiple Choice

Which sentence supports that Jack is feeling sleepy?

• Jack went to bed late because he was at a birthday party.
• Jackʼs eyes were droopy and his eyelids felt really heavy.
• Jack put his head down on the desk.
• Jack was not paying attention to the lesson.

Multiple Choice

When making an inference, the most important thing is...

• What you know about the topic

• Knowing the text structure

• Knowing all of the characters

• Being able to prove your inference using evidence from the text.

Inference

An inference means taking what you already know (background knowledge) PLUS what the author tells us in the text (EVIDENCE).

Multiple Choice

Rachel was on her way to volunteer at the animal shelter. She was very excited! She really liked dogs. Her brother was allergic to dogs, however, so she was rarely around them. Rachel had a lot of fun playing with the puppies, but after her shift, itchy bumps appeared on her arms.

It is likely that:

• Mosquitoes bit Rachel

• Rachel fell in poison ivy

• Rachel is allergic to dogs, too

• Rachel was already sick

Multiple Choice

Latonya chased the children around the slide. Children

swung their legs swinging back and forth trying to soar

as high as possible. Two more raced around in a rapid

paced game of tag. A few more kicked a ball around in a

field.

What is the setting?

• a school gym room

• the zoo

• the desert

• a park

Multiple Choice

As I walked in the door, I was amazed at the beautiful colors and smells. I knew it would be hard to decide what I would buy with my $3. The chocolate truffles looked delicious, but they were expensive. The jelly beans were not only cheaper, but so colorful! With so much to choose from, I knew I would be here a long time. Where am I?

• A) Gas Station

• B) Grocery Store

• C) Candy Store

• D) Shoe Store

Multiple Choice

Tim looked out the window. The house looked so lonely. Tim's father put the last suitcase in the trunk and started up the car. Thor, his dog, put his head on Tim's lap, like he understood how Tim was feeling. "It's okay, Thor," he said. "Dad says we will like California."

What is happening?

• Tim is sad because his dog doesn't have a house to live in.

• Tim is taking Thor to live with his grandmother.

• Tim is taking a trip to visit people he doesn't know.

• Tim is moving to California with his family.

Multiple Choice

I arrived early for my appointment. The place was busy and smelled of chemicals. I found a place to sit and wait. The lady next to me had a towel around her head. I heard a blow dryer in the distance. It was loud over the music that was playing.

Where am I?

• The hair salon
• A restaurant
• At school
• At the doctor

More about inferences

You make inferences all the time when you read. When you make an inference, you think about your understanding of a text, think about your own experiences, and then conclude certain information based on these two factors. Since authors do not always tell readers directly everything that takes place in a story or text, good readers take what details the author does offer, and they infer, or assume, certain conclusions. Making inferences helps you understand the text and allows you to make predictions, using text evidence to support your understanding.

Multiple Choice

Gavin plays baseball and accidentally breaks a window.  How do you think he feels?

• He is scared of getting in trouble.
• He feels happy and excited he threw the ball so hard.
• He can't wait to break another window.
• He is thinking he should study his spelling words.

Multiple Choice

How might a character act if he felt sad? 

• put his head down and sigh 
• yell and jump up and down 
• smile and wave
• laugh until his side hurt