Making Inferences

Water from California’s northern mountains is pumped south along a 400-mile canal through the farming communities of the Central Valley. Not only is this canal system a marvel of modern engineering, its water fuels the state’s economic engine. In 2006, these farms produced $31 billion-worth of food and fiber, more than any other state. By contrast, world-wide ticket sales of Hollywood movies, a more famous export of California, totaled $25 billion that year.
What inference can the reader make from this paragraph?

• The author thinks it is more important to eat than go to movies.
• Water is a precious resource and shouldn't be wasted on making movies.
• The writer thinks moving water to the Central Valley is a good investment.
• The movie industry is more important to California than farming.

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When I was ten years old, I had to arrive home by 8 o'clock in the evening. When I was thirteen years old, I had to arrive home by 8 o'clock in the evening. When I was sixteen years old, I had to arrive home by 8 o'clock in the evening. Shortly after my sixteenth birthday, I decided that I was going to ask my mom if I could get a car, but I never went through with it. Knowing how my mother would respond, I was reluctant to ask her such a question. So, rather than ask her if I could get a car, I decided to start out smaller and ask her why I had to be home so early in the evening.   I built up my courage, walked into the living room, and asked her. She answered the same way she answered the majority of my questions, "rules are rules." From the point of view of a sixteen-year-old who grew up in a fairly sheltered environment, her logic was flawless. Things are the way they are because that's the way they are.   As I grew older, her logic became less convincing, and "rules are rules" held less sway over me. Surely, my mom knew that it would happen, that I would break from her rules and strike out on my own. After all, she is the person who encouraged me to go to a college that's halfway across the country from my hometown. I'm certain that she knew that I would exercise my newfound freedom when I arrived there, but I don't think she could have imagined how far I would take that freedom.  
Which of these is an inference that can be supported by the passage above

• The author of this passage got into trouble with the police.
• The author of this passage has graduated from college.
• The author of this passage was raised by a strict mother.
• The author of this passage does not like his or her mother.

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Which of these is an inference that can be supported by the passage above? Tony was delighted to see the pavement disappearing under the attack of the bulldozers. The more park, the better, he thought. His delight gradually turned to concern, however, when it became clear that the construction workers were also laying the forms for new pavement, much more pavement than had been there before.  
Which of the following can you infer from the passage above?   

• Tony was in the construction business.
• Tony enjoyed spending time in the park.
•  Tony was an avid environmentalist.
• Tony was in the construction business.
  

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The launch of the space shuttle Atlantis has been postponed while NASA evaluates a problem with the new robot arm on space station Alpha. The arm will be used to carry out the installation of a new U.S.-built airlock on the space station.

What can you infer from this paragraph? 

• The robot space arm is critical to the space shuttle's mission.
• The robot arm was poorly constructed.
• The space shuttle experiences frequent launch delays.
• The space program is very expensive.

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a preacher and a civil rights leader. He was born in 1929 and died in 1968. In 1963, he organized the March on Washington, which brought more than 200,000 people together. In 1964, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
 In 1968, he was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee, by an assassin's bullet on the balcony of the motel where he was staying. James Earl Ray was convicted of his murder.

Which of the following can you infer from the passage above? 

• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a major political figure in the 1960s.
• James Earl Ray was a racist man.
• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a great public speaker.
• Memphis, Tennessee is an extremely dangerous city.

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Chip grabbed a bagel on his way out the door. "See you this afternoon," he yelled to his dad, who was getting ready to go to work.
 "Got everything you need?" his dad asked.   "Yep, it's all in here," Chip said, pointing to his backpack.   "Good luck on that English test," his dad said.   "I'll need it!"
Where is Chip going? 

• to his friend's house
• to band practice
• to school
• to the library

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Jill couldn't believe it was only June 15th. All of her friends from school had taken summer jobs, she didn't have brothers or sisters, and after a couple of weeks, television made a very poor companion. She had already finished three books and started a fourth, a great mystery that only made her more desperate to have something to do. Jill decided it was time for her to find something to do.

Which of the following can you infer from the passage above? 

• Jill will be bored for the rest of the summer.
• Jill is a very lazy person.
• Jill will look for a job.
• Jill hates the summers.

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I love to go into my sister's room. On her shelf she has shiny trophies—gold and silver, tall and short, skinny and wide. All of the trophies have athletes on top swinging golf clubs. My favorite trophy is one that is as tall as my arm is long. "City Champion 2001" it says on its engraved front. It is beautiful and impressive!
What inference can the reader draw based on the information in the passage? 

• The person relating the passage is a younger sister.
• The sister is a very good golfer.
• The person relating the passage plays golf also.
• The sister is a professional golfer.

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Tiffany has always been really good at drawing. Her mother used to hang her pictures up on the refrigerator, but Tiffany’s pictures soon covered it. Then her mom started keeping her drawings in scrapbooks.   “You could make a career as a visual artist,” her mom said. “Why don’t you sign up for an art class?”   Although she was reluctant to let anyone outside her family see her work, Tiffany added art to her high school schedule. Within a few months, the students began painting. She decided to do a watercolor portrait inspired by her family’s trip to Africa last summer. I loved all the grass on the savannah, Tiffany thought. If I mix these two colors, I’ll have the perfect green.   She worked on her painting for hours, but it was worth it. Everyone in class loved her watercolor painting, especially her art teacher, Mrs. Sloan.   “You have so much potential, Tiffany,” Mrs. Sloan said. “You would be a great candidate for the Young Artist Development Program this summer.” She gave Tiffany an application and told her to take it home for her parents to fill it out.   After school, Tiffany was both excited and nervous. “I was really afraid to try painting at first, but now I love it,” Tiffany said. “I can’t wait to get home to show Mom my latest masterpiece! She’ll probably put this one in a frame.”
Which of these books would Tiffany enjoy reading based on the passage?

• a book on how to stay cool outdoors in the summer
• a book about great women athletes in history
• a book on how to write an interesting biography
• a book about great twentieth-century artists

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“I can’t believe Emily’s going to be here!” Maria squealed with glee as she jumped up and down in her room. Her favorite singer was performing at a local theater this weekend.  The show will cost $15, and I really want to go with all my friends, she thought. But I don’t get paid until the Monday after the concert. Suddenly, Emily coming to town didn’t seem so exciting after all.  Maria had been working as a cashier at the local supermarket on weekends and sometimes after school. The past few months she had been saving her paychecks to buy her father a good birthday present. Dad always complained that he never gets gifts as good as Mom’s on his birthday, Maria thought. She had asked him what he wanted and had saved up enough money to buy the cordless drill set. Maria couldn’t wait to see his face when he opened the gift on his birthday, which was also Monday.  Maria decided to ask her mom for advice. “I could borrow money to pay for the concert from my savings, but then I won’t be able to buy Dad’s gift this weekend,” she said. “I could get him something else, but what if he doesn’t like it?”  “Well, honey, what do you think you should do?” her mom responded after Maria told her the problem.  “I’m not sure, Mom. Who knows when Emily will come back to town again?” she replied. “This could be my only opportunity to see her in  mom said, “Looks like you have a tough decision to make, but think about what your father would do if the tables were turned.” She patted Maria on the shoulder before she walked out the room.  A couple of months before her birthday every year, Maria’s father would always start asking questions to get an idea about what to get her. He always gets me exactly what I ask for on my birthday, she thought. Dad deserves the same special treatment.  Maria grabbed her purse and headed to the shopping center.  
Which of these can be inferred from the last sentence in the passage? 

• Maria is going to ask her mom to buy her dad the drill.
• Maria is going to the concert and will tell her dad she forgot his birthday.
• Maria is on her way to buy her dad's birthday present.
• Maria is on her way to buy her and her friends concert tickets.

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