Inferences

The Bus Ride

Ramona, a twelve-year-old girl, was riding the bus to school. She hated the long, bumpy ride to school. This ride didn’t seem any different until the bus turned a corner and slid off the icy road into the ditch. After several attempts to back out of the ditch and some under-the-breath grumbling, Mac, the driver, told the kids that they would all have to walk to the nearest house. Ramona grabbed her backpack and exited the warm bus. She was up to her knees in snow. She trudged behind some of the older kids, trying to follow the path that they plowed through the deep snow. She pulled her knitted hat down over her ears and shoved her gloveless hands deep into her pockets. After hiking a couple hundred yards in the snow, they reached the house of the next would-have-been passenger.

Ramona heard the surprise in the mother’s voice when she answered the door. “What happened? Is everyone alright?”

The bus driver told the woman what had happened and asked if everyone could take shelter in her home, until other arrangements could be made.

She cheerfully welcomed the dozen or so of them into the house. Patrick, the boy who was supposed to have been picked up, was happy for the delay from school. All of the kids started asking if they were going to make it to school. Phone calls were made and the group was told to stay put until the road conditions improved.

Patrick’s mom set about making her guests comfortable. She baked chocolate chip cookies and made hot cocoa. The kids sat in front of the fireplace playing cards, laughing, and telling stories. Patrick showed Ramona and some of the others his room and his electric guitar.

It was a morning and afternoon that no one would forget. School was over by the time the country roads were clear. Parents came and picked up their children from Patrick’s house. Many words of thanks were expressed to Patrick’s mom.

The next day was clear and bright. Ramona sat on the edge of her seat willing the bus to slide off the road, but it did not.

Which sentence from the passage best shows that the children were having a good time?

• "Many words of thanks were expressed to Patrick's mom."

• "Patrick showed Ramona and some of the others his room and his electric guitar."

• "She cheerfully welcomed the dozen or so of them into the house."

• "The kids sat in front of the fireplace playing cards, laughing, and telling stories."

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RF.5.4C

Alfie

by T. Herlinger

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us, Alfie?" his mother asked him as she and Alfie's Dad were headed out the door. "It's a folk music concert I bet you'd really enjoy."

"That's alright, Mom. I think I'd rather stay home and watch a movie. You guys have a good time, though."

Alfie watched out the window as his parents drove away. His big sister Meg was upstairs doing her homework, and the house felt mighty quiet. Alfie got a soda from the fridge and then stood looking at all the stuff his family had tacked on the fridge door. There, front and center, was the "schedule" his mom kept of who had to be where and when. Alfie's name was only on it once—for his dental checkup. Meg's name was all over it, with her violin lessons, mostly—she was serious about the violin thing, even applying to music schools for college. The rest of the schedule was filled with concerts and plays and art gallery openings Alfie's parents were always going to.

Wow, Alfie thought as he glanced over the schedule. They're gone almost every night of the week! A feeling he did not like was creeping up on him. He was starting to wonder if he was boring because he didn't like to always be doing things. His idea of a good time was kicking back with a video of one of his favorite action movies and maybe munching on a bowl of popcorn. If he was feeling social, he might invite a friend over, but that was about it. Just as he was starting to feel that he must be too boring for even his parents to hang out with, the door opened and there was his dad.

"Did you forget something?" Alfie asked.

His dad smiled. "Yeah—you! We got about halfway there and decided we've been away from home too much lately. We'd much rather spend the evening with our number-one son. Started that movie yet?"

"You're just in time," Alfie beamed, and went to the kitchen to make the popcorn.

Based on the passage, the reader can guess that

• Meg wants to make music her career.

• Alfie and his family live in a small town.

• Alfie's mom does not like action movies.

• Meg always gets good grades in school.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

The Bus Ride

Ramona, a twelve-year-old girl, was riding the bus to school. She hated the long, bumpy ride to school. This ride didn’t seem any different until the bus turned a corner and slid off the icy road into the ditch. After several attempts to back out of the ditch and some under-the-breath grumbling, Mac, the driver, told the kids that they would all have to walk to the nearest house. Ramona grabbed her backpack and exited the warm bus. She was up to her knees in snow. She trudged behind some of the older kids, trying to follow the path that they plowed through the deep snow. She pulled her knitted hat down over her ears and shoved her gloveless hands deep into her pockets. After hiking a couple hundred yards in the snow, they reached the house of the next would-have-been passenger.

Ramona heard the surprise in the mother’s voice when she answered the door. “What happened? Is everyone alright?”

The bus driver told the woman what had happened and asked if everyone could take shelter in her home, until other arrangements could be made.

She cheerfully welcomed the dozen or so of them into the house. Patrick, the boy who was supposed to have been picked up, was happy for the delay from school. All of the kids started asking if they were going to make it to school. Phone calls were made and the group was told to stay put until the road conditions improved.

Patrick’s mom set about making her guests comfortable. She baked chocolate chip cookies and made hot cocoa. The kids sat in front of the fireplace playing cards, laughing, and telling stories. Patrick showed Ramona and some of the others his room and his electric guitar.

It was a morning and afternoon that no one would forget. School was over by the time the country roads were clear. Parents came and picked up their children from Patrick’s house. Many words of thanks were expressed to Patrick’s mom.

The next day was clear and bright. Ramona sat on the edge of her seat willing the bus to slide off the road, but it did not.

Which sentence from the story shows that Ramona lives in a rural area?

• "It was a morning and afternoon that no one would forget."

• "School was over by the time the country roads were clear."

• "Ramona grabbed her backpack and exited the warm bus."

• "Patrick's mom set about making her guests comfortable."

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

The Switched-up Saturday

Jada woke up feeling excited. She did not relax in bed like most Saturday mornings. Today, Jada quickly got dressed, ate breakfast, and cleaned her room. Just as Jada finished making her bed, her mom popped her head through the cracked doorway. The look on her face made Jada's smile fade quickly.

"Jada, I won't be able to take you to Briana's house today," Mom said softly. "I'm sorry."

Jada crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I've been waiting all week."

"I need to go to work. It's an emergency," Mom explained. "Maybe Trey can drive you over there later?"

Jada knew that was not going to happen. Her older brother would sleep the day away and then play video games all evening. But, Jada didn't want her mom to feel guilty, so she found her smile and said, "That's okay, Mom. Sorry you have to spend your Saturday working."

Her mother gave her a big hug and sighed, "Thanks for understanding."

Jada called Briana to tell her she could not come over.

"What are you going to do instead?" Brianna asked.

Jada looked around her clean room and shrugged, "I have no idea." After she hung up with her friend, Jada tried painting her fingernails, texting her friends, and dancing to music. She still felt antsy. Her eyes settled on her backpack. She pulled out her homework and got started.

"Wow! That's not like you!" Her mom smiled when Jada said she completed her homework early. "I should work on the weekends more often!"

Which TWO sentences support the conclusion that this is not a typical Saturday for Jada?

• She did not relax in bed like most Saturday mornings.

• Jada crossed her arms in front of her chest.

• Jada knew that was not going to happen.

• Her eyes settled on her backpack.

• Her mom smiled when Jada said she completed her homework early.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RI.7.1

The New Neighbors

by T. Herlinger

"Ugh, what's that noise?" Elsa Watson asked her dad when she got home from school. The apartment was fairly shaking with what sounded like World War III coming from the unit below them.

"It's our new neighbors." Mr. Watson said and rolled his eyes. "They evidently like to watch high-action movies all day on that giant flat-screen TV that I saw them unload. I should've known that thing would bring us grief."

Just then, Elsa's little brother Jimmy walked in, plugging his ears. "Jeez!" he yelled. "Do we have to listen to this?"

Mr. Watson set out a plate of cookies for his kids as he spoke. "I went down there earlier to say "howdy" and asked if they could keep the volume a bit lower. I guess this is their idea of 'lower.' It's a young couple, named Sid and Rita, and they said they work nights and hang out at home during the day."

"When do they sleep?" Elsa asked, her head pounding with the booming noise from below.

"They don't need sleep," Mr. Watson joked. "They're young."

"Why couldn't our old neighbors, the Bowers, have stayed here and not moved to Florida?" Jimmy whined.

By dinnertime, the noise had stopped. Elsa was relishing the quiet, but she knew it would only start up again the next day.

"Hey, where's Mom?" Elsa asked her dad as they were sitting down at the dining table.

But before he could answer, in she walked, carrying a brown paper bag and grinning.

"I think I have the answer to our little noise problem," Mrs. Watson said as she kissed her kids on top of their heads. And from the bag, she produced not one but two boxes from the local electronics store. "Headphones," she announced, "his and hers. Thought I'd bring them cookies tomorrow and these little housewarming gifts."

"You mean house-quieting gifts, don't you?" Mr. Watson said. "It's brilliant, my dear, just brilliant."

Which of Mr. Watson's actions shows that he is unhappy about the neighbors?

• He sets out cookies.

• He rolls his eyes.

• He cracks jokes a lot.

• He watches them move in.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

Lost and Found

Kim and Chieko walked home from school together each day. One afternoon as they walked through the park, Chieko saw something shiny lying on the ground. She pointed it out to Kim.

"It's a watch," Kim said, bending down to pick it up. She ran her fingers across the diamonds surrounding the watch face.

"Let me see," Chieko said. "Is it broken?"

"No, the watch is fine, but look. The clasp on the strap is broken. I bet the person who lost it doesn't even know it fell off."

"What should I do?" Chieko asked.

"You should keep it," Kim said. "It's beautiful—finders-keepers you know."

"One time I lost my necklace," Chieko said, putting her hand up to touch the blue stone that hung from a silver chain around her neck. "The clasp broke, and my necklace fell onto the school parking lot. When I realized it was gone, I rushed to the office to ask if anyone had turned it in. I didn't think that anyone had. If someone had found it, I was afraid they would keep it. I was so sad."

"So, what happened?" Kim asked.

"Someone did turn it in," Chieko said. "That was one of my happiest days."

"So, what are you going to do?" Kim asked.

"I plan on putting up flyers to see if someone has lost it," Chieko replied.

How does the reader know that the watch is expensive?

• It has a broken clasp.

• It has diamonds on the face.

• It is on a silver chain.

• It is lying on the ground.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

The Bus Ride

Ramona, a twelve-year-old girl, was riding the bus to school. She hated the long, bumpy ride to school. This ride didn’t seem any different until the bus turned a corner and slid off the icy road into the ditch. After several attempts to back out of the ditch and some under-the-breath grumbling, Mac, the driver, told the kids that they would all have to walk to the nearest house. Ramona grabbed her backpack and exited the warm bus. She was up to her knees in snow. She trudged behind some of the older kids, trying to follow the path that they plowed through the deep snow. She pulled her knitted hat down over her ears and shoved her gloveless hands deep into her pockets. After hiking a couple hundred yards in the snow, they reached the house of the next would-have-been passenger.

Ramona heard the surprise in the mother’s voice when she answered the door. “What happened? Is everyone alright?”

The bus driver told the woman what had happened and asked if everyone could take shelter in her home, until other arrangements could be made.

She cheerfully welcomed the dozen or so of them into the house. Patrick, the boy who was supposed to have been picked up, was happy for the delay from school. All of the kids started asking if they were going to make it to school. Phone calls were made and the group was told to stay put until the road conditions improved.

Patrick’s mom set about making her guests comfortable. She baked chocolate chip cookies and made hot cocoa. The kids sat in front of the fireplace playing cards, laughing, and telling stories. Patrick showed Ramona and some of the others his room and his electric guitar.

It was a morning and afternoon that no one would forget. School was over by the time the country roads were clear. Parents came and picked up their children from Patrick’s house. Many words of thanks were expressed to Patrick’s mom.

The next day was clear and bright. Ramona sat on the edge of her seat willing the bus to slide off the road, but it did not.

Which sentence from the passage suggests that it was cold outside?

• "Ramona sat on the edge of her seat willing the bus to slide off the road, but it did not."

• "She pulled her knitted hat down over her ears and shoved her gloveless hands deep into her pockets."

• "Patrick, the boy who was supposed to have been picked up, was happy for the delay from school."

• "Phone calls were made and the group was told to stay put until the road conditions improved."

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RI.5.1

Vacation

It had been raining for days, and Sarah almost believed that the water was now seeping through the walls and the floor. The centuries-old castle belonged to Sarah's aunt and uncle. She had been sent to stay with them while her parents cruised around the Mediterranean Sea for the summer, and Sarah had quickly grown tired of the grey, cold weather in northern Scotland. Still, Sarah enjoyed looking out her bedroom window at the emerald meadows that stretched for miles toward the nearby lake.

Sarah got up from her window seat and went downstairs. In the kitchen, she smelled breakfast being cooked. Sarah's Aunt Lana looked up at her with a smile and wiped her hands on a dishtowel. Lana asked if Sarah had read anything good lately, and Sarah shook her head.

"When we moved here, all I wanted to do was read," Lana said. "So whenever I had free time, I would go down to the rocks on the lakeshore and read for hours."

Sarah remembered what her aunt had said. After breakfast, she carried a book down the path to the lake. She found a flat spot in the rocks to sit. After a while, Sarah looked out over the water, calm and covered with a thin layer of mist. Suddenly, Sarah was struck with the urge to write. She picked up her book and ran back to the house, searching for a pen and notebook.

For the next several weeks, Sarah spent every morning between breakfast and lunch at her new spot on the lakeshore. Something about the cool air and the calm water made her feel very creative. She wrote about everything. Sarah described the land around her, the castle, and the people she met. She wrote letters to her parents about helping Aunt Lana cook.

At the end of the summer, Sarah felt torn. She was excited to see her friends again, but she wondered if she would be able to write so freely back home. Sarah grabbed her notebook from her luggage as she headed back home. She knew she wanted to keep writing down everything she could.

Which sentence shows that Sarah has most likely found a new hobby?

• Still, Sarah enjoyed looking out her bedroom window at the emerald meadows that stretched for miles toward the nearby lake.

• Lana asked if Sarah had read anything good lately, and Sarah shook her head.

• After breakfast, she carried a book down the path to the lake.

• After a while, Sarah looked out over the water, calm and covered with a thin layer of mist.

• She wrote about everything.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

The New Neighbors

by T. Herlinger

"Ugh, what's that noise?" Elsa Watson asked her dad when she got home from school. The apartment was fairly shaking with what sounded like World War III coming from the unit below them.

"It's our new neighbors." Mr. Watson said and rolled his eyes. "They evidently like to watch high-action movies all day on that giant flat-screen TV that I saw them unload. I should've known that thing would bring us grief."

Just then, Elsa's little brother Jimmy walked in, plugging his ears. "Jeez!" he yelled. "Do we have to listen to this?"

Mr. Watson set out a plate of cookies for his kids as he spoke. "I went down there earlier to say "howdy" and asked if they could keep the volume a bit lower. I guess this is their idea of 'lower.' It's a young couple, named Sid and Rita, and they said they work nights and hang out at home during the day."

"When do they sleep?" Elsa asked, her head pounding with the booming noise from below.

"They don't need sleep," Mr. Watson joked. "They're young."

"Why couldn't our old neighbors, the Bowers, have stayed here and not moved to Florida?" Jimmy whined.

By dinnertime, the noise had stopped. Elsa was relishing the quiet, but she knew it would only start up again the next day.

"Hey, where's Mom?" Elsa asked her dad as they were sitting down at the dining table.

But before he could answer, in she walked, carrying a brown paper bag and grinning.

"I think I have the answer to our little noise problem," Mrs. Watson said as she kissed her kids on top of their heads. And from the bag, she produced not one but two boxes from the local electronics store. "Headphones," she announced, "his and hers. Thought I'd bring them cookies tomorrow and these little housewarming gifts."

"You mean house-quieting gifts, don't you?" Mr. Watson said. "It's brilliant, my dear, just brilliant."

What can the reader tell about the Watsons' previous neighbors, the Bowers?

• Mrs. Watson gets them headphones.

• They are much quieter people.

• Jimmy doesn't like them very much.

• They will soon be returning to the area.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.5.1

The School Play

Finally the big day had arrived. It was opening day for the school play, and Carly had the lead role. Carly and the rest of the cast had been practicing after school for nearly two months. They were anxious and excited at the same time because this was the first time that the fifth grade students at South Elementary were putting on a play, and the whole community was eager to see the children perform. Mrs. Johns made sure that all the sets were ready and that the costumes were just right. All of the students had learned their lines carefully.

As the curtain was about to open at the start of the play, Carly suddenly became frightened about performing in front of so many people. She then realized that she was prepared and thrilled to be acting in this play. She took a deep breath and practiced her opening line in her head. Just then, Mrs. Johns raised the curtain, and Carly forgot all about being nervous. All of the students quickly got into character and performed perfectly. The first fifth grade play was a success!

Which detail from the story suggests that Carly is confident?

• She rehearses her part every afternoon after school.

• She has the lead role in the play.

• She overcomes her fear of speaking to an audience.

• She remembers all of her lines.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.4.3