Making Inferences

An INFERENCE is...

• A logical conclusion
• A guess based on evidence
• Both

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CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

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.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.1

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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CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RI.7.6

CCSS.RI.7.9

CCSS.RI.8.9

CCSS.RL.9-10.6

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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CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

CCSS.RI.9-10.1

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.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

To make good inferences you need to...

• read fast
• pay attention to details
• look up every unfamiliar word
• pick your nose

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CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

CCSS.RI.9-10.1

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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CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.7.2

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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CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.9-10.1

In your daily life, you can make inferences about people by observing their behavior.

• true
• false

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CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

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.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

CCSS.RI.9-10.1