Making Inferences

The construction of the Tower of Pisa began in 1174. The builders made a big mistake. They built the foundation in sand, and sand shifts frequently. Over the years the tower started to lean. It now is more than 16 feet out of line. What is an inference one could make about modern builders based on this passage?

• They don't build towers.

• They are smarter than builders were a long time ago.

• They don't build on sand.

• They don't make mistakes in modern construction.

The construction of the Tower of Pisa began in 1174. The builders made a big mistake. They built the foundation in sand, and sand shifts frequently. Over the years the tower started to lean. It now is more than 16 feet out of line. What can you infer caused the Tower of Pisa to lean?

• The builders made mistakes in the design of the tower.

• The shifting sand caused the tower to lean.

• Construction of the tower began in 1174.

• They used weak material to build the tower.

Men and women button their clothes differently. There is a good reason for this difference. Buttons were first used to fasten clothes more than 700 years ago. Buttons were expensive then, and only rich people could buy them. Most men are right handed, so men's clothes were made to be buttoned easily by right-handed men. In those days most rich women were dressed by their right-handed servants. The servants faced the women to button their clothes. Women's clothes had buttons on the left so they could be buttoned easily by the servants. What inference could be made about men more than 700 years ago?

• Poor men wore clothes with buttons too.

• The men were too lazy to fasten their own buttons.

• Rich men dressed themselves.

• Men didn't like buttons on their clothes.

Men and women button their clothes differently. There is a good reason for this difference. Buttons were first used to fasten clothes more than 700 years ago. Buttons were expensive then, and only rich people could buy them. Most men are right handed, so men's clothes were made to be buttoned easily by right-handed men. In those days most rich women were dressed by their right-handed servants. The servants faced the women to button their clothes. Women's clothes had buttons on the left so they could be buttoned easily by the servants. What is the best reason to explain why buttons were so expensive long ago?

• Each button had to be made one at a time, so it took a long time to make many buttons.

• The people that sold buttons were greedy.

• Everyone wanted clothes with buttons.

• The government put a high tax on them.

Rodney bragged to his friend that he could find his way around anywhere. One day, though, Rodney was delivering pizza in a strange part of town. Though he searched for half an hour, he could not locate the address. Finally he had to stop to ask for directions. His face turned red, and he stuttered as he asked how to find the place. What is an inference we could make about Rodney based on this story?

• Rodney hated his job delivering pizzas.

• Rodney did not have many friends.

• Rodney was embarrassed to have to ask for directions.

• Rodney was a college student.

Rodney bragged to his friend that he could find his way around anywhere. One day, though, Rodney was delivering pizza in a strange part of town. Though he searched for half an hour, he could not locate the address. Finally he had to stop to ask for directions. His face turned red, and he stuttered as he asked how to find the place. What else can we infer about Rodney based on this incident?

• Rodney had not lived in this town very long.

• Rodney was not paying attention while on his job.

• Rodney had a rash on his face.

• Rodney did not have a city map with him.

Mary worked as a cook in a cafe. One day she got the great idea to cook the world's largest pancake. For days she worked to build a giant frying pan. Then she mixed pancake batter all night long. When she poured the batter in the pan and heard the familiar sizzle, she knew her idea had worked. What can we infer about Mary based on this passage?

• Mary liked to do unusual things.

• Mary had three people working for her.

• Mary's ideas always were successful.

• Mary did not like her boss at the cafe.

Mary worked as a cook in a cafe. One day she got the great idea to cook the world's largest pancake. For days she worked to build a giant frying pan. Then she mixed pancake batter all night long. When she poured the batter in the pan and heard the familiar sizzle, she knew her idea had worked. What can we infer was a result of Mary's hard work?

• Mary was fired from her job.

• Mary quit her job and became an inventor.

• The large pancake made Mary famous.

• The pancake stuck to the pan.

Scientists measure the distances in space in light-years. A light-year is the distance that light travels in 365 days. A light-year is about 5,880 billion miles. The closest star to Earth is about 4.3 light-years away. That means that the light from the star took 4.3 years to reach Earth. What is an inference we can make about the light we see from stars based on this passage?

• All light from stars reaches Earth at the same time.

• The light has traveled through space for many years.

• Stars give off different colors of light based on their age.

• The light from the stars can hurt your eyes if you look at it too long.

Scientists measure the distances in space in light-years. A light-year is the distance that light travels in 365 days. A light-year is about 5,880 billion miles. The closest star to Earth is about 4.3 light-years away. That means that the light from the star took 4.3 years to reach Earth. Based on this passage, what is an inference we can make about stars?

• Stars have five points on them.

• Light from the stars travels at different speeds.

• Stars are all the same distance from Earth.

• The farther away a star is, the longer it takes the light to reach the Earth.