Making Inferences

Braedon sat in the empty classroom and stared at the floor. It was 4:30pm and school had been over for half an hour, but he still had to sit there. He could over hear his teacher talking to the principal in the hallway about what had happened during class. He put his head in his hands and sighed.
What may the reader best infer from the passage?

• The principal and the teacher are making fun of Braedon.
• Braedon is in detention because he had acted out in class.
• The teacher is getting paid extra to oversee detention.
• Braedon is proud of his poor behavior.

Jessica's favorite part about the weekend was going to Rockin' Records with her friends. Rockin' Records was the local music store just down the road from her house. On weekend afternoons, Jessica and her friends would walk down to the store to shop for new music.
What may the reader conclude about Jessica's friends?

• They like music.
• They like to exercise by walking places.
• They do what Jessica tells them to do.
• They live far away and drive to the store.

When Tommy came back into the kitchen, Katie and her farther were still cleaning up from lunch. "Dad," said Tommy, "do you know where I can find the-" He trailed off, realizing that he couldn't mention wrapping paper. He would give the surprise away, and Tommy would hate to ruin the surprise before he had to.
What will the speaker most likely do next?

• Ask Katie for the wrapping paper.
• Ask Dad to find he wrapping paper.
• Not wrap the presents.
• Go an search for the wrapping paper by himself.

His mother understood then how Tyerell felt just by looking at him. She saw that he wanted to stay in the house forever because of all the memories he had at this old place. They still had to leave, but she wanted to help her son feel better about what was going to happen in a few days.
The author assumes the reader most likely knows-

• Tyerell is too sentimental and needs to get over it.
• Tyerell & his mom are moving.
• Tyerell's mom is making her son upset on purpose.
• Tyerell & his mom are going on vacation.

I am now here to stay. Hateful divisions caused by the caste system force me to fight for the rights of all Indians in my homeland. The "untouchables," especially, are being denied their basic human rights. This cannot be tolerated.
          -The Journals of Mahatma Gandhi, India, 1915
What problem does Gandi face?

• The violation of human rights.
• Defending people who don't deserve to be defended.
• The caste system working according to plan.
• Having been away from India too long and allowed things to get out of control.

Daylight Savings time refers to the practice of setting our clocks an hour forward in the spring and back in the fall to maximize the amount of sunshine during our waking hours. Ben Franklin came up with the plan to "save" daylight by turning the clocks an hour ahead, thus bring our waking hours into closer harmony with daylight.
What may the read conclude about Ben Franklin?

• He liked to make people sleepy.
• He is hated for his daylight savings idea.
• He wanted people to increase their productivity.
• He owned many clocks.

You could say that bears are everywhere, but that's not true. They aren't native to Australia or Africa. You may think that the koala is a bear, but it is not a bear at all. Like the kangaroo, the koala, is a marsupial that has a pouch to carry its young.
The author refers to kangaroos most likely because-

• People know what koalas look like.
• More people are familiar with kangaroos being marsupials.
• Australia has many different animals.
• Koalas are oddly shaped kangaroos.

Before the 1800's people didn't have right or left shoes.  They had shoes of just one shape that they used for both feet.  When people first saw right and left shoes, they laughed.  They called them "crooked shoes."  "What a silly idea," they said.  You can tell that shoes before 1800:

• were pretty
• didn't look alike
• didn't fit very well

Many breeds of dogs are used for work. In many cultures dogs are used to herd sheep. The dogs keep the flock from being attacked by animals such as wolves. They also keep sheep from wandering off. Sheepdogs are known for their loyalty and gentleness. Based on your reading of the text, you can INFER that:

• Sheepdogs are not very smart dogs.

• Sheepdogs are gentle and loyal.

• There are many breeds of dogs.

• Wolves are afraid of sheepdogs.

What does Inference mean?

• finding details in a story
• Use clues and what you already know to come up with an idea
• Giving a reason for your answer
• Using what I know