Making Inferences in Literary Texts

Which piece of evidence from the text supports the claim that Leslie is intimidated by Melissa's knowledge?

“Do you live here? I have never seen you before,” Melissa says.

Leslie blinks. “Yes, I live there—the purple house, No. 7, but I rarely come out,” he replies pointing to his house.

“Oh! What a pity we did not meet earlier. I moved to this neighborhood eight months ago, and I rarely have friends to play with,” Melissa responds. Suddenly, Leslie feels a flutter on his arm. He turns to see a pretty thing with fluttering wings nestled on his arm. “Butterfly! What a beautiful butterfly!” whispers Melissa excitedly.

“Is that what it is? Is this a butterfly?” asks Leslie, as he peers at the two dark circles on each of the butterfly’s wings. “Of course, silly! Don’t tell me you have never seen a butterfly before?” asks Melissa with a grin.

Leslie does not answer immediately. He has seen butterflies before, but not real ones, just the ones on the TV screen. He could not possibly tell this to his new friend who seems to know so much about nature. She may laugh at him.

• Leslie is afraid to tell Melissa that he has never seen a real butterfly before because she knows so much about nature that she may laugh at him.

• Leslie is unable to identify the pretty thing with fluttering wings that lands on his arm while he is in the midst of talking to Melissa.

• Leslie rarely comes out of his house, so he has never met Melissa even though they live in the same neighborhood.

• Leslie studies the butterfly carefully, taking note of the two dark circles on each of the butterfly's wings.

Read the following passage. Which evidence from the text supports the claim that Leslie is not very active?

Leslie’s favorite spot is his bed. It’s a cozy queen-sized bed, which can be folded into a couch (though so far there has never been an occasion which required the bed to be folded), layered with soft, warm quilts and piled with numerous pillows in different sizes and colors. Leslie spends the entire day sprawled on the bed, his eyes glued to the huge smart plasma TV mounted on the wall of his bedroom. Leslie’s grandparents can never understand why it’s called the “smart” TV.

• Leslie's bed can be folded into a couch but never has been.

• Leslie's bed has numerous pillows in different sizes and colors.

• Leslie has a plasma TV mounted on the wall of his bedroom.

• Leslie spends the entire day sprawled on his bed.

Which sentence from the text supports the claim that Leslie is only dragged from his bed by necessity?

• Leslie does not see the need to step out of his room.

• The only reason Leslie budges from his bed is to answer the call of nature.

• Leslie reluctantly drags his feet at a pace slower than a tortoise.

• Leslie's three favorite activities are eating, sleeping, and watching TV.

​ (a)   -an educated guess one can make about a text based on text evidence & background knowledge.

• Inference

• Text Evidence

• Central Idea

• Summary

An educated guess based on what was read in the passage

• evidence

• dialogue

• inferences

• prediction

using clues, background information, evidence, and reasoning to come to a conclusion

• plot

• inference

• conflict

• imagery

To ​ ​ (a)   is to use use clues from the text and background knowledge to figure something out that is not clearly stated.

• infer

• predict

• summarize

• think

Read the following passage. What can you infer about the citizens of Leslie's town?

The blackout sends a wave of panic throughout the small town. People start digging into storage boxes and dusty attics, looking for candles and items that can be used to ignite fire. It is indeed a trying time for the citizens of the small town. But no one is more affected than poor Leslie. He looks at the TV teary eyed. He taps it once, he kicks it twice, but the screen remains blank 

• The citizens enjoy setting fires and watching things burn.

• The citizens are used to dealing with blackouts and know the correct procedures to use when one occurs.

• The citizens are dependent upon electricity in their daily lives and do not know how to live without it.

• The citizens are all concerned about Leslie and the fact that he is unable to turn on his television as he normally would.

Read the following passage. What can you infer about the trees?

Leslie stands up from the table and begins pacing. He has nothing left to do until the blackout ends, which could be days! Bored, he notices that it is uncomfortably hot in the kitchen. He wanders into the living room, but the air is no better. Without the air conditioner, his house keeps getting warmer during the day time. It is the middle of summer and the sun streams in through the window. Leslie looks out the window and notices that the trees seem to be dancing outside. They beckon to him.

• The trees want Leslie to water them.

• The trees are dying in the smoldering heat.

• The trees are moving because of the wind.

• The trees have learned to move on their own.

Read the following passage. What can you infer about the door to Leslie's home?

Leslie does the unexpected. His parents’ jaws nearly drop to the floor when they see their son making his way towards the main entrance of their house. They stare wide-eyed as he walks up to the door. They hold their breath as he puts his hand on the purple doorknob. And they nearly choke with tears when he pushes the door open and puts his right foot out, stepping into the real world. “Our son has finally emerged from his cocoon,” says Mrs. Andrew. Her husband just nods, too surprised to talk. 

• The door is painted an odd shade of purple.

• The door is difficult to open and never used.

• The door is a portal into another world where Leslie is a butterfly.

• The door is never or almost never opened by Leslie.