Summarizing and 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

I love to go into my sister's room. On her shelf she has shiny trophies—gold and silver, tall and short, skinny and wide. All of the trophies have athletes on top swinging golf clubs. My favorite trophy is one that is as tall as my arm is long. "City Champion 2001" it says on its engraved front. It is beautiful and impressive!
What inference can the reader draw based on the information in the passage?

• The person relating the passage is a younger sister.

• The sister is a very good golfer.

• The person relating the passage plays golf also.

• The sister is a professional golfer.

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.

Briefly explaining the beginning, middle and the end of text.

• Asking Questions

• Summaring and Synthesizing

• Making Connections

• Evaluating

When you use text evidence and your background knowledge to make a guess about what is happening and characters in the story. "Reading between the lines."

• Making Inferences

• Making Predictions

• Evaluating

• Making Connections