2. Introduction
Have a look at this extract,
"The men walked down the streets to the mine with their heads
bent close to their chests. In groups of five or six they scurried
on. It was impossible to recognize individuals from the small
gaps between their caps, pulled down over their eyes, and the
tightly bound scarves tied tightly over the bottom half of their
faces".
Now answer this question:
What was the weather like as the men walked to the mine?
3. You should have been able to work out that it was very cold and
windy. You probably arrived at this answer because you
associated hats pulled down and scarves with winter or cold
weather at least. You know from personal experience people keep
their heads down when walking against the wind and the author
gave you another clue with the word "scurried" which suggests the
men were hurrying to reach their destination.
To tackle this question you have used the skill of inferring . This is
sometimes called 'reading between the lines' . Writers expect you
to use this skill to get the most out of any piece of reading.
So, to really understand a piece of reading you need to be like
Sherlock Holmes and be a first class detective!
4. Inference
Inference can be used in several ways to help you
respond fully to a piece of reading.
•You can infer a general fact or a precise piece of
information.
•You can infer emotions and feelings of characters
in passage.
•You can infer information about the author -
his/her opinions, feelings, point of view.
5. To infer successfully you can:
•Work out the answer from clues or
references in the text.
•Work out the answer from the connotations
of words used in text.
•Match something in the text to your own
understanding, experience or knowledge to
come up with the correct answer.
6. Inferring means to take what you know and make
a guess. Read the following situations and pick
which answer you could infer.
If your best friend is not in school one day, you could infer
that:
• They are out sick or on vacation.
• They are never coming back.
• They moved to a new state.
• They went to the wrong school by mistake.
7. If you see someone holding an umbrella, what can you infer:
• It might rain.
• They hurt themselves.
• They live in California.
• Today is Sunday.
8. If your electricity goes out, you can infer that:
• A tree fell on the power lines.
• You will never have lights again.
• Your water will be off too.
• Something happened to the power.
9. If a sign in front of a house reads, “For Rent”, you can infer that:
• The house is no good to live in.
• The house comes with furniture inside.
• The house is brand new.
• The house needs new occupants.
10. If you forget to study for a test, you can infer that:
• The teacher will let you take it tomorrow.
• You might not do well.
• You will be better off than if you had studied.
• The teacher will send you to the principal’s office.
11. If your teacher is out of school today, you can infer that:
• You won’t have any homework.
• The substitute teacher will be mean.
• The rules don’t apply for today.
• The teacher is either sick or out of town.
12. If you see a fire engine on your street, you can infer that:
• A cat is in a tree.
• A neighbor accidentally burned himself in the kitchen.
• The police will show up too.
• Someone had a type of emergency.
13. If you see someone with a cast on his leg, you can infer that:
• He will have a cast on his arm too.
• He broke his leg.
• He fell off of a horse.
• He will have to wear the cast for six months.
14. If you get fired from your job, you can infer that:
• You might get a raise.
• You did something wrong.
• You will never get another job again.
• You were the best worker.
15. If you forget to return your library book, you can infer that:
• You will have to pay a fine.
• They will take away your library card.
• The library must be closed.
• It was a rainy day.
16. Examples
Have a look at the following extract and questions and
spot how the clues help you come up with the answer.
"Rain lashed against the windows as Jane stamped up
and down the room stopping only to check the time on
the mantle clock every five minutes. Her book, bought
with such enthusiasm the day before, was flung
carelessly in the corner beside the abandoned picnic
basket. Jane stamped her feet and began to repeat her
earlier tedious complaints against nature. Emily merely
smiled to herself and carried on reading the newspaper
without as much as a nod of the head.”
17. Question 1
(question to infer information)
What plans did Jane have for the day?
Happening Hint
the abandoned picnic basket
The Answer
A picnic
18. Question 2
(question to infer emotion)
How would you describe Jane's
mood ?
Happening Hint
unable to sit still, watching the
clock, fed-up with reading,
complaining
The Answer
Angry, frustrated, bad-tempered
and disappointed
19. Question 3
(question to infer author's opinion or point of view)
What expression does the author use to suggest her
disapproval of the main character?
Happening Hint
The word tedious has negative connotations and suggests
disapproval of Jane's tiresome behavior.
The Answer
"tedious complaints"
20. All passages used in the exam will be chosen
because you can look beyond the surface facts and
work out some deeper meanings. Be ready to do
this when answering questions.
Be a good Reading Detective!
Now try a test bite!!
21. Types of Question - Inference
This exercise will help you practice the skill of inferring and check that you know
how to look for clues in a reading passage.
Here is an extract that will be followed by five statements.
"Only those of an imposing stature were chosen to play football by
the natural team leaders who emerged every playtime. My chore
was to sit behind the goal at the river end of the field and retrieve
any balls stupid enough to avoid the grasp of Tam Knight or
"Spite" as he was referred to in whispers by most of the lower
school. On occasion this meant removing my boots and socks - if I
happened to be wearing any that day. This particular day the
water was higher than usual and as I tried to reach the ball I
slipped off the slimy rock on which I perched and plunged into the
murky wetness. While this was bad enough, I stood up just in time
to see my left boot float down the river and disappear under the
bridge. The roars of laughter and finger pointing were nothing
compared to what I would have to endure when I went home
bootless.”
22. Directions: Decide whether each statement is true or false.
1. The narrator was quite small as a child.
2. The narrator enjoyed helping out at playtime.
3. Tam Knight was a popular boy.
4. The narrator came from a wealthy family.
5. The narrator had a happy childhood.
23. The correct answers are:
1. True. He was left out because he did not have the necessary
stature and therefore he must have been small.
2. False. If he regarded it as a chore it was not very enjoyable.
3. False. The nasty connotations of Tam's nickname and the way
the younger boys reacted to him both suggest he was unpopular.
Perhaps you also noticed the way the football was described as
stupid for not letting itself be caught!
4. False. The clues suggested money was short - did not always
have socks and was very worried about going home bootless.
5. False. The clues make you feel sympathetic towards the boy
and what he had to go through.
