IREAD Making Inferences & Drawing Conclusions 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Maya put on her raincoat and grabbed her umbrella before heading out the door. What can you infer about the weather?
- It is sunny and warm outside.
- It is raining or likely to rain. (Correct answer)
- It is snowing heavily.
- It is very windy but dry.
Correct answer: It is raining or likely to rain.
A raincoat and umbrella are items used to stay dry, so the most logical inference is that it is raining or will rain.
Question 2: After reading a passage, a student asks what the text reveals about a character's feelings even though the author never uses the word sad. This student is practicing which reading skill?
- Summarizing
- Making an inference (Correct answer)
- Finding the main idea
- Identifying text features
Correct answer: Making an inference
Making an inference means using clues from the text to figure out something the author does not state directly.
Question 3: Tom's stomach growled loudly. He looked at the clock—it was 2:00 p.m. and he hadn't eaten since breakfast. What can you infer?
- Tom is nervous about something.
- Tom is tired and needs to sleep.
- Tom is hungry and wants to eat. (Correct answer)
- Tom is excited about an afternoon activity.
Correct answer: Tom is hungry and wants to eat.
A growling stomach and the detail that Tom skipped lunch are clues that he is hungry.
Question 4: When you make an inference while reading, you combine clues from the text with ___.
- the title and cover illustration only
- your own knowledge and experience (Correct answer)
- the glossary definitions
- the table of contents
Correct answer: your own knowledge and experience
Inferences are made by combining evidence from the text with the reader's own background knowledge and experience.
Question 5: A passage says: 'The children cheered, clapped, and danced around the room.' What can you most likely infer about the children?
- The children are bored.
- The children are frightened.
- The children are happy and excited. (Correct answer)
- The children are confused.
Correct answer: The children are happy and excited.
Cheering, clapping, and dancing are actions that show happiness and excitement.
Question 6: Which piece of evidence from a story would best help you infer that a character is nervous?
- She laughed and smiled at her friends.
- Her hands shook and she kept looking at the door. (Correct answer)
- She sang her favorite song out loud.
- She sat comfortably in her chair and read a book.
Correct answer: Her hands shook and she kept looking at the door.
Shaking hands and repeatedly checking the door are physical signs commonly associated with nervousness.
Question 7: A reader finishes a story and says, 'Even though it wasn't written, I think the character will return to fix her mistake.' This reader is ___.
- summarizing the story
- identifying the theme
- drawing a conclusion (Correct answer)
- finding text features
Correct answer: drawing a conclusion
Drawing a conclusion means using story evidence and reasoning to determine something that was not directly stated, such as what will happen next.
