ParaPro Assessment Test Making Inferences and Drawing Conclusions — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Read the passage: 'Maria put on her heaviest coat, grabbed her umbrella, and stepped outside. She immediately turned back and reached for her snow boots.' What can you infer about the weather?
- It was hot and humid outside.
- It was cold and snowy or icy outside. (Correct answer)
- It was a warm, rainy day.
- There was a thunderstorm with lightning.
Correct answer: It was cold and snowy or icy outside.
Maria's actions — heavy coat, umbrella, and snow boots — all point to cold, wintry weather with snow or ice on the ground. No detail suggests heat or a thunderstorm.
Question 2: A student reads a story where the main character stops eating lunch with his friends and starts sitting alone. The author never states how the character feels. What can a reader most reasonably infer?
- The character is not hungry at lunchtime.
- The character prefers a different cafeteria.
- The character is experiencing a conflict or emotional difficulty with friends. (Correct answer)
- The character has been told to sit in a different area.
Correct answer: The character is experiencing a conflict or emotional difficulty with friends.
A sudden change in social behavior — avoiding former friends — is a classic implied signal of interpersonal conflict or emotional distress. The text provides no evidence for hunger, location preference, or rules.
Question 3: Read the passage: 'The gym was eerily quiet. The usual shouts and sneaker squeaks were absent. A single tumbleweed of dust drifted across the floor.' What can you infer?
- A game is about to begin.
- The gym is empty and has not been used recently. (Correct answer)
- The janitor just finished cleaning.
- Students are warming up silently.
Correct answer: The gym is empty and has not been used recently.
Silence, absence of activity sounds, and a dust tumbleweed all imply the gym is vacant and has been unused for some time. A clean gym would not have a dust tumbleweed.
Question 4: An inference is best described as:
- A statement directly and explicitly written in the text
- The author's opinion stated in the first sentence
- A logical conclusion drawn from evidence and reasoning beyond what is directly stated (Correct answer)
- A summary of the main idea of a passage
Correct answer: A logical conclusion drawn from evidence and reasoning beyond what is directly stated
An inference goes beyond what is literally stated — it uses clues from the text combined with background knowledge to reach a logical conclusion not explicitly written.
Question 5: Read the passage: 'The teacher handed back the tests without a word. Several students slumped in their chairs. One student quietly put his paper face-down on the desk.' What is the most reasonable inference?
- The students all received perfect scores.
- The students performed poorly on the test. (Correct answer)
- The teacher is angry at the students.
- The test has not yet been graded.
Correct answer: The students performed poorly on the test.
Slumping and hiding a paper face-down are behaviors typically associated with disappointment over poor results. The silence and body language collectively imply the class did not do well.
Question 6: A paraprofessional wants to help students practice making inferences. Which activity best develops this skill?
- Asking students to copy key vocabulary words from the text
- Having students identify the topic sentence of each paragraph
- Asking students what they think a character is feeling and what clues led them to that conclusion (Correct answer)
- Having students memorize the sequence of story events
Correct answer: Asking students what they think a character is feeling and what clues led them to that conclusion
Inference requires connecting textual evidence to a conclusion not directly stated. Asking students to name a feeling AND cite the clues that support it directly practices the inference process.
