Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences

Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences

Authors do not always tell everything, but you can always find out more about the story or text by using what you already know. Then you can learn more from what you read.

Take a close look at this picture.

Open Ended

What do you think is going on in that photo?

What are the people doing?

How are they dressed?

How would you describe the setting?

Did you know?

• Most writing and pictures suggests more than it says or shows

• By making inferences, you get more from the story

• Conclusions may be missing from the things you read, so you have to draw your own

Inference

An inference is an assumption that you make about something that you see, read, or experience.

For example:

If you have cleats and a baseball bat in your bookbag, I probably would infer that you have baseball practice or a game after school.

Conclusion

A conclusion is a decision about what may happen or about the result of an event (what will happen next).

For example:

Bill walks into the Verizon store wearing a wet bathing suit. He carries his iPhone in his hand. The screen is cloudy with condensation. A drop of water falls from the iPhone to the floor.

You can conclude that Bill is going into the store to get his iPhone repaired based on the facts.

Inferences and Conclusions

• Observe all the facts, arguments, and information given by the author

• Consider what you already know from your own experiences

• When faced with multiple choice answers, determine whether each is true or false based on the information in the passage

Multiple Choice

This is a decision about what may happen or about the result of an event

• A

  Inference

• B

  Conclusion

Multiple Choice

This is an assumption that you make about something that you see, read, or experience.

• A

  Inference

• B

  Conclusion

Let's try some short stories!

Multiple Choice

Turner almost wished that he hadn't listened to the radio. He went to the closet and grabbed his umbrella. He would feel silly carrying it to the bus stop on such a sunny morning.

Which probably happened?

• A

  Turner realized that he had an unnatural fear of failing radio parts

• B

  Turner had promised himself to do something silly that morning.

• C

  Turner had heard a weather forecast that predicted rain.

• D

  Turner planned to trade his umbrella for a bus ride.

Multiple Choice

"You'd better hurry," called Mother. "The school bus will be here in two minutes." Lois ran downstairs. She didn't want to be late. The bus driver had told her that the bus wouldn't wait for her anymore.

Which of the following is probably true?

• A

  Lois helps to drive the school bus.

• B

  Lois had often been late for the bus.

• C

  Mother had gotten up late.

Multiple Choice

Sam is trying to do his homework, but it is so noisy! Other kids are talking and laughing all around him. The engine is loud and the brakes squeak every time they stop, which is often.

Where is Sam?

• A

  at school

• B

  on an airplane

• C

  on a school bus

Multiple Choice

First Lindsay put the dirty clothes that were spread all over the floor into the laundry hamper. Then she put away the game of checkers from yesterday and made her bed.

What is Lindsay doing?

• A

  playing checkers

• B

  cleaning her room

• C

  doing laundry

Multiple Choice

Marissa shivered as she climbed up the long ladder. Carefully, she walked to the end of the board and looked down. "Hurry up!" said the kid behind her. Marissa held her breath and jumped.

Where is Marissa?

• A

  on a trampoline

• B

  on a slide

• C

  on a diving board

Multiple Choice

Mr. Martin looked at his watch. Then he took a bus schedule out of his bag and studied it for a moment. A few minutes later, he looked at his watch again and sighed.

Why does Mr. Martin keep looking at his watch?

• A

  the bus is late

• B

  his watch is broken

• C

  Jessica asked what the time was

Multiple Choice

Ram took a deep breath and dried his sweaty palms on his jeans. He looked down the ramp and shivered. It was a steep drop. But he had to go through with it. Everyone was staring straight at him. He put his skateboard down and got ready. He could do it!

Q: What evidence helps you to infer that Ram was nervous?

• He put his skateboard down and got ready.

• His palms were sweaty.

• He looked down the ramp.

• He could do it.

Multiple Choice

Based on the evidence, it can be concluded that Ram will do what?

• A

  He is probably not going down.

• B

  He is probably going to get on his skateboard and go down the ramp.

• C

  He is probably going to look at his friends and ask them what to do.

• D

  He is probably going to fix his skateboard.