STAAR Inference Practice

Keller looked out the window. The house looked so lonely. Keller's father put the last suitcase in the trunk and started up the car. Shaggy, his dog, put his head on Keller's lap, like he understood how Keller was feeling. "It's okay Shag," he said, "Dad says we will like California." What can the reader infer is happening?

• Keller is sad because his dog doesn't have a house to live in.

• Keller is taking a trip to visit people he doesn't know.

• Keller is taking Shaggy to live with his grandmother.

• Keller is moving to California with his family.

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

To make an inference, we use evidence from the text, and our prior knowledge. 

• True
• False

The Zombie is hungry.

• Inference

• Observation

 “Larry, as your boss, I must say it’s been very interesting working with you,” Miss Valdez said. “However, it seems that our company’s needs and your performance style are not well matched. Therefore, it makes me very sad to have to ask you to resign your position effective today.”
What was Miss Valdez telling Larry?   

• She would feel really bad if he decided to quit.
• He was being fired.
• He was getting a raise in pay.
• She really enjoyed having him in the office.

In real life, people who can back up an opinion about a text with Textual Evidence are taken more seriously than people who can only give a reason of “just because".

• True
• False

Before the 1800's people didn't have right or left shoes.  They had shoes of just one shape that they used for both feet.  When people first saw right and left shoes, they laughed.  They called them "crooked shoes."  "What a silly idea," they said.  You can tell that shoes before 1800:

• were pretty
• didn't look alike
• didn't fit very well

Which sentence from the selection shows that the pet is a cat?

• Bryan had to feed his pet every day.
• Bryan had to take his pet outside right away after school.
• It was Bryan's job to clean out the litter box every 3 days.
• Bryanʼs pet never bites.

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.

Every four years, February has an extra day.  When this happens, it is called Leap Year.  But even with the extra day, February is still the shortest month of the year.  Some months, like June and November, have 30 days.  Other months like March and August, have 31 days. 
It is likely that:

• February has longer days
• February has less than 30 days
• February has more than 31 days