Making Inferences and Conclusions

Mr. Thomas sat on the front porch of his house in a bathrobe and bunny slippers with his head in his hands. He was holding the daily newspaper. The sun shined brightly in the sky. His neighbors were coming out of their houses and getting in their cars. Mr. Thomas sighed. His neighbor Mr. Rosencrantz stepped out on his porch and saw Mr. Thomas. "Did it again, huh?" said Mr. Rosencrantz. Mr. Thomas replied, "Yep." Mr. Rosencrantz chuckled and said, "Here, Mr. Thomas, you can use my cell phone. I could even keep a key over here if you wanted." Tom thankfully grabbed the cell phone and called his wife. "Honey, I did it again." Mr. Rosencrantz heard Mrs. Thomas yelling at Mr. Thomas in a distorted high-pitched squeal. "Yes, dear. I'm so sorry. I'll see you soon," Mr. Thomas returned the phone, sighed deeply, and ran his fingers through his hair. How do we know Mrs. Thomas will most likely be coming home after her husband calls her?

• Mr. Thomas returned the phone to Mr. Rosencrantz.

• Mr. Thomas said, "I'm sorry. I'll see you soon."

• Mr. Rosencrantz has taken the Thomas' paper.

• Mrs. Thomas is upset that her husband is outside but not dressed appropriately.

Gloria was driving around the neighborhood in her pajamas. Every block or so she'd stop the car, hold her head out of the door, whistle, and call out "Candy! Candy! Come here girl!" Then she'd start the car again and slowly drive another block or two, looking around from left to right. Curtis sat in the passenger seat. He was looking around too, but he held his head low. "How many times have I told you to make sure that you shut and lock the door after you come in?" Gloria reprimanded Curtis. Curtis sighed. He felt bad enough without her finger-wagging. What can we infer about Gloria's being upset with Curtis?

• He forgot to lock the door.

• The family pet has gotten out of the house.

• Curtis does not like Candy.

• Gloria is ready for work but has to hunt the family pet first.

"I'm home!" Earl shouted as he walked in the door. His wife Gail came bounding down the stairs. She hadn't seen him since he had left to go on his silly fishing trip two weeks ago. "I missed you! Did you catch anything?" Gail reluctantly asked, knowing that Earl was not a very good fisherman. Earl scratched his head and responded, "You're not going to believe what I'm bringing home." Earl unzipped a cooler and pulled out several perfectly filleted salmon steaks. "Wow, Earl, I didn't know that you could fillet a fish like that." Earl looked around the room a little bit and scratched his head, "Uh, yeah, Jeff taught me how." Gail looked at him suspiciously. "Well, let me help you unpack." As Gail was helping Earl unpack his truck, she found a receipt from the grocery store. It was dated from that morning. What she saw was both disappointing and unsurprising.

• He bought breakfast before going fishing.

• He bought the salmon and didn't really catch them.

• He has no fishing buddies.

• Earl prefers salmon over trout.

Miya came out of the bathroom with tears in her eyes. She ran down to the cafeteria and asked the staff if they had any rice. Fortunately for Miya, Ms. Lucille did. Ms. Lucille filled a red plastic cup about half way with white rice grains and handed it to Miya. Miya pulled a damp phone from out of her back pocket and pushed it into the dry rice grains inside of the plastic cup. She sincerely thanked Ms. Lucille and then went back to class. She felt relieved, but she was still a little worried. What can we infer about Miya's situation?

• She is hungry and likes rice.

• She has dropped her phone and broken it.

• She has managed to somehow get her phone wet.

• She has stolen her friend's iPhone.

Miya came out of the bathroom with tears in her eyes. She ran down to the cafeteria and asked the staff if they had any rice. Fortunately for Miya, Ms. Lucille did. Ms. Lucille filled a red plastic cup about half way with white rice grains and handed it to Miya. Miya pulled a damp phone from out of her back pocket and pushed it into the dry rice grains inside of the plastic cup. She sincerely thanked Ms. Lucille and then went back to class. She felt relieved, but she was still a little worried. Why can we infer Miya's phone has gotten wet? (Select all that apply.)

• We know that iPhones can't be dried out.

• We know that rice draws out moisture.

• Miya pushed her phone into the rice and was relieved.

• Miya asked Ms. Lucille to borrow her phone.

Brenda reached for the box of tissue. She blew her nose with a thunderous force and then tried breathing through it again. It was still clogged. She stood up and got a head rush that almost knocked her back down to the bed, but she regained her balance. As she tottered over to the phone on her dresser, all of her muscles ached. She located the contact labeled "Work" and pressed send. A couple of rings later, a familiar voice answered the phone, "Happy Fun Land, this is Deidra speaking. How can I help you have a happy fun day?" Brenda moaned, "Oh, Deidra, it's Brenda." Deidra responded with pep, "Hey, Brenda! I can't wait to see you this afternoon." Brenda grunted and replied, "Yeah, well, actually, I need to talk to the manager. What conclusion can we draw about the call Brenda is making to the manager?

• She is quitting her job.

• She doesn't want to work the same shift as Deidra.

• She is sick and is calling in to say she won't be at work.

• She has tickets for Fun Land and wants to use them for her family.

Lucia snatched up the dirty clothes that were strewn across the floor and haphazardly tossed them into the laundry basket her mother had placed outside the door. Then, she organized her desk, cramming markers, glue sticks, and other tools of the learning trade wherever they would fit inside the drawers. She jammed trash into the wastebasket until not one more piece could fit and pulled the bag out to take downstairs. Finally, she made her bed and summoned for her mother to come do her white-glove inspection. What can the reader infer about Lucia based on her actions in the selection?

• She does not share her mother’s idea of what a clean room looks like.

• She is a hard-working student who strives to do her best.

• She likes being neat and organized.

• She is usually running late, which causes her to leave a mess behind.

Lucia snatched up the dirty clothes that were strewn across the floor and haphazardly tossed them into the laundry basket her mother had placed outside the door. Then, she organized her desk, cramming markers, glue sticks, and other tools of the learning trade wherever they would fit inside the drawers. She jammed trash into the wastebasket until not one more piece could fit and pulled the bag out to take downstairs. Finally, she made her bed and summoned for her mother to come do her white-glove inspection. Read this sentence from the story. Finally, she made her bed and summoned for her mother to come do her white-glove inspection. Based on this sentence, the reader can conclude that Lucia’s mother —

• is concerned about the bed being made correctly

• wears gloves to protect her hands while she cleans

• has high standards for cleanliness

• insists that Lucia make her bed every day

Jose desperately wanted to finish his homework before he arrived home. His gaming system had patiently waited the entire day for his return. He couldn’t disappoint it. Just thinking about the fun they would have together was distracting enough, but the noise generated by the other kids talking and laughing around him made it nearly impossible to concentrate. With the decibel level of the engine and the squeaking of the brakes at every stop added in, there was no way he could finish his homework here. Jose conceded that he would indeed have to let his faithful companion down. Jose’s thoughts in this paragraph help the reader understand that he —

• does not get along well with other children

• is a responsible boy who is committed to his priorities

• cares less about his studies than he does playing video games

• is easily irritated when things do not go as he has planned

Jose desperately wanted to finish his homework before he arrived home. His gaming system had patiently waited the entire day for his return. He couldn’t disappoint it. Just thinking about the fun they would have together was distracting enough, but the noise generated by the other kids talking and laughing around him made it nearly impossible to concentrate. With the decibel level of the engine and the squeaking of the brakes at every stop added in, there was no way he could finish his homework here. Jose conceded that he would indeed have to let his faithful companion down. Based on Jose’s description of his surroundings, the reader can conclude that he is —

• in office hours with his homeroom teacher

• traveling home from a trip with parents

• in the cafeteria at school

• riding home on a school bus