Making Inferences and Drawing Conclusions

You draw many inferences in your everyday life?

Drawing an Inference You've made many inferences in your life, but you might not even know it. For instance, your cat runs up to you the minute you step through the door. She meows, rubs your legs, runs into the kitchen and stares at the cupboard where you normally store the cat food. It doesn't take much effort to figure out that your cat wants food. You've just drawn an inference.

• True

• False

Drawing an inference from a book follows the same process of drawing inferences in your everyday life?

• True

• False

What is the second step readers must take to draw an inference?

• Look for clues in the text

• Put the pieces together in a logical way to produce a reasonable conclusion

• Think about what they already know from their own experience in the real world

Janie’s dog wasn’t feeling well today. He did not want to go out for his walk and did not eat his food. She threw his toy across the yard hoping he would run to fetch it, but he just sat there.

• The dog doesn't want to play.

• The dog lives in the yard.

• The dog isn't hungry.

• The dog is sick.

Blair and Natalie are not speaking to each other today. It was weird sitting at their table during lunch while they were glaring at each other. I hope they make up soon; we are three best friends and I don’t want to choose sides.

• Blair and Natalie had a fight.

• I ate lunch alone.

• I didn't do my homework.

• Blair is glaring at Natalie.

Inference is ...

• an idea that is suggested by the facts or details in a passage

• a guess that a reader makes by combining details from a text and personal knowledge

Making an inference and drawing a conclusion are very similar skills.

• TRUE

• FALSE

How to make an inference or draw a conclusion:

• 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

The woman waited nervously in line. When the counter was empty, she carefully unloaded her items from her cart. Lines creased her forehead as if to show the calculations ringing up in her head. Finally, the cashier began ringing up the items as the woman clutched her purse.

Inference/conclusion: The woman may not have enough money to cover the cost of her groceries.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Conclusion is ...

• a decision about what may happen or about the result an event may have

• a judgement about what something means based on facts and details