RI.8.1: Evidence and Inferences
What is textual evidence?
Specific information from a text that supports an answer or claim.
What is a central idea?
The main idea an author develops about a topic.
What does a cause-and-effect relationship explain?
Why something happened and what happened as a result.
If a question asks you to identify something, what should you do?
Name or locate the requested information.
What does eager mean?
Enthusiastic or strongly wanting to do something.
What is the difference between explicit information and an inference?
Explicit information is stated directly. An inference is a conclusion drawn from evidence and reasoning
How is the main idea different from a central idea?
The main idea is found in a single paragraph but A central idea explains the main point about the entire text.
What is a distinction between two people, events, or ideas?
A meaningful difference between them.
If a question asks how two ideas connect, what should you explain?
The relationship between the ideas.
What does limited mean?
Restricted or having boundaries.
What two things do you combine to make an inference?
Evidence from the text and relevant background knowledge or reasoning.
What does it mean to write an objective summary?
Briefly explain the central idea and important details without personal opinions or judgments.
An author introduces an idea in one paragraph and gives examples in the next. How are the paragraphs connected?
The examples explain or illustrate the introduced idea.
If a question asks how details develop an idea, what should you explain?
How the details build, explain, or expand the idea.
What does it mean to influence someone’s decision?
To help shape or guide the decision.
Two details support your answer. How do you decide which is the strongest evidence?
Choose the detail that most directly and clearly supports the answer to the specific question.
A passage includes an interesting detail that does not explain its central idea. Should that detail appear in a short summary? Why?
Usually no. A short summary should focus on the central idea and essential supporting details.
How can a person’s earlier experiences influence a later decision?
Those experiences can shape the person’s interests, beliefs, knowledge, or goals.
What is the difference between compare and contrast?
Compare examines similarities. Contrast examines differences.
A question asks how an event affects a person. What should your answer explain?
How the event changes or has an impact on the person.
An answer choice sounds reasonable, but the text provides no evidence for it. Why should you reject it?
A reasonable possibility is not enough. The best answer must be supported by the text.
One answer choice describes a single paragraph accurately. Another captures the main idea of the whole passage. Which is usually the better summary, and why?
The choice that captures the whole passage because a summary must represent its overall meaning.
An author explains two methods that achieve the same goal in different ways. What should you include when analyzing their connections and distinctions?
Explain their shared goal and how their approaches differ, using details about each method.
What is the difference between identify and analyze?
Identify means name or locate something. Analyze means examine its parts and explain how or why they relate or work
What makes an inference different from a guess?
An inference is supported by evidence and reasoning. A guess may have little or no support.