Inferences from Reading Passages
Otto stuffed another candy bar in his mouth. He lay sprawled on the floor with his back against his bed. Candy wrappers surrounded him. His shirt was caught in the folds of his belly and he had melted chocolate all over his face and hands. "Ugh…" he groaned weakly as he struggled to finish chewing. Suddenly, the front door opened. "Otto, I'm home!" It was his mom. Otto rolled almost gracefully from his sprawled position and began kicking the candy wrappers under his bed.
What can we infer about why Otto did this?
He didn't want his mom to know he was eating candy.
I am big and gray. I use mud to cool me down. I have a trunk but don't travel much. What am I?
An elephant
I sat on the bench while Mother and Punch went into the room. I was a little worried about Punch, but I knew that he would get good care. As I waited, I watched a tiny puppy wander toward the lady with a cat in a crate. The lady at the desk talked to a man who was buying medicine.
The vet
Julie stood there for a long time trying to muster up the courage to join the group of girls talking.
She is shy
There is a big storm today, and it's going to last until tomorrow. Jimmy is supposed to pick up his friend Lily from the airport. Jimmy's phone was ringing and saw Lily's name. He picked up the phone and said, "Okay. Just inform me when you're arriving. Take care and be safe." What do you think Lily told Jimmy?
That her flight was delayed.
Demi dug through the boxes at the back of her mom’s closet. She knew it had to be around here somewhere. Her mom thought she didn’t know where her hiding places were, but Demi had known for a long time. But then, last week, Aunt Phoebe pointed out a guy in the mall that she had never seen before. That guy looked so much like her it was eerie. “That’s Mitchell King,” said Aunt Phoebe. “Your dad.” Aunt Phoebe didn’t lie. Well, she had just that one time, but she said she had a good reason. Demi found the box and pulled out her birth certificate. When she saw what was written on the line that read “father,” her eyes got wide and she dropped the paper.
What can we infer?
She saw the name Mitchell King on her birth certificate.
I am very sticky, but hard to see when dry. I go round and round across the page until I eventually run out. If you stick with me, in one piece you will be. What am I?
A glue stick
As we entered, a large blast of water hit the windshield. Huge flopping sponges began to slap at the hood as we slowly moved forward.
A car wash
When she looked at me, she was smiling but there was a lot of sadness behind it. Maybe she was missing him. Maybe I shouldn’t have even mentioned it.
What can we infer about the narrator?
The narrator is feeling guilty for what he mentioned.
You are in class and one of your peers walks in late. His shirt is untucked and wrinkled. He forgot his homework. He seems exhausted and frazzled, and doesn’t seem to know what is going on in class today. He looks concerned, and he is yawning every other minute .
What can you infer about the situation?
The classmate did not get a lot of sleep and is tired
“Do you ever think about Jonathan?” I asked.
Mama laughed. The laughter sounded kind of nervous but I wondered if I was just imagining.
“Jonathan was a long time ago,” Mama said, looking off again.
What can we infer?
Mama wishes Jonathan was still around.
I am big and green but not mean. I carry a torch for freedom. I can stand in water, but I cannot swim. People travel from miles around to visit me. What am I?
The Statue of Liberty
The room was dark and quiet. We heard Carl and his mother come in the front door talking. I heard two girls in the corner giggle nervously. Another girl told them to be quiet. I hid behind the table where the cake and presents were set out.
A surprise party
Each day after school I exercised Libby by taking her for long walks or by repeatedly throwing a tennis ball for her to chase down. When it was too wet to play outside, I lobbed an assortment of furry, squeaky toys up and down the stairs for her to retrieve. She never seemed to tire.
What can we infer about our narrator?
She is responsible and loves her pet.
Elizabeth was so proud of her garden. She planted the seeds early in the spring and watered the plants every morning. Last Friday, her mom called and asked her to come over for the weekend because she was feeling sick. When Elizabeth came back home, her plants were bent and drooping.
Why were the plans bent and drooping?
She had not watered them for a few days.
Melinda slammed her locker and glared at Tessa. “Look, for the last time, it wasn’t my fault, okay? I helped you as much as I could. Get over yourself.” She gathered her books and pushed past Tessa as she started to head down the hall.
What inference can be made about the current relationship of Tessa and Melinda?
Tessa is mad at Melinda right now and is blaming her for something.
I am not a magician, but I make things disappear. I come in all shapes and sizes, but am most often found in pink. What am I?
An eraser
I pressed the button and after a few seconds the silver door opened. I stepped inside and pressed a button with the number 3 on it. The door closed.
Where am I?
An elevator
Esperanza looked down at her clothes. She wore a sweatshirt dress that used to be Mama’s and before that, someone else’s. Over the dress was a man’s sweater with several buttons missing, which was also too big. She leaned up and looked in the mirror. Her face was tanned from the weeks in the fields, and she had taken to wearing her hair in a long braid like Hortensia’s because Mama had been right – it was more practical that way. “Miguel, how could anyone look at me and think I was uneducated?”
What can you infer about Esperanza from the last line of the sentence?
She is sarcastic because she understands the way she may appear to some people.
My heart stopped. It just stopped beating. And for the first time in my life, I had that feeling. You know, like the world is moving all around you, all beneath you, all inside you, and you’re floating. Floating in midair. And the only thing keeping you from drifting away is the other person’s eyes. They’re connected to yours by some invisible physical force, and they hold you fast while the rest of the world swirls and twirls and falls completely away.
What can we infer is happening right now?
The narrator has a crush and is with him now.
Micah looked up from this test that was filled with filled-in bubbles, short answers, and graphs. The teacher was writing on the board with his back to the class. He looked at the remaining 4 problems. There was still so much to do! He couldn’t fail this one too. Now if Harper would just move her arm! Micah fidgeted and strained his neck. Almost done. The teacher turned around: “Class, put down your pencils.” Just in time, thought Micah.
What can be inferred?
Micah is cheating because he does not want to fail his test
We are always moving in a circle. We don't move at the same pace, but we are always close to each other. One of us is short, and the other is long.
The hands on a clock
Opening his eyes upon life, the mammal saw above and about him confining walls, and before him were bars of iron through which came air and light from without.
The zoo
During the next few weeks, Miss Ryan overcame my fears of tall, energetic teachers as she bent over my desk to help me with a word in the pre -primer. Step by step, she loosened me and my classmates from the safe anchorage of the desks for recitations at the blackboard and consultations at her desk.
What can we infer about our narrator?
He/she was shy and nervous but the teacher is helping him/her.
Dad and Anna were finishing up a project in the garage together. "Can we paint the roof red?" asked Anna. "Sure," said Dad. "Then when the paint dries we can find a place to hang it in the backyard."
What are they making?
A bird house.