The Reading Detective (Inferences & Evidence)
What term refers to details from the text that readers use to support their ideas and opinions?
textual evidence
(highlight this under Citing Text Evidence in your study guide)
What structural pattern presents information in the exact order of the time it occurred, often using dates or clock times?
chronological order
(highlight under Informational Text Structure.)
If a reader finds a word with multiple meanings, they can use these "hints" in the surrounding text to infer the correct meaning. What are the hints called?
context clues?
(highlight under Using Context Clues.)
Looking at its and it's: Which one is a contraction meaning "it is," and which one shows possession?
It’s is the contraction of it is; Its shows possession.
If a question asks you to identify whether a passage is a fable, realistic fiction, poetry, or informational text, it is asking you to identify what text feature?
the genre (or type of text)
(highlight under Compare and Contrast or the Types of Texts table.)
What do the prefixes un-, il-, im-, in-, and ir- all mean?
Not (or "opposite").
(highlight the Prefixes column in the Morphemes table.)
What is it called when textual evidence is suggested but not directly stated by the author?
implicit evidence
(highlight under Citing Text Evidence)
This part of a nonfiction text is the most important point the author makes. What is it?
The central idea
(Students can highlight under Central Idea.)
What does denotation mean?
The dictionary definition of a word.
Explain the difference between Bring and Take.
Bring means to carry something towards a place, and Take means to carry something away from a place.
(highlight under Commonly Confused Words.)
What is it called when an author constructs a nonfiction text by sharing a quick personal story or an observation from their own life, they are using this method of development?
an anecdote (or personal observation)
(highlight under Methods of Developing a text.)
If you add the suffix -est to the end of an adjective, what kind of degree are you creating?
Superlative degree (meaning "the most").
(highlight the Suffixes column.)
Read this short scenario: Marcus slammed his locker door, stomped down the hallway, and refused to look at anyone who passed him. What inference can you make about Marcus's mood, and how he is portrayed? What text evidence supports this?
He is angry or upset.
(Clues: slamming his locker door, stomping, refusing to look at people.)
Read this summary: Honeybees are crucial to our ecosystem because they pollinate one-third of the food we eat. Unfortunately, bee populations are declining due to habitat loss and pesticides. Creating bee-friendly gardens can help protect them.
What is the central idea of this text?
Honeybees are vital to our food supply and need to be protected from declining populations.
Read this sentence: “The desert heat caused the traveler to hallucinate; he kept seeing wide sheets of shimmering water that weren't actually there.”
Based on how it is used, which definition of sheets fits best: a broad piece of cloth, or a wide expanse?
A wide expanse.
Choose the correct words to complete this sentence: "I will (choose/chose) the red jacket today because my old one is too (loose/lose)."
Choose (present tense/to pick) and loose (not tight).
Read this snippet: “I walked out onto the stage, my hands shaking as I gripped the microphone. I looked at the crowd and wondered if they could hear my heart pounding.” Identify the point of view and the type of text (fiction or nonfiction).
First-person point of view (narrator is a character in the story) and fictional narrative / realistic fiction.
Break down the word irresponsible. Knowing what the prefix ir- means from your morpheme chart, what is the definition of irresponsible?
not responsible
Read this line: “The school board voted 5 to 0 on Tuesday night to approve the construction of a new multi-million dollar gymnasium.”
Find and cite the explicit evidence that proves the vote was unanimous
The text explicitly states the board voted "5 to 0".
Read this description: “First, the search and rescue team packed their medical supplies. At 6:00 a.m., they arrived at the mountain base. By noon, they reached the stranded hikers, and by 3:00 p.m., everyone was safely back at camp.”
Which text structure did the author use here?
Chronological order
(highlight under Informational Text Structure.)
Read this sentence: “Unlike his boisterous and loud older brothers, Liam was always quiet and calm.”
Using the contrast context clue, what does boisterous mean?
Loud, noisy, energetic, or rowdy. (The text contrasts it with "quiet and calm".)
Read this sentence: Anybody’s guess is better than mine, but it’s clear the bird has broken it’s wing. There is a grammar error here. Find it and explain how to fix it using your study guide.
Change the second it's to its. (The guide says "Do not use an apostrophe in a possessive pronoun" and "Its shows possession" over the wing).
Anybody's and the first it's (it is) are correct.
Read this snippet: “The Gobi Desert spans over 500,000 square miles across parts of China and Mongolia. It is a cold desert, with temperatures dropping to minus 40 degrees in the winter.”
Identify the method of development used by the author to build this text.
Giving facts and details to support.
(highlight under Methods of Developing a text.)
The root mono- means "one, single, or alone."
Based on this, if a train runs on a single rail instead of two standard tracks, what do we call it?
A monorail.
Read this line: “As the rain began to pour, Maya unzipped her backpack, pulled out a large umbrella, and handed it to her little brother, choosing to walk home in the storm unprotected.”
What character trait is being portrayed in Maya, and what clue supports it?
She is selfless, caring, or protective.
(Clue: She gave up her only umbrella so her brother wouldn't get wet, even though it meant she got soaked.)
Read this paragraph: “The local park was filled with trash, causing wildlife to flee. In response, a student group organized a weekend cleanup event and installed ten new recycling bins.”
What text structure is used to organize this information?
Problem and Solution. (The problem is the trash/wildlife fleeing; the solution is the cleanup and recycling bins.)
Read this sentence: “The diamond was truly unique, a rare find that looked like absolutely no other gem in the vault.”
Which specific word in that sentence acts as a comparison/synonym context clue to help you understand the meaning of unique?
rare
Fix the apostrophe error in this sentence: The three wolves' tracks were visible in the fresh snow.
It is correct. there are no errors.
(Plural nouns ending in s take an apostrophe alone at the end: wolves + ’ = wolves’.)
Read this snippet: “Samantha believed her secret was perfectly safe, completely unaware that her brother Leo was listening from the hallway, plotting a way to use the information to his advantage.”
Based on your study guide, what specific type of point of view is this narrator using?
An omniscient point of view.
(The narrator is "all-knowing" and understands the thoughts/feelings of multiple characters, like Samantha and Leo).
The suffix -ity means "state, condition, or quality of." If the word pure means clean and free of contamination, what does the noun purity mean?
The state, condition, or quality of being pure/clean.