Inferences

I infer that..

100

Abrupt silence. It lasted so long that she turned to see if Anwara had left the room. But there she sat, rigid as the churn beside her, clutching the plunger's handle as if her hands had frozen to it. Anwara was _____?

What is stiff?

200

While the feasting, talking, and laughing goes on, so does the music. Mariachi musicians in brightly colored outfits move from group to group. Some people dance while others sing along. The festivities continue well into the night. Mariachis _____ to the festivities.

What is add?

300

A hang glider resembles a flying wing and is made up of many parts. When it comes to function and handling, the sail is the most important part of the glider. It must be perfectly balanced. If it is out of alignment just a little bit, the craft will not fly properly. The sail must be _____ .

What is level?

400

Papa took something from the pocket of his coat hanging behind the door and handed it to Lena. Her face lit up. It was a newspaper—columns of captured thoughts, people, happenings. Magic. She would sit all day and devour it line by line. She was _____ .

What is excited?

500

Before a stock car can race, it is thoroughly checked. It must follow the NASCAR rules for design and construction. A race official carefully checks the engine and body parts to make sure they follow the rules. The cars are _____ .

What is inspected?

Schema

100

"Good night, see you all next Tuesday!" Mrs. Hamma called out. "By the way, if any of you here wants extra help, I have a few minutes this evening." Several people bolted past her, excusing themselves. In less than thirty seconds, Mrs. Hamma was standing in an empty classroom. No one accepted her _____ . a. offer b. money c. advice d. wisdom

What is offer?

200

According to early records of Herero tradition, a person who is sick or suffering misfortune may have offended an ancestor. Those who need to appease an ancestor must go to the ombetere, a diviner, for help. By contacting the ancestors, the diviner can find out what offense was committed. Thereafter, steps toward purification can begin. The diviner _____ the problem. a. promotes b. magnifies c. assesses d. overlooks

What is assesses?

300

While his back was turned, I pushed the hair away from my eyes and took another quick look around the room. It was his study, but I already knew that. There were books and old scrolls in piles on the shelves. There was a scarred bench piled with amphoras and other clay containers. There were glass bottles as well. His study was _____ . a. ornate b. large c. cluttered d. secure

What is cluttered?

400

I work in my studio, which was converted from what used to be the garage. It has a lot of windows, four tables, and a chair that is hanging from the ceiling. Also, on the inside of my studio, I have a lime tree, a lemon tree, two orange trees, and a huge vine that is growing all over the place. When you live in the country, you can have trees indoors! My studio is _____ . a. tiny b. unusual c. empty d. plain

What is unusual?

500

Around the far turn, she went wide. She urged her horse on, and he responded. Colonial Affair thundered down the track, surging past Wild Gate, past Sliver of Silver, past Cherokee Run, past the whole field at 40 miles an hour. She was _____ . a. racing b. exploring c. pretending d. traveling

What is racing?

Inferences Pt1

100

It had rained all morning. Now the sun was out again, warm and bright. Miah pulled off his jacket and stuffed it across his knapsack straps so that it hung down behind him. Miah grew _____ .

What is hot?

200

The ponderosa pine has adapted to fire. Its bark peels when it gets too hot, carrying away heat and flames. New trees grow well after a fire. Young ponderosa pines need lots of sun. After a fire, the forest floor is clear so plenty of sun shines in. Thick bark blocks heat flow to the tree's insides. Deep roots stay alive even when the ground gets hot. The pine needles burn slowly. These trees can _____ fire.

What is survive?

300

Lucinda's imagination needed no prodding. "You mean a picnic. Elegant! On the shore in Maine we have the best picnics. We scoop out the sand, fill the hole with driftwood, and when it burns down to charcoal we pile in lobsters, chicken, potatoes, corn—anything almost. Then we cover it with seaweed and stones and when it's done—golly!" Lucinda was _____ .

What is excited?

400

Back in the wrestling room, we paired off for the stance. I grabbed Bamberger, the 105-pound seventh-grader. I was starting to feel comfortable with him. Plus, I could boss him. He was timid, even for a seventh-grader. I _____ Bamberger.

What is intimidated?

500

Grace Karemera lives in the African country of Rwanda. Rwanda is also home to the mountain gorilla. It is the largest of the great apes. It is also the most rare. Only about 720 of these animals are alive today. Last fall, Grace made a video to help save the gorillas. Grace learned a lot about gorillas by making the video. She also discovered something about herself. Grace learned that she wants to be a reporter someday. Grace wanted to share her _____ .

What is concern?

Guess What!

100

The landscape of gently rolling hills holds many small lakes. The lakes are home to different kinds of ducks and geese. In the marshy places along the shore, my sisters and I hunt for cranberries, salmonberries, and blueberries. The lake _____ life. a. awakens b. dictates c. sustains d. values

What is sustains?

200

Nathan went back home with a sense of unease. It was difficult to comprehend Kane. He was so dazzling, so self-assured, so knowledgeable, yet it didn't seem he'd chosen the sort of business that would suit him. Nathan was _____ . a. feverish b. confident c. puzzled d. pleased

What is puzzled?

300

He did not think of the warm sun and of the fresh air; he did not care for the little cottage-children that ran about and prattled when they were in the woods looking for wild strawberries. The children often came with a whole pitcher full of berries, or a long row of them threaded on a straw, and sat down near the young Tree and said, "O, how pretty he is! What a nice little fir!" But this was what the Tree could not bear to hear. a. wealthy b. unhappy c. ancient d. neglected

What is unhappy?

400

As Sandy dipped the boiling hot doughnuts in confectioner's sugar, I made a stab at cleaning up some of the mess. I checked Sandy's half of the ingredients list. I had halved the milk, sugar, and eggs, while she had doubled the amount of cinnamon, shortening, flour, and salt. As usual, we were working at cross-purposes. I could imagine what those doughnuts would taste like. We had _____ the recipe. a. changed b. forgotten c. discovered d. follow

What is changed?

500

Rivers mentions other players in the league who are adaptables rather than stylists. "Horace Grant. Magic Johnson—look how he switched to center for the final game of the championship series as a rookie, when Kareem was hurt. Michael Jordan. Everybody thinks of him as a shooter, but believe it or not, Jordan is probably the best player ever at adapting his own play to the needs of the team at the time. He changes his game nightly. There were six games in our play-off series against the Bulls, and Jordan was six different players. He's the greatest role player ever, and he can play all the roles." Michael Jordan _____ his game. a. studies b. practices c. alters d. respects

What is alters?

Inferences Pt2

100

Jane Addams wanted her immigrant neighbors to feel at home in their new country. She also wanted them to remember the customs and culture of their homelands. She encouraged them to share their native literature, art, music, and cooking with each other. On some nights, Hull House rang with German songs and poetry. Other nights were devoted to Irish dancing or Italian cooking. Jane made sure that everyone at Hull House had something to share. Jane Addams encouraged _____ . a. protest b. literacy c. diversity d. spirituality

What is diversity?

200

On a July 4 weekend, volunteer firefighters in Shohola, Pennsylvania, stand on a bridge over the Delaware River. They hold out canvas buckets to passing drivers. The donations they get go toward the upkeep of their fire department. Firefighters in other towns are out on the road for the same purpose. They are looking for _____ . a. accidents b. mistakes c. contributions d. friends

What is contributions?

300

Moctezuma lived like a king. Three thousand servants and workers waited on Moctezuma in his royal palace with 300 rooms. His lush gardens contained every kind of plant and flower in the empire. He kept snakes, eagles, and jaguars in cages. These creatures ate about 500 turkeys a day. Each day, Moctezuma had the choice of 100 kinds of food, brought to him by 20 of his wives. After dining, he was entertained by jesters, musicians, magicians, and dancers. a. wealthy b. careless c. generous d. superficial

What is wealthy?

400

Mr. Bowyer shook his head. "But they bark as well, not like dogs. Like foxes. And they hunt like—like wolves! Look!" The kittens were herding a group of geese around the yard. The geese, big birds which would stand their ground and drive off people, let alone cats and dogs, were flustered by the sudden darts made at them from several different directions. While the birds flapped and honked and scurried in all directions, the cat-dogs kept low, running forward with their bellies almost on the cobbles. Watching them, Liz suddenly shuddered: there was something so intent, so sinister about those rapid, scuttling movements. The kittens looked _____ . a. ferocious b. cute c. young d. afraid

What is ferocious?

500

Bullet sat alone on the way back, across from the coach. Behind him, he heard the voices reassuring themselves that they hadn't done too badly, had they? Justifying their poor performances to one another, envying the setup at Acorn, declaring that they could look just as good, if, and if, and if. If you'd work at it, work for it, Bullet thought. Then after they had eaten, the voices got louder, relieved that the meet was behind them and able to forget exactly how it had gone. Bullet stayed out of it. He wasn't about to mess with them, people who made excuses for themselves. That kept him pretty much alone, he knew; it marked one of the differences. Bullet did not _____ the others. a. respect b. know c. warn d. play

What is respect?