Inferences

Easy Inference

100

Alice was carrying a large clothes basket from the bedroom down the stairs to the laundry room. She struggled under the weight of the basket. She wished her younger brothers would help her. Instead, they were playing. She had heard them throwing a baseball in the house earlier. She had told them to go outside. hey had gone to the backyard, but they had left the baseball on the stairs.

Alice trips over the baseball and stumbles down the stairs! Luckily the laundry she is carrying breaks her fall.

200

You see a man enter a restaurant with roses and a ring box. What is about to happen?

He is about to propose

300

If Mr. Lebaron shouts over the loud speaker: "Tom Smith get to the office NOW!". Is Tom in trouble? What makes us think that?

Yes he is. Mr. Lebaron shouts over the speaker and makes a demand. Being called to the office is commonly associated with a bad experience.

400

Turner almost wished that he hadn’t listened to the radio. He went to the closet and grabbed his umbrella. He would feel silly carrying it to the bus stop on such a sunny morning.

It is going to rain

500

Today I was late for my volleyball game. Mom pulled the car over several times to study the map she had printed off the Internet. Mom even made me go into a convenience store to see if I could get some help in there. When we finally got to the gym, the girls on my team were almost finished warming up. What happened?

They got lost on the way to the Volleyball game

Where am I? Who am I? What am i?

100

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 with who was buying medicine.

At the veterinarian

200

Wendy is going to visit a special person today. This older person gives lots of hugs and kisses. She likes to spoil Wendy. This person takes good care of Wendy, too.

Wendy's Grandmother.

300

I arrived early for my appointment. The place was busy and smelled of chemicals. I found a place to sit and wait. I heard a blow dryer in the distance. It was loud over the music that was playing.

The Hair Salon

400

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. Another girl told them to be quiet. I hid behind the table as the tension in the room grew. We waited for them to open the door.

A surprise party for Carl

500

Humans and animals have me, and I am your body's hardest part. Kids have 20 of me and adults have 32!

A tooth

Poetry

100

It's a leisurely life, but it has its drawbacks. It's a jungle out there when you're slow. And if I could just run about 20 times faster, there'd be no more escargot.

A Snail

200

It's hard to get too close to me, 'cause you'd have to break the rules. But you can knock me down real hard just like those other fools. I'll spare you all the details, of how much it hurts to fall. I'll just say this; I hate that big old heavy, round black ball.

A bowling ball

300

I fit inside your door just right wherever you reside. But put me in your neighbor's door and you'll still be outside. It makes me feel real special. like I am one of a kind. Of course, sometimes folks copy me in case I'm hard to find.

A key

400

It thrills people silly to throw me around and make me go bouncing across the hard ground. What have I done to deserve this cruel fate? I've gone from just mad to completely irate! I'm battered by bats just to make the crowd shout. I am sick of this game- it's not safe, I want out!

A Baseball

500

The story of my life is sad, But I'll tell you, if you like. I was born dirt poor in the richest soil in a town called Spudsville Pike. One day I got snatched away from my home and then thrown in the back of a truck. My eyes could see life on the road was not easy, so I smiled and wished myself luck

A Potato

Miscellaneous

100

The child stood on the sidewalk clenching her ice cream cone. Beads of sweat collected on her little nose as she furiously licked at the ice cream dripping down her hand. What can we infer?

It's a hot day out

200

Your friend comes up to you, breathing heavily and drinking Gatorade. What has he been doing?

Excercising

300

She falls asleep in the sun. An odd noise makes her open an eye. It is only the mailman bringing the mail. She stretches her legs one at a time. Then she gets up to find a shady place to nap. Who knows, perhaps she will find something to chase! Who/What is this?

An animal (cat/dog)

400

Jess and his father went walking on a warm spring day. There was a nice breeze in the air.

Fly a kite!

500

It began to smoke and flicker red. It knew how to spread quickly, and if it wasn't called in soon the whole place could go up!

A fire/ forest fire

Tough Inference

100

I looked around at my empty room. The clothes that Mama always told me to hang up in the closet, the junk piled on my dresser, the old rag doll I could never bear to part with--they were all gone. There was nothing left in the rest of the house. The rugs and furniture were gone, the pictures and drapes were down, and the closets and cupboards were empty. The house was like a gift box after the nice thing inside was gone; just a lot of nothingness. What's happening?

They are moving to another place and the house has been emptied.

200

He had always wanted to serve his country, but this seemed like madness. He was supposed to fight a war in a foreign land, helping to protect people whom he didn't even know. Michael had a strong sense of patriotism, but he was worried about the bombs, death, and carnage that could await him in Iraq. He pondered whether he would ever see his family again. How does Michael feel about battle?

Frightened, confused.

300

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.

The woman may not have enough money to pay for her purchases.

400

"I hate the idea of having all those people out there watching me...I just don't like it when I'm around so many people. I wish I just could hide somewhere," whispered Violet. What kind of person is Violet?

Shy, introverted.

500

Sally Ann was over 80 years old. She lived in a small house with a very small fenced-in yard. She had just lost her 16-year-old dog and decided to get another dog right away. Sally Ann went to the animal shelter, and after looking at all the dogs, she narrowed her choice down to two. The first was a large, black, one-year-old retriever. He had a lot of energy and was used to running on acres of land. The second dog was a small, three-year-old mix. The people who had owned him said he stayed home alone all day and knew how to use a doggy door to go out to the yard. What dog did she choose?

The small 3 year old mix.