Inferences
Inferences
Context Clues
Context Clues
Random
100

Ryan was looking forward to sleeping over at his friend Robert's house. Though they had been classmates for a while, the two had only recently become good friends. Ryan packed up his sleeping bag, a pillow, and a few of his favorite toys and games, and then his mom dropped him off at Robert's. Robert met Ryan on the porch and the two did their secret handshake and started playing right away. First they played pirates in Robert's tree fort. Next they played ninjas in the driveway. Then it started getting dark and they went inside of Robert's house. As soon as they walked in the house, Ryan's eyes starting getting red and itchy. He saw a big orange cat sitting on the couch. Then he started sneezing uncontrollably. "I'm sorry, Robert. It's been a lot of fun, but I have to call my mom." 

Why do Ryan's eyes get red and itchy when he walks into Robert's house? 



He is allergic to the cat "He saw a big orange cat sitting on the couch. Then he started sneezing uncontrollably." 

We know when you are allergic to something you sneeze. When you are allergic and cant stop sneezing, your eyes are red and itchy 

100

Carrie was at last coming to the end of a very long evening. As she sat on the couch, exhausted, Carrie thought about everyting that had gone wrong that night. It all started when Liza refused to eat her strained peas. Liza had decided to throw them across the room. When Liza couldn't sleep, Carrie had tried to soothe her by singing a lullaby. But that only caused more crying and screaming. Carrie decided it would be a long time before she worked for the Henderson's again. 

Who was Liza?

What was Carrie doing at the Henderson's?

Liza was a baby.

Carrie was babysitting.

100

Her greed and selfishness are deplorable traits.


Define deplorable.

Need choices?  Ask for them.

beneficial

hateful

admirable

100

The farmhouse nestled in the valley provided the perfect bucolic setting for her to write her novel about growing up in a rural town.  

Define: bucolic

Need choices? Ask for them.

rustic


urban

busy

100

What is a different word to use besides "said"

stated, exclaimed, shouted

200

Andre and Kate were convinced that the old house was deserted. After all, no one had been seen coming in or out for the past year. At last, Kate could no longer stand the suspense.  She dared Andre to solve the mystery simply by knocking on the door. When the two friends saw the frail, limping old man appear, they knew he was someone who needed their help.  Why doesn't the man leave his house?

He may be too ill. 

He may be too frail.

200

No one could play cards as well as Gordie. He always seemed to come out on top. None of the neighborhood kids ever played for money, just for fun. Still, it was never much fun when Gordie played. He took the game very seriously. The only person who didn't mind his attitude was Howie. The games went on like that for quite a while. That is, until Felicia saw Howie giving a hand signal. That was when everyone knew just how much Gordie wanted to win. 


What secret did Felicia uncover?



Gordie is cheating and Howie is helping.

200

He made an innocuous comment about the dress she chose, neither insulting it nor complimenting it.

Define innocuous.

Need choices?  Ask for them.

lovely

mean

not harmful

200

The facts are irrefutable; she was definitely at the restaurant at 9pm and therefore could not have answered the phone at home.

define: irrefutable

Need choices? Ask for them.

questionable

undeniable

ambiguous

200

Define 'context clues'

The words in sentences, or specific events, which help us to understand information which is not explicitly (directly) stated.
300

"William, don't forget your towel!" Mom shouted as she applied sunblock on the baby. William threw the folding chairs in the back of the minivan and shouted through the garage door, "OK Mom!" He then ran up and grabbed his towel. "Georgie!" William shouted. There was no response. Mom packed the baby up into the car seat. "William, can you help me with his umbrella?" William ran down the stairs, almost tripping over a chew toy, and then he helped his mother load the large umbrella in the minivan. "Mom, I can't find Georgie," William said. His mother shrugged and replied, "That's OK, William. He probably shouldn't come with us anyway." 

Who is Georgie?

Where are they going?

The dog

The beach

300

Carson's Aunt Hazel had sent him a new set of paints for his birthday. The note attached had beenv ery strange: "Be careful what you paint..." Carson painted a stepped back to look at his work. The castle looked terrifying, and the path leading up to the moat was steep and dangerous.  "Perfect!" said Carson.  Just then, the lights went dark.  Carson blinked and looked around. Imagine his shock when he saw a castle in the distance.

What was special about the paints?


They glowed in the dark.
300

The morale of the team was high, as they just made it into the state finals.

Define: morale

Need choices? Ask for them.

uniforms

confidence

expenses

300

The students began to contrive a plan to distract the teacher so he would forget to check their homework.  

define: contrive

Need choices? Ask for them.

ignore

concoct

sing

300

What does it mean to 'summarize' information.

To re-tell or re-state information presented in a concise, short, manner.  

400

Francine's heart raced as she stepped out onto the stage and made her way to the podium.  "Why would they want to elect someone like me?" she thought.

Francine knew she had the skills for the job. She knew she could help make high school a better place. What she didn't know was if they would give her the votes she needed to make it happen.

Why is Francine giving a speech

Who is Georgie?

She is running for an office ... e.g., class president

400

Tony walked out of the shopping mall with his arms full of bags and the sun shining on him. As he approached his car, he started awkwardly feeling around his pockets with his arm full of bags. He did not find what he was looking for so he transferred the bags on one arm to the other arm, which already had bags. Tony had a lot of bags on one arm. He still couldn't find what he was looking for. Now he dropped the bags and plunged both hands desperately into all of the pockets on his jeans. With a look of despair, Tony ran to his car. He tried to open the door, but it was locked. Then he saw something on the passenger seat of the car. He stopped looking and pulled his phone out of his pocket. 


What does Tony see on the seat of his car?

Why did he pull the phone out of his pocket?

His keys


To call someone to help him unlock the door.

400

When Mom found out we were getting visitors any minute, she rushed around the house, cleaning in a frenzy.

Define: frenzy

Need choices? Ask for them.

panic

controlled manner

leisurely

400

His words were irrevocable and although he could apologize, he could not take back what what he said.

define: irrevocable

Need choices? Ask for them.

camouflage

improve

irreversible

400

What is an inference?

a guess - when you take the information presented and combine that with YOUR background knowledge to make a good guess.

500

As the teacher brought the class back from the washroom, he noticed that Alvin and Elijah were nowhere to be seen. He asked the class, "Has anyone seen Alvin or Elijah?" Most of the students confirmed that they had not seen them, except for Rodney, who remained silent while tapping his foot on the floor anxiously. The teacher noticed this. "Rodney, do you happen to know where your best buddies Alvin and Elijah went?" Rodney looked away and said, "Nah, I haven't seen them." The teacher notified the office of the missing students. An announcement was made over the PA system and a few minutes later, Alvin and Elijah returned to class. Both of them were very sweaty and Elijah was carrying a basketball. "Sorry we took so long. We had to use the bathroom," said Elijah. "Yeah," chimed in Alvin, "it took longer than we thought." 

Will the teacher believe them?

Where were the boys?

No.

Playing basketball

500

Jamil hurried to type in the information his boss had given him. It was always a rush to finish this chore. Jamil's boss never made his decisions until he had been to the fish market and chosen the freshest items he could find. Jamil typed in the headings for his document: first, second and third. Then he filled in tonight's information while it was still fresh in his memory. He added prices and printed out a copy for his boss to approve. What kind of document is Jamil making?

menu - tonight's specials

500

He was a purveyor of rare books and was able to find any first edition book you might want to buy.

define: purveyor

Need choices? Ask for them.

writer

land measurer

seller

500

Jane had to rectify the situation between her parents, if she wanted them both to attend her wedding. 

define: rectify

Need choices? Ask for them.

conceal

ignore

correct

500

Students come to speech language services.  What skills are covered by 'language' in this context?

vocabulary, understanding, inferences, summarize, answering questions, understanding social appropriateness, self-advocating,