Inferencing 1
Inferencing 2
Context Clues 1
Context Clues 2
Context Clues 3
100

I wouldn't eat after that two year old if I were you.

What can you infer?

The two year old probably did something gross to the food.

The two year old is sick or just got sick.  

100

Hey! What happened to all the school construction money taken from the taxpayers? It paid for this toilet the money was flushed down. What can be inferred about the School District?

Hey! What happened to all the school construction money taken from the taxpayers? It paid for this toilet the money was flushed down.

100
  1. The girl who used to be very vociferous doesn't talk much anymore.
  1. The girl who used to be very vociferous doesn't talk much anymore.
100
  1. Ecclesiastics, such as priests, ministers, and pastors, should set models of behavior for their congregants.

member of the clergy

100

When the other moms heard about how Charlene had won the baking contest, her email box was flooded with inquiries for her award winning muffin recipe?  What does inquiry mean?  

questions or information request

200

For Valentine's Day, my fantastic neighbor gave his wife a poem that took him about two seconds to write, Sheesh.  What can you infer about the speaker's feelings toward the neighbor?  

 The neighbor is not very considerate (and not actually fantastic) because he didn't take his time writing the poem.

200

As you give a speech in front of a large audience, you realize that people are laughing behind their hands and pointing to the region below your waist. What can we infer about the person giving the speech?

You forgot to zip up your fly or you have something on your pants.

200
  1. Pedagogical institutions, including high schools, kindergartens, and colleges, require community support to function efficiently.

having to do with teaching

200

The girl was churlish – rude, sullen and absolutely ill-mannered.

rude

200

The children were perched on the edge of the sofa arms, waiting to hop off and land on the next unlucky passerby.  What does perched mean?  

to wait at a position off the ground

300

A man ran after a retreating bus, waving his briefcase frantically.  What can you infer about the man?  

The man had to take that bus to work and he was running late. He wanted the bus driver to stop the bus so he could get on it.

300

No, Honey, I don’t want you to spend a lot of money on my birthday present. Just having you for a husband is the only gift I need. In fact, I’ll just drive my old rusty bucket of bolts down to the mall and buy myself a little present. And if the poor old car doesn't break down, I’ll be back soon.  What does the wife want?

The wife is hinting to her husband that she wants him to buy her a new car for her birthday.

300
  1. He was so parsimonious that he refused to give his own sons the few pennies they needed to buy pencils for school. It truly hurt him to part with his money.

stingy; tightfisted

300

Because the conflagration was aided by wind, it was so destructive that every building in the area was completely burned to the ground.

fire

300

He is always so earnest, so when he made a joke nobody laughed.  What is earnest?  

serious, not joking

400

 If she died, I wouldn’t go to her funeral. What can you infer about the speaker?

The speaker is extremely angry with this woman for some major reason because one of the worst things a person can do is hate someone after they have passed away.

400

A woman walks into a hospital clutching her abdomen and cursing out her husband, who trails behind her carrying a large bag. What is wrong with the woman?  

A woman walks into a hospital clutching her abdomen and cursing out her husband, who trails behind her carrying a large bag.

400
  1. His pertinacity, or stubbornness, is the cause of most of his trouble.

 stubborn

400

When Kiki got a tiny cut on her finger, she got all melodramatic and began sobbing and demanding a doctor.  What does melodramatic mean?

Overly dramatic, making a simple thing into something bigger than it needs to be.  

400

Laura and John are complete opposites.  Laura is always jovial and John is always serious and depressed.  What is jovial?  

Cheerful, happy

500

Jake almost wished that he hadn’t listened to the radio. He went to the closet and grabbed his umbrella even though he would feel silly carrying it to the bus stop on such a sunny morning.  What can we infer about Jake?

Jake heard that it was going to rain later in the day but that was hard to believe on a very sunny morning.

500

You're driving on the highway, listening to the radio, and a police officer pulls you over.  What has probably happened?  

You've broken the law in some way while driving.

500
  1. Rather than be involved in clandestine meetings, they did everything quite openly.

 secret; hidden

500

As Tommy walked home with the money from the church he had stolen in his pocket, powerful feelings of remorse bubbled in his stomach.  What does remorse mean?  

Sorry, regretful

500

Her demeanor upon entering class after going to the principals office made the class think the girl had gotten into trouble.  What is demeanor?  

Body language, nonverbal behaviors, how someone carries themself.