Making Inferences Drawing Conclusions

Master reading with inference and conclusion practice! Learn to uncover hidden meanings in text.

Introduction to Reading Skills: Making Inferences Making InferencesInferences also rely on facts in a situation, but instead of drawing a conclusion, inferences use facts to determine other facts. You make inferences by examining the facts of a given situation and determining what those facts suggest about the situation.As an example, you may look at Jane’s purse and infer that the damage looks like she sat it down in water. You could also infer that by standing in a store aisle and having money, she is considering buying a new purse. These are both facts, drawn from the available information, and make no prediction on any future action. The room was a mess! Pots and pans were piled in the sink. Drawers and cabinets were flung open. Chocolate chips dotted the floor and empty cartons were on a sticky counter, but the smell was delicious. Why was the room a mess? someone made cookies There are many things to see. Many farm animals are on display. The midway is full of people playing games and eating food. There is also a place where you can go on many different rides. What is the place? carnival The girl saved all her money. It was exactly what she wanted. She imagined gliding down the road pedaling effortlessly. She finally had enough money to make her dream come true. What was her dream? to buy a bike Mailboxes are lined up outside the door. There is a long counter inside with scales. You can buy stamps, envelopes, and boxes. There are slots where you can mail a letter and long rows of boxes where some people go to pick up their mail. What is this place? post office The man measures the wood and uses a saw to cut it. He puts the wood in place and hammers nails into it. He continues until the entire wall is built. What is this man’s job? carpenter Draw Conclusions Drawing ConclusionsConclusions rely on the facts of a situation to make a determination that is not implicitly stated or implied by the information. Essentially, a conclusion is the next logical step in an information series. A statement requires two conditions to serve as a conclusion.For example, if you know that Jane’s current purse looks discolored and damaged, that she has enough money to buy a new purse, and that she is in the purse aisle of a store, you can conclude that she will buy a new purse. Buying the purse is the next logical step, but there is no inference that suggests she has made the decision to purchase the new purse. You are visiting a friend in Vermont. It is February and the temperature is about 30 degrees. The clouds are low and dark. You have helped bring in plenty of wood for the fireplace. Your friend’s father is going to buy some extra food and salt for the driveway. The weatherman is forecasting snow Abbie has her backpack on her bed. She is packing for a trip. She lays out a waterproof jacket and rain hat, extra socks, a flashlight, compass, binoculars, and water bottle. She hunts for extra batteries and decides to bring her camera. She checks on her sleeping bag and helps her parents bring out the tent. Abbie and her parents are going _ camping Max has a very strong arm. He keeps his lucky leather glove in good condition. All spring he practices to get in shape. He has a great fast ball and is working on his curve ball. He plays for the City Diamondheads. He is their _ Pitcher Mrs. Taylor knows everyone in town. Every morning she greets people and takes their packages. She checks zip codes and makes sure each box and envelope is properly addressed. She lets me know when there are new stamps coming out since I am a collector. Mrs. Taylor works at Post Office Luther has been saving his allowance for almost a year. He has earned money by mowing lawns and washing cars. He bought the helmet and lock already. He has practiced his hand signals and he even took a class on street safety from the local police. Luther is planning to buy a bicycle Making Inferences and Drawing Conclusions Read the passage and answer the questions. Snowbirds1 Every year, countless people from some of the northern and central states of the country leave snow, ice and freezing temperatures behind by heading south. These "snowbirds", as they are often called, trade in their gloves and hats for sunscreen and bathing suits. Heading south to escape winter's chill is common, but some travelers do just the opposite. They pack the extra layers and the snow boots and head to the village of Jukkasjarvi in Sweden. Once they arrive, they check into their hotel, but they don't take off their heavy coats and scarves. Why? Because at Sweden's Ice Hotel, everything from the beds to tables is made out of blocks of ice.2 Why would anyone want to travel to one of the coldest places in the world during the winter season? That was a question that a tourist company asked more than 20 years ago. They wanted more tourists so they tried something new. They built a 60 square foot igloo out of ice blocks and held an art exhibit inside. People came but not that many.3 One day, a group came to see the exhibit, but arrived too late. Instead of leaving, they spread out their sleeping bags and spent the night in the snow. Suddenly, a brand new idea was born! The tourist company built an entire hotel out of ice blocks taken from the nearby Torne River. They advertised this unique hotel all over the world and soon, people came to explore. Now, curious guests check in and enjoy the cold. Then, when the warmth of spring returns, the hotel melts into the ground and disappears. It will be rebuilt when winter returns. Based on this passage, what would most likely be true about "snowbirds"? They would love the chance to stay at the Ice Hotel. They would typically live in the northern and central states of the U.S. They tend to pack their travels bags with multiple layers of warm clothes. They are one of the inspirations for constructing buildings like the Ice Hotel. Which statement would make the best conclusion for this passage? The hotel has more then fifty rooms and each one is designed by a different artist. Visitors often combine the trip with activities like dog sledding or snowshoeing. Ice hotels have become so popular that they have been built in Canada, Norway and Romania The hotel features everything from a restaurant and a lobby made completely out of blocks of ice. Based on this passage, what can the reader assume about Sweden's Ice Hotel? The inside temperature is kept below freezing. The location is very difficult for most people to reach. The guests prefer to come and stay during the spring. The staff is entirely made up of people from the tourist company. A Handshake1 A handshake is not an uncommon gesture in today's culture. Friends shake hands upon meeting each other. Strangers shake hands when they are introduced. Businessmen shake hands before and after meetings. However, a very unusual handshake occurred in February 2012. Dan Burbank, the station commander on the International Space Station (ISS) reached out to grasp the metallic hand of Robonaut 2. After shaking the commander's hand, R2 faced the ISS camera and waved hello to the rest of the world. R2 is the world's first human-like robot and the latest member to call the ISS home.2 The robot cost more than two million dollars to build. Its head contains four cameras. Its chest holds almost 40 computer processors. Made out of aluminum and steel, R2 wears a backpack full of batteries. It is certainly not a surprise that this robot weighs hundreds of pounds.3 R2 was first tested under the effects of earth's gravity. The next question was how would it perform in outer space? It did great!4 Currently, R2 has been trained to do simple cleaning tasks, like wiping rails, and cleaning filters. Eventually, the robot will be used for much more complicated tasks since it will not require the same suits and other equipment that regular astronauts do. One day, R2 may be making space walks and discovering amazing things to share with the rest of the world. Based on this passage, why were the experts worried about how R2 would perform in outer space? They did not think that the robot's head cameras would provide clear images. There was concern that the batteries in the backpack would not last long enough. On the ISS, the robot was not functioning under the power of the earth's gravity. Robots were known for having problems with space walks in outer space. Which statement would make the best conclusion for this passage? R2 just might go where no man- or robot-has ever gone before. Next, R2 will learn how to climb without having to use its hands. The cameras in R2's head can send images back to NASA for observation. Since there is no gravity on the space station, R2 had to be reprogrammed. Based on this passage, which of the following statements is most likely true? The ISS staff resents having a robot on board with them. R2 has been designed with cutting edge technology. The Discovery shuttle will not be making very many more voyages. The robot will not be ready to be helpful to the ISS for many years yet.