Reading Between the Lines- Let's Apply

Activity 4

Making Inferences as You Read

To make inferences from reading, take two or more details from the reading and see if you can draw a conclusion. Remember, making an inference is not just making a wild guess. You need to make a judgment that can be supported, just as you could reasonably infer there is a baby in a stroller, but not reasonably infer that there are groceries, even though both would technically be a "guess".

When you are asked an inference question, go back over the reading and look for hints within the text, such as words that are directly related to the question you may be asked (such as for a multiple choice test) or words that indicate opinion.

Here is an example:

Hybrid cars are good for the environment, but they may not perform as well as cars that run only on gasoline. The Toyota Prius gets great gas mileage and has low emissions making it a good "green" option. However, many people think that it is unattractive. The Prius also cannot accelerate as quickly as other models, and cannot hold as many passengers as larger gas-fueled SUVs and vans. Compared to similar gas-fueled options, hybrid cars also cost more money up front. A new hybrid car costs almost $3,500 more than the same car configured to run just on gasoline.

Source: Elisabeth Ellington and Ronda Dorsey Neugebauer, https://human.libretexts.org/Courses/Community_College_of_Allegheny_County/Book%3A_Reading_and_Writing_for_Learning/13%3A_Academic_Literacy-_Business_Marketing_(Week_13)/13.03%3A_Making_Accurate_Inferences_Based_on_Text_Evidence/13.3.01%3A_Making_Inferences#Practice_Making_Inferences
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