Making Inferences and Drawing Conclusions
Read with purpose and meaning
Drawing conclusions refers to information that is implied or inferred. This means that the information is never clearly stated.
Writers often tell you more than they say directly. They give you hints or clues that help you "read between the lines." Using these clues to give you a deeper understanding of your reading is called inferring. When you infer, you go beyond the surface details to see other meanings that the details suggest or imply (not stated). When the meanings of words are not stated clearly in the context of the text, they may be implied - that is, suggested or hinted at. When meanings are implied, you may infer them.
Inference is just a big word that means a conclusion or judgement. If you infer that something has happened, you do not see, hear, feel, smell, or taste the actual event. But from what you know, it makes sense to think that it has happened. You make inferences everyday. Most of the time you do so without thinking about it. Suppose you are sitting in your car stopped at a red signal light. You hear screeching tires, then a loud crash and breaking glass. You see nothing, but you infer that there has been a car accident. We all know the sounds of screeching tires and a crash. We know that these sounds almost always mean a car accident. But there could be some other reason, and therefore another explanation, for the sounds. Perhaps it was not an accident involving two moving vehicles. Maybe an angry driver rammed a parked car. Or maybe someone played the sound of a car crash from a recording. Making inferences means choosing the most likely explanation from the facts at hand.
There are several ways to help you draw conclusions from what an author may be implying. The following are descriptions of the various ways to aid you in reaching a conclusion.
General Sense
The meaning of a word may be implied by the general sense of its context, as the meaning of the word incarcerated is implied in the following sentence:
Murderers are usually incarcerated for longer periods of time than robbers.
You may infer the meaning of incarcerated by answering the question "What usually happens to those found guilty of murder or robbery?" Use the text box below to write down what you have inferred as the meaning of the wordincarcerated.
If you answered that they are locked up in jail, prison, or a penitentiary, you correctly inferred the meaning of incarcerated.
Examples
When the meaning of the word is not implied by the general sense of its context, it may be implied by examples. For instance,
Those who enjoy belonging to clubs, going to parties, and inviting friends often to their homes for dinner are gregarious.
You may infer the meaning of gregarious by answering the question "What word or words describe people who belong to clubs, go to parties a lot, and often invite friends over to their homes for dinner?" Use the lines below to write down what you have inferred as the meaning of the word gregarious.
Drawing Conclusions
Post test
Drawing Conclusions Post-Test
Julio and his father had been looking forward to their fishing trip for weeks. They didn't take much food with them on the trip. When they started fishing they were quickly approached by a forest ranger. He asked Julio's father if he had a fishing license. Julio's father reached into his wallet and suddenly
got a terrified look on his face. Julio was disappointed that night as he ate dinner.
1.Why did Julio and his father not take much food with them on the trip?
a. they didn't want to eat too much
b. they didn't have any food at their house
c. they were planning on eating the fish that they caught
d. they don't like to eat fish
2. Which of the following is a conclusion that can be drawn about the story?
a. Julio was disappointed at dinner because he was hoping to have fish for dinner.
b. Julio's mother doesn't like fish
c. It takes a long time to catch fish
d. Julio's father is a better fisherman than Julio
Richard and Luis had been hiking for hours. Richard had to carry Luis for the last few miles of the hike. Sweat was rolling down his face as the sun shone directly overhead.
3. What conclusion can be drawn about Luis's age?
a. He is older than Richard
b. He is the same age as Richard
c. He just had a birthday
d. He is younger than Richard
4. What time of day is it?
a. Morning
b. Midday
c. Midnight
d. Night
Annie could hear the music playing over the loud speaker in the mall. She and her mother were shopping for a present for her father. Annie could see a big line in the center of the mall. She wondered what all the people were waiting for. She then heard a jolly "HO! HO! HO!" from the center of the crowd and she quickly realized what the people were waiting on. As Annie and her mother walked through the mall, she noticed that the store windows were decorated with green, white, and red decorations.
5. Which of the following is a conclusion that could be made from the story?
a. Annie and her mother were shopping for a birthday present for Annie's father.
b. The people were waiting in line to see Santa Claus
c. The mall is close to Annie's house
d. The music was coming from a band
6. What season of the year is it?
a. Spring
b. Summer
c. Winter
d. Fall
7.Which of the following is a conclusion that can be drawn from the story?
a. Annie will get what she wants for Christmas
b. Annie and her mother go to the mall often
c. Santa Claus is coming to town
d. the store windows were decorated for Christmas
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