Making Inferences in Information Texts

Making Inferences in Information Texts exercise

• What is an inference?

  Hints

  An inference is not a statement that is explicitly stated in the text. Think carefully about each answer choice and eliminate any choices that are direct statements made by the author.

  When making an inference, you use information from the text along with your own knowledge to form a conclusion.

  Which answer choice describes this process?

  Making an inference involves combining clues from the text with what you already know to form a logical conclusion.

  Solution

  An inference is a logical assumption or opinion made by the reader based on text evidence and background knowledge.

• What have you learnt about making inferences whilst reading?

  Hints

  Which term refers to prior knowledge a reader has before reading?

  Which term refers to the logical conclusions readers make based on text evidence and background knowledge?

  An opinion is somebody's own thoughts on something and can be agreed or disagreed with.

  Solution

  • Inference: a conclusion based on text and background knowledge.
  • Background knowledge: a reader's prior knowledge used to understand text.
  • Text evidence: details in a text that support an inference.
  • Opinion: personal beliefs about a topic.
  • Main idea: the central idea of a text.

• Can you identify the text evidence?

  Hints

  Consider how the Antikythera mechanism worked and what it was capable of doing.

  Consider how predicting astronomical data could be related to tracking time on Earth.

  You will only highlight two lines.

  Look for details in the text that mention the device's ability to track time or calendar functions.

  Solution

  Inference: Ancient Greeks' fascination with space caused them to invent a machine that could track time on Earth.

  Text Evidence:

  • "It was a calendar that could track days, months, and eclipse cycles."
  • "used to predict astronomical data"

  This text evidence suggests that the Ancient Greeks had a fascination with space and time, leading them to invent a machine that could track days, months and eclipse cycles.

• What can you infer about how the technology of the printing press changed life during the "Dark Ages"?

  Hints

  "The printing press made it possible to print books and other types of texts quickly, cheaply and in large quantities."

  Does it suggest that the printing press made printing materials more or less expensive?

  What was the problem with printing books before the printing press was invented? Think about the problem the printing press was designed to solve.

  Solution

  The text states that before the invention of the printing press, printed material was created individually by hand, which was time-consuming and expensive and only wealthy people could afford books.

  The printing press made it possible to print books quickly, cheaply and in large quantities, which would have made them more affordable and accessible to a wider range of people.

  Therefore, we can infer that the technology of the printing press changed life during the Dark Ages by making it possible for more people to afford books.

• What are the three steps to making inferences whilst reading information texts?

  Hints

  When making logical assumptions about a text, use context from the reading and your prior knowledge.

  To make logical assumptions, examine the evidence, connect it to your prior knowledge and make an assumption to further your understanding.

  Solution

  To make inferences whilst reading information texts, there are three important steps that you should follow.

  • First, look at the text evidence and think, "What does the text say?"

  • Next, apply your background knowledge by thinking about what you already know about the topic.

  • Finally, make an inference that will help you understand the information on a deeper level.

• Help Otis and Pearl make an inference.

  Hints

  Consider your background knowledge about ancient cities and natural disasters. Then, use it to help you make an inference about the impact the volcanic eruption described in the text would have had on the city of Pompeii and its residents.

  How did the eruption of Mount Vesuvius affect the people who lived in the Pompeii?

  To make an inference, you need to find clues in the text that support it. Your inference must be connected to text evidence.

  There are three pieces of text evidence to highlight to support the inference.

  Solution

  Option 4 is the correct answer: "The eruption of Mount Vesuvius had a major effect on the city of Pompeii."

  This inference can be made by identifying the text evidence found in the passage (these three sentences should be highlighted in violet):

  • "Pompeii was an ancient Roman city that was buried under ash and pumice when the nearby volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD."
  • "The eruption of Mount Vesuvius lasted for two days, covering the city and its surrounding areas up to 20 feet of volcanic debris."
  • "However, the eruption also caused significant damage to the city of Pompeii. It hurt many people, broke buildings and wiped out entire villages."

  Therefore, it can be inferred that the eruption of Mount Vesuvius had a major effect on the city of Pompeii.

  Option 1 is incorrect as there is no information given in the paragraph about whether the residents of Pompeii were caught by surprise or not.

  Option 2 is also incorrect as there is no information given in the paragraph about the city's trade and commerce.

  Option 3 is incorrect as the paragraph does not provide information on whether some of the residents of Pompeii were able to escape or not.