Inference Worksheets

Form opinions and make proper assertions based on facts. This an essential skill for current and future standards. Prepare to see this kind of work much more often as it reflects real world situations.

Inspector Inference
One of the cutest concepts we had and ran with. This is written in a really playful manner. You will probably like it a lot.

Inference Game Show: What's my job?
Follow Claire, Clive, and Poppy as they take part in an inference based TV game. Really? Really? We work on understanding the use of them to define a clear thought process.

Spot the Inference
This is exactly the type of thing we have been seeing come and open up over the last few years. This is a really good one. Use the facts in the passage to answer the questions.

What is the Inference?
This is somewhat of a quiz. It makes for a good review. Hit the story running, break down the quiz and go long for a bonus.

Use the Clues: Understanding Inferences
We have you rewrite an entire story only citing the facts. This is a long reading passage to work on reading endurance and focus.

Inference Quiz
We have you think deep for this one. Use other parts of the story to tell you the answer. We review many different skills for the core curriculum in this sheet.

Reading Inferences: Who's Who?
We love this one! It's really a great one! This one is great for spotting an reading deficiencies. It all in the standard multiple format we see often with core materials.

Using Inferences: Where are we?
Find the place of the stories. We provide you with detailed clues to find your end game. You are asked to provide a writing towards the bottom of this work.

Inferences: Hobbies
Try to figure out James, Lucy, and Rachel's favorite hobbies. We follow James, Lucy, and Rachel and find out how they like to spend their time.

Using Inferences to Write Stories
Find the five Ws of the story to make perfect sense of where it is going. This worksheet will help guide you through the process of doing just that.

Inferences: The Mystery Box
We really want to know what is in the box. See if you can figure it out! This one was a feature of the week in Monthly Teacher. We received many compliments.

What Are Inferences, and How Do You Spot Them?

A friend of yours is smiling, looking at their phone screen, tapping away. You guess they're conversing with someone special and exceptionally pleased with it. Did it take some formula to think that? Nope! These are just some clues from your friend's behavior and a general fact that someone smiling at their screen usually means they're happy with the person talking. That is making an inference. And we unknowingly do this all the time.

Drawing a conclusion based on the evidence present in a text is known as making an inference. Have you ever heard of reading between the lines? That's inference.

Identifying an inference is a technique to which our brain has become accustomed. Whether in daily life or while reading, we infer what could be the reason for a particular event occurring. Therefore, making inferences is an effective reading strategy taught in schools, especially to solve multiple-choice questions.

Types of Inferences

They are not just part of English literature but also of science. And since such logical reasoning has become a custom, it is hard to identify different types of inferences. However, here are the two most common types of inferences we subconsciously use every day.

Inductive

You observe an event occurring and draw some conclusions based on your observation. That is inductive inference. For instance, a car accident happened on a slippery, wet road. One can infer that the accident occurred due to a slippery road. That's inductive inference.

Deductive

Using a generally existing theory and then linking it to a possible occurrence is deductive reasoning. Let's take the same example above. The rain could have caused the road to become slippery, which led to a car accident. Although it's not raining in the above example, it is a general fact that rain causes slippery roads. Therefore, one can deduce that the rain caused the accident.

Steps to Spot Them When Reading

Reading can often be a challenge when you can't figure out what to look for or how to connect the dots. Practicing how to spot an particular inference can assist you in enhancing your skills and enjoying reading as a hobby. Here are some steps that you can take to identify inferences:

1. Start with an inference question. Narrow down your search by asking specific inference questions when looking for them. Are you searching for your author's purpose? Then start there and have this question at the back of your mind as you read through the text.

2. Look for clues: Once you've decided on the question you're going to answer, start looking for clues. These clues include the vocabulary used to discuss a situation or how the writer has described the character. Any supporting detail or dialogue would back up your question or answer it. Remember, your clues don't have to be relatable to you. Therefore, let go of your own bias and hunt for hints in the text.

3. Eliminate the choices: You must have thought of an answer initially. But as you read, you come across some clues that do not support your theories. Eliminate those theories. Declutter all the ideas you had in mind, and try to reach the ones backed by the clues you've discovered throughout the text. That is your answer.

Why Are They Important?

Inferences are part of our daily thinking. They can help us prepare for a situation forehand or decide when in a situation. We critically ponder upon a situation, come up with a decision, and provide logical reasons for making that decision, all due to inferences.

They are equally important as reading comprehension skills. It helps us come up with answers to several questions throughout the text, present implicitly or explicitly.

What is the author implying? Reading a text without the author's purpose making sense is useless. Making an inference by looking at the clues given in the text can help us understand the author's concealed message.

What is our protagonist's motivation? You'd never find your protagonist stating their dilemmas in dialogues. Instead, a good author would always leave clues behind for the audience to infer based on their own experiences. That is why book interpretations are subjective.

Learning how to make inferences will assist you in tests as well. Especially when answering multiple-choice questions, use inference to eliminate the least possible answers, which would lead you to the most suitable one.

Examples From Daily Life

Here are some examples of inference in everyday life:

- You decide not to take a secluded road because you infer it can be dangerous.

- Hearing someone yelling triggers the brain instantly to stay away from someone because they're aggressive.

- Seeing rain pouring outside the window will make you grab a raincoat on your way out. That's an inference too.

Conclusion

We make them several times throughout the day. They can have a huge impact on our decision-making skills, whether we're deciding something forehand or when in a situation.

Inferences are an exceptional skill to adopt for improving reading comprehension as well. Critically analyzing and understanding the text based on clues given in the text helps clarify the topic under discussion. Whether you're answering multiple-choice questions or trying to get better at reading in general, they can be a great tool.

Practicing with example worksheets is also an effective way to brush up on your skills. Keep at it, and you'll be a pro in no time. Keep inferring!