UNIT 8 Making an Inference

UNIT 8 MAKING AN INFERENCE

In our everyday life we make many inferences，For example．you wave good-morning to an old friend，but he does not respond。You might infer that he is angry，upset，lost in thought，or does not see you．

Similarly，in reading，one must make an inference so that he can reach a decision based on evidence he thinks to be true because writers sometimes do not have their ideas clearly stated．They expect the readers to draw inferences in order to get a clearer understanding of the ideas implied．Suggested meaning sometimes is part of the total meaning of a passage。If，YOU miss the suggested meaning，you may miss the main point of what the writer is saying．A

If someone says，“It seems warm in here，”he may be suggesting that the heat})e turned down or the window opened．If one woman asks another，“Where did you get that dress”she may be suggesting that the dress is especially attractive．

You might get an inference through conversation——how someone said something or maybe what was left unsaid．Inferences may be drawn by analyzing characters and their actions，and by determining the mood of the speaker．They may be based on facts and must be assembled by the reader．A fact can usually be found in the passage，but an inference is more of a feeling drawn from reasoning.

For example, the beginning paragraph of the story A Mother's Place gives us a

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picture of a lady who doesn't feel happy when rain that is more than welcome comes. You can infer that the lady is not in a good mood or she is having some problem. The second paragraph tells us the fact that the lady is not really old (\"Her hair wasn't completely gray, and she was only in her mid-fifties, middle-aged really.\"). From this we may infer that the problem with the lady is that she feels old though she is not really old.

Here are some strategies for making inferences:

Grasp the literal meaning first. Before you make any interpretation, try to grasp the stated facts and ideas. Only when you have an understanding of the literal or factual content can you go beyond literal meaning and formulate inferences.

Try to read beyond the given words. Fill in details, information and ideas based on the writer's suggestions and your own knowledge about the back-ground of the writing.

Ask questions to help you make inferences: such as, what is left out? What more is suggested? What does the author literally say? What does the author really mean?

Pay attention to the information that helps you identify the subject of the article, the author's attitudes, values and beliefs, and the author's conclusions.

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1. DIRECTIONS：Read each of the following dialogues and answer the question about it.

Example：A：Good morning．May I help you?

B：Yes，I'd like to cash these travelers’ checks first，and then open a sayings account

Question：Where does this conversation probably take place?

a．In a department store b．In a bank

c．At a tourist bureau． d，At a hotel

1)A：Excuse me，could you please tell me how to get to the park?

B：There is a park around here?

Question：What does B’s response indicate? ＿＿＿

a．The park is nearby． b．He doesn’t know about the park．

c．There’s no park here． d．He doesn’t understand the question

2) A：1 want to go to Peru．

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B：A round trip ticket would be cheaper．I can also arrange hotel reservations and a guided tour，if you’d like．

Question：Where did this conversation most probably take place? ＿＿

a．A travel agency． b．An airport． c．A hotel．d．Peru

3)A：What’s in the headlines today?

B：It says here that one war is starting in the Middle East and that another one is starting in Africa．

Question：What is B doing? ＿＿

a．Watching television． b．Listening to the radio

c．Reading a newspaper d．Reading a magazine．

4) A：Hey，don’t drop your ashes on the floor．I just wept in here．

B：I’m sorry. I didn’t see an ashtray and I didn’t want to interrupt your reading to ask for one.

Question：What is B doing?＿＿＿

a．Reading． b．Smoking. c．Sweeping． d. Studying.

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5)A：I have a person—to—person call from Los Angeles for Mr. Robert Taylor．Can he speak now?

B：Yes，I believe so．Hold the line please．Robert! Quick! Someone is calling you from Los Angeles．

Question11：What kind of phone call is it? ＿＿＿

a．Emergency. b．Important.

c．Secret． d．Long distance.

6)A：May I make a recommendation，sir? The clams with our special sauce are good．They are fresh from the ocean．

B：Thank you，but I don’t care for shellfish．

Question：Where did this conversation probably take place? ＿＿＿

a．At a restaurant. b．In a store specializing in seashells.

c．On a fishing boat． d．In the fresh ocean air.

7)A：Do you cut your own hair?

B：No，I don’t have it cut at the hairdresser’. Do you cut yours?

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A：Yes，I do．

B：It looks like it．

Question：How does A’s hair look ____

a. Handsome． b．Pretty． c．Good looking． d．Ugly.

8)A：Has it always been green?

B：No，I’ve had it dyed．

A：What for?

B：I don’t want Joe to recognize it

Question：Why doesn’t B want Joe to recognize it? ______

a．He is afraid of Joe． b．He doesn’t like Joe.

c．It is an old coat． d．It belongs to Joe.

9)A：Is your baggage only these two bags?

B：That’s right．

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A：Have you anything to declare?

B：I don’t think so．They are all my personal effects

Question：What do you think A is? _______

a．Policeman． b. Customs officer.

c．Hotel clerk． d . Porter.

10)A：1 want to go to River Street．

B：Yes，ma’am．

A：The traffic seems awfully heavy．It’s unusual．

B：No，ma’am．It’s about the same this time every day.

Question：Whom is A speaking with ? ______

a．Her husband． b．Her friend．

c．A taxi driver． d．A fellow passenger.

2．DIRECTIONS：Decide if the statement after each paragraph is a valid inference．If it is valid，write T；if it is not，write F．

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Example：When the phone finally rang，Joe leaped from the edge of his chair and grabbed for it. Joe probably had been waiting for the call anxiously．T

1) They were all shocked when Jones confessed to the theft.

No one had questioned his courage．______

2) The letters of the alphabet were nothing more to her than meaningless shapes

She did not know how to think．______

3) No fragments of pottery have been unearthed by archaeologists from the ruins of this city.

Apparently the inhabitants did not know how to build homes．______

4)When people of early New England chose sleeping garments，the main consideration was warmth．

People at that time had different taste of beauty. ______

5) Every editor has to cope with a certain number of wound—up visitors．Ralph worked with his hat on．

He wore his hat to give visitors the impression that he was about

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to1eave．______

6) The man who installed the new equipment in the executive’s office told him that the first cost would be the last．

It was suggested that the equipment was built to last a lifetime. ______

7) Only in terms of decades，or even centuries，can we evaluate the importance and permanence of the changes in the distribution of power among nations．

These changes occur obviously．______

8) We often hear that brevity is the soul of wit．As used here，wit perhaps refers to jest，but the saying is even more applicable to a higher form of wit—the concise expression of real wisdom．

It is implied that the man who can say much in a few words is a master. _______

9) During the harvest season the men。n all the farms were working from morning until sunset．Sometimes they even worked by moonlight．They were trying to get the harvest in before it was ruined by a storm．

The farmers were pitted against competitors．______

10) A commuter whose estate is overrun with squirrels has a trap that catches but does not kill．He picks it up every morning，laden with squirrels，puts it in his

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car，drives three miles to his train, and in a little park behind the station，releases the animals with a silent prayer that they will adjust to their new environment．

He is humane to small animals．_____

3．DIRECTIONS：Read the passages below，and decide if each of the statements

following is correct．If it is true，write T；if it is no true write F.

A．I saw by the clock of the city jail that it was past eleven，so I decided to go to the newspaper immediately. Outside the editor’s door I stopped to make sure my pages were in the right order; smoothed them out carefully，stuck them back in my pocket，and knocked—I could hear my heart thumping as I walked in．

1) The teller。f this story has just left the city jail．______

2) He has been carrying his papers in his pocket. ______

3) We know that the storyteller is a newspaper writer by profession. ______

4) We might infer that the storyteller is going t。show his papers to the editor. ______

5) The meeting is important for the storyteller. ______

B. Mrs. Bennet rang the bell, and Miss Elizabeth was summoned to the

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library.

“Come here, child,” cried her father as she appeared. “ I understand that Mr. Collins has made you an offer of marriage. Is it true?” Elizabeth replied that is was. “ Very well--- and this offer of marriage you have refused?”

“ I have，sir.”

“ Very well．we now come to the point．Your mother insists upon your accepting。Is it not so,

Mrs. Bennet ?”

“ Yes，or not will never see her again．”

“ An unhappy choice is before you，Elizabeth. From your parents．Your mother will never see you again if you do.”

6) Mr. Bennet had been talking with Mrs Bennet immediately before Elizabeth came in. _____

7) The offer of marriage from Mr. Collins was a secret from Elizabeth’s parents ______

8) Mr. Bennet approved of what Elizabeth had said to Mr. Collins. ______

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9) Mr. Benne was afraid Elizabeth had said to Mr. Collins. ______

10) Mr and Mrs. Bennet were both strong with their opinions about Elizabeth’s marriage ______

4．DIRECTIONS：Each passage below is followed by two comprehension questions．Read the passage carefully first and then answer the questions．

A. The most remarkable weapon invented by primitive man is the boomerang. It is still used by the natives of Australia. Made of hard wood, it is shaped into the boomerang. It is still used by the natives of Australia. Made of hard wood, it is shaped into a curve over hot coals. It is from two of four feet long, flat on one side and rounded on the other, with s shape edge. There are several kinds of boomerangs. They are used for war, for hunting, and for amusement. The well-known “return” boomerang is really a toy. Instead of going straight forward, it slowly rises in the air. It whirls around in a curved line until it reaches a certain height，after which it returns to the thrower. This effect is produced by the action of the air on the bulging side of boomerang. The other types are effective weapons because of their size and irregular motion It is said and irregular motion. It is said that with one of these weapons because of their size and irregular motion. It is said that with one of these weapons, a native can cut a small animal almost in two at a distance of 400 feet.

1) The boomerang is “remarkable” probably because of ______

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a．its unusual and varied performance．

b．its great size and weight.

c．its ability to withstand stress．

d．its manner of construction．

2)The reader may assume that _____

a．the boomerang is not useful beyond 400 feet．

b．the boomerang is the only weapon invented by primitive man.

c．boomerangs used for hunting and war are similar．

d．many boomerangs are lost in hunting．

B． In 1 909，an elderly woman of Flaxman Island went out to gather wood half a mile from her house．She w-as wearing only a coat—shirt，hair side turned in．Suddenly，a blizzard descended and she had to wait the storm out．Many Eskimos would have built themselves a shelter．Instead the old woman placed her mittens on a mound of snow and sat down，using them as insulation to keep her body heat from melting the snow beneath her．Her jacket was so designed that she could slip her bare arms out of the sleeves and cross them inside the coat．With her back to the wind．She settled down to wait the gale out．Every now

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and then，she walked around in a small circle .When she was tired of this，she sat down again and tried to sleep．The next day，the gale subsided，and she walked home．

3) The elderly woman’s behavior suggests that she is _____

a. sensitive． b．fearful.

c. lonely． d．self-possessed

4) The reader can infer that in the Flaxman Islands ______

a．women work harder than men．

b．survival requires unusual firmness of spirit．

c．blizzards are frequent throughout the year．

d．elderly：people have little status．

C． Weather routing is，simply，a method of planning a course of travel around and through bad weather．It is the shortest course，generally，in terms of both time and risk．It is an instrument of control and efficiency in navigation，a means to greater safety and speed．

In recent years weather routing has been very much refined．yet as an idea．it

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is new．Men have long been helpless before the weather and，like other creatures，have withdrawn in fear and simply suffered catastrophe．Those most exposed suffered most，and these were mariners．But centuries of ill—tempered skies and quiet seas taught them both caution and courage．They understood the wind’s message and faced with confidence or feared with reason the motions of the sea and sky．

5) It can be inferred from the paragraph that weather routing ______

a．does away with all known dangers.

b．is opposed by pilots and navigators．

c．is not a guarantee against all risks.

d．was practiced by early mariners．

6) It can be inferred from the paragraph that travel becomes safer as ______

a．people learn not to fear storms．

b．the science of weather forecasting progresses.

c．people learn how to control their environment．

d．means of transportation become safer．

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D．Though the pain from a scorpion is sting is sharp and may last a few days，there is little danger of serious or lasting damage．The scorpion is a fierce—looking creature with an armored，jointed body supported by eight legs．It has many eyes，yet for all practical purposes．it is almost blind．It feels its war around with large．finger—like pincers．These pincers are powerful weapons with which the scorpion seizes and crushes its prey．The jointed tail，with its poisonous needle point, can be used with deadly accuracy in case the pincers are not effective．Sinister as the scorpion may be in the insect world，it performs an important service for man．Scorpions devour many varieties of insects which destroy grain fields．In one day，for example，an adult scorpion dines on nearly a hundred of these destructive insects

7) The author implies that man ______

a．need not fear scorpions．

b．should breed scorpions for crop protection.

c．should kill scorpions outside grain fields.

d．need not avoid scorpions．

8) The paragraph infers that the scorpion uses its poison ______

a．whenever it is threatened．

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b．as a last resort．

c．to provoke its enemies．

d．against other insects．

E． Mrs. Harris，an elderly patient in a nursing home，sat all day in a chair．She did nothing else．She required complete physical care，even feeding．No one seemed to realize that she was partially deaf and blind．One day, a young doctor observed cataracts in both her eves．He discovered that if he spoke in her ear．she seemed to respond．One eye was operated on．and when it was first uncovered，the old woman cried with joy，Her recovery was quick，and she soon became quite independent．She started feeding herself and took to smiling and talking with others．The change in her attitude was amazing．Not only did she require less nursing care，but she was also able to help other patients．She was again able to see and with this，seemed to experience some hearing recovery．

9) It can be reasonably inferred from this paragraph that _______

a．a person’s state of health affects his outlook on life．

b．nursing homes are staffed with unqualified attendants．

c．an elderly person should be cared for by his family．

d．state governments should supervise nursing homes closely.

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10) Evidence suggests that the young doctor was ______

a．unusual． b．alert． c．independent. d．casual.

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