What Is Making an Inference?
Making an inference means using clues from the text combined with your own knowledge and experience to figure out something the author does not state directly. Good readers make inferences constantly, whether they realize it or not. When a character in a story slams the door and stomps up the stairs, we infer that the character is angry, even though the word "angry" is never used. This skill is sometimes described as "reading between the lines."
Inference is tested on every major reading assessment and is critical for understanding literature, science texts, historical documents, and everyday writing. Students who can make strong inferences comprehend more deeply, engage more fully with what they read, and perform better on open-ended questions that ask them to explain their thinking.
How to Make Inferences
- Look for clues in the text. Pay attention to details about characters' actions, dialogue, and descriptions.
- Use what you already know. Combine text clues with your own life experience and background knowledge.
- Ask: What is the author suggesting? Think about what the author wants you to understand without saying it outright.
- Check your inference. A good inference is supported by evidence in the text. If you cannot point to specific clues, your inference may be a guess rather than a conclusion.
Common Types of Inference Questions
Inference questions come in many forms: "What can you conclude from this passage?" "What will most likely happen next?" "How does the character probably feel?" "What does the author imply?" All of these require the reader to go beyond what is explicitly stated and draw a logical conclusion based on available evidence.
These worksheets present short passages at three difficulty levels, each followed by a multiple-choice inference question. At the easy level, the clues are straightforward and the correct inference is close to the surface. At the hard level, students must synthesize multiple pieces of evidence and consider subtler implications.
Related Worksheets
- Main Idea Worksheets - Identify the central idea of reading passages.
- Cause and Effect Worksheets - Identify causes and effects in text.
- Vocabulary in Context Worksheets - Define words using context clues.