Inference 

Directions: Below is a passage from "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," by J.K. Rowlings. After reading the passage, check the two statements which are logically supported by the information given.

 

"So what?" Harry shouted. "Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold of the stone, Voldemort's coming back! Haven't you heard what is was like when he was trying to take over? There wont be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the house cup? If I get caught before I can get to the stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there...." (Harry Potter quotes, by J.K. Rowlings)

1 Value: 5 Select the two inference statements that are evidenced in the story: [mark all correct answers]  a. Harry Potter is upset.  b. The five houses are in a partnership to win the house cup.  c. Harry is worried about Snape retrieving a powerful stone.  d. Harry is excited about Voldemort returning to Hogwarts.  e. Harry is excited about returning to the Dursleys.

 

Directions: Read the following passage and then check the two inferences that can logically be drawn from it.

 

Many herbs have symbolic meaning that goes back centuries. Rose petals, symbols of love and victory, were strewn before wedding parties or heroes of war. Romans offered wreaths of bay leaves as a symbol of triumph and peace. Shakespeare's Ophelia quoted, "There's rosemary, that's for rememberance, pray you love, remember." Common garlic symbolized protection, strength, and healing, and is known today in many films and books for warding off vampires. Even a simple flower, such as a zinnia, expressed the thought of missing friends. The symbolism of herbs is inextricably tied to folklore, culture, and religion and often used to send or rely hidden messages to others.

2. Value: 5 Select the two statements that are evidenced in the passage above. [mark all correct answers]  a. Centuries ago, people may have used herbs to communicate a message.  b. Garlic helps to purify and strengthen blood when healing is needed.  c. The symbolism of herbs was created in an era of superstition and magic and is never used today.  d. Magnolias are an herb.  e. Herbs are used in the medical field to fight off various infections.

 

 Directions: Read the following passage and then check the three inferences that can logically be drawn from it.

 

Sheep have as much variety in their apperance and activities as do people. Both have many colors and textures in their hair. Sheep's wool may be brown, grey, black, creamy white, red, spotted, and freckled. Some have colored faces and legs, similiar to Siamese cats. They can also be long-fibered, short-fibered, wiry, soft, or curly. Wool is graded from the soft and fine (used for baby clothes or fine sweaters and scarves) to coarse and tough (used for rugs). The finest, #1 grade of wool is Merino, which is a breed usually raised in colder climates because of their thick fleeces. Both rams (males) and ewes (females) grow long, fuzzy coats of wool. When sheared of their fleece, they don't look as imposing and lose a lot of their size and weight. Like children, the rams often butt each other both in play and serious competition. And also, like children, they get hungry and enjoy spending most of the day grazing and following the ewe around to the best grazing spots in the pasture.

3. Value: 5 Select the three inference statements that are evidenced in the passage above. [mark all correct answers]  a. Baby sheep, especially Merino, have horns.  b. Fleeces can be heavy and may give the sheep a daunting appearance.  c. A finely knit or woven suit may be made of Merino wool.  d. Sheep like to play, but they mostly like to eat.  e. Lincoln is a wool often used for making rugs.  f. Sheep's wool only comes in one color.

 

 Directions: Read the following summary and then check the two inferences that can logically be drawn from it.

 

I once hired an air conditioner repair man to fix my central air unit on my home. He checked the system and then quoted me a price of $500 dollars. I agreed. He opened the system to check the equipment, then came back. I noticed a barely repressed smile on his face.

"Sorry," he said, "it's gonna cost you $800. I didn't know it needed so much repair."

"No way," I said, folding my arms.

"Whatever you say," the repair man said. Fanning himself, he commented, "It looks like it's going to be a scorcher out today."

I sighed, shook my head, and said, "With my luck, it will be hot for the entire month. Finish the job."

4. Value: 5 Select the two inference statements that are evidenced in the summary dialogue above. [mark all correct answers]  a. At first, the author did not want to spend the extra $300.  b. The author's air unit would have held up for another year or two.  c. The repair man may have planned all along to raise the price after the unit was fixed.  d. The author belives that all repair men are con men.  e. The repair man had been recommended to the author.

 

 Directions: Read the following passage and then check the two inferences that can logically be drawn from it.

 

Clinical depression is not the same thing as just having the blues. Instead, it is a serious, though curable, emotional disorder related to brain chemistry, with specific symptoms. It is so widespread that it has been called "the common cold of psychiatry."

5. Value: 5 Select the two inference statements that are evidenced in the passage above. [mark all correct answers]  a. Anyone who is very sad probably has clinical depression.  b. Numerous people suffer from clinical depression.  c. A physical factor is involved in clinical depression.  d. Clinical depression is called the "common cold of psychiatry" because, as with the common cold, there is no cure for it.

 

To review the rules and concepts, click Study Sheet

 

 

 

 

 

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