Chapter 3

Reading between the Lines: Making Accurate Inferences

Objectives• You now begin to see implications in your

reading. You will practice inferences with material of varying levels of difficulty including:– Facts and inferences– Inferences defined– Problems with inferences– Using evidence to make inferences– Making open-ended inferences– Making inferences in textbook material– Making inferences in literature– Making inferences with visual material

Facts and Inferences

• What is the difference?– A fact is a verifiable piece of

information• It can be duplicated, measured,

confirmed in other sources, demonstrated, or proved.

– Inferences are derived from facts.

Definition of Inferences

• "A statement about the unknown based on the known."

• We read between the lines.• We connect facts to make

sense of the situation when no explanation is offered or a future course of action.

Practice Exercise 1

• Do Exercise 1 found on pp. 80-81

Practice Exercise 1 answers

1. ? There is no evidence that there was a thief.2. ? Are the college teacher and the professor the same

person?3. T There is an exact statement in the story that proves

this to be true.4. ? There is no mention of the examination being or not

being picked up by someone.5. ? We don't know if anyone picked up the examination.6. ? We don't know who turned off the lights.7. ? We don't know if the professor was a man or a

woman8. ? We don't know who ran down the corridor.9. F The drawer was opened.10. ? There could have been three or four people: We

don't know if the professor and the college teacher were the same person.

Problems with Inferences

• We may make assumptions that get in the way of making accurate inferences.

• We may not read carefully enough or pay close enough attention to new vocabulary.

• We may indulge in stereotyping. This problem is particularly evident in question 7, if we incorrectly infer that a professor is more likely to be a man than a woman.

Using Evidence to Make Inferernces

• To make accurate inferences, consider carefully the writer’s words which are not written but surely intends by what he or she writes

evidence

The justification for inferenceWARNING: Do not read beyond what is suggested or

implied

Using Evidence to Make Inferernces

An inference must be tied to the evidence.

Using Evidence to Make Inferernces

How might inferences be identified?

1.Probably accurate (PA) – Based on facts presented

2.Probably inaccurate (PI)– Misstates or distorts the facts

3.Not in the passage– Insufficient evidence or no

information

Activity found on pp. 82-84

• On the basis of the evidence in the paragraph of p. 82, identify the inferences. Then, study the author’s explanation for her responses.

• Likewise, do p. 83-84

• Now, test yourself and do Practice Ex. 2 on pp. 84-87

Practice Ex. 2, pp. 84-87, answers

2. PA3. NP

D.b

A.1. PA2. PI3. PA4. NP5. PI

B. 1. B2. B3. D

C.1. PI

Making Open-Ended Inferences

How good is your judgment?– Making open-ended inferences

asks you to draw your own inferences and state them in your own words.

– Making the correct inference depends on your understanding of what you read

Making Inferences in Textbook Material

• Textbooks are the perfect example of expository writing whose purpose is to inform and to present information.

• However, don’t read blindly!

Check your understanding of inferences by labeling the inferences on pp. 91-92.

Making Inferences in Textbook Material

• Answers to the inferences from pp. 91-92.

1. PA2. NP3. PI4. PA5. PA6. PA7. PI

Making Inferences in Literature

• Inferences are made in literature, too.– When the reader delves into the

character’s mind and into the significance of his/her actions, inevitably, inferences are made by the reader.• What makes the character act the

way he does?• Assessing the relationship of the

character to his surroundings

Making Inferences with Visual MaterialCartoons

– The careful reader must piece essential elements together in order to make connections

– They mold public opinion

Graphs and Charts– Data is presented succinctly and in a

readable format• To reinforce and clarify complex material

Making Inferences with Visual Material

Now respond to the questions on pp. 100-101 regarding unemployment

Making Inferences with Visual Material

Answers to questions on pp. 100-101:

1. Operators, fabricators, and laborers2. African-Americans 16-193. Unemployment is a chronic problem4. The more education one has the more likely he

or she is to be employed during recessions. The ratio is a little more than 3 to 1.

5. Limiting the statistics to those over 25 means that only full-time adult workers are included. Including people under 25 would distort the results, since they would be high school and college students who might not work full-time.