Making Inferences Practice Exercises
Practice 1: Noticing Numbers
Read the selection, and then answer the questions that follow.
(1) My math teacher, Mr. Reyman, always comes up with really great ideas.
Take for example our assignment last weekend. We thought he'd ask us to
study for the upcoming test. Instead, on Friday he says, "Some of you have
questioned our need to study fractions and how often people really use
them in everyday life. So to answer your query, I want you to go on a
fraction hunt this weekend!"
(2) Raquelita raises her hand and asks, "You mean bring in like part of a
fraction, like one shoe because it's half of a whole pair?"
(3)
"Or bring me," Paco laughs, "since I play baseball, I'm of a team?"
(4) "You've got it," Mr. Reyman agrees. "Actually bring things or just draw
them. Your families can help. Let's see who can find the most interesting!"
(5) At dinner that night, I tell Dad and Mom about the assignment. "Sounds
like fun," Mom says. "I bought new shoes today. They're size ."
(6) "Great! I'm on my way!" I say as I draw a shoe with a label inside.
(7)
In the kitchen, I spot measuring cups with
and
on them and a
measuring spoon labeled . Dad brings in his toolbox and says, "Look in
here. You'll find lots of fractions!" I do, wrenches labeled
and !
(8) Over the next two days, we find many other things. Dad asks, "Did you
know hats come in fractional sizes?"
(9) "No, I usually see them labeled small, medium, and large!" I reply.
(10) Dad laughs and shows me his hat with a tag inside labeled . "I used to
wear a ," he chuckles. "My head must be getting smaller . . . or maybe I
just had more hair then!"
(11) In the Sunday paper, I notice ads for sales, where things are or off. And
Sunday night Dad shows me something special he has with a fraction
written on it. "You can take this to school, but just be very careful with it,"
he says as he wraps it carefully in a soft cloth and puts it into a bag. "It's
one of my favorites . . . and kind of rare."
(12) Monday everyone brings bags of stuff and lots of pictures to class. Other
kids have wrenches, measuring utensils, and clothes. But no one else has
the special thing my Dad gave me. "Wow!" says Mr. Reyman when I take
it carefully out of the bag. "An old Beatles record!"
(13) He holds the record up for everyone to see. There, on the label, is the
fraction and some letters: 33 RPM. Mr. Reyman explains that the letters
stand for Revolutions Per Minute . . . the number of times the record spins
around on a turntable each minute. He adds that today, CDs spin at
between 200 and 500 RPM and produce a cleaner, clearer sound.
(14) We all agree that fractions are useful and people do use them a lot in
everyday life. I wonder what fun assignment Mr. Reyman will think up
next?
1. What can you infer from the first paragraph?
a. Mr. Reyman is a new teacher in the school.
b. The kids need to practice for the school musical.
c. There's an important math test coming up soon.
d. Most of the kids don't understand meteorology.
2. Why might you infer that the narrator's father is bald?
a. He likes to wear hats.
b. He said he used to have more hair.
c. The narrator said he had a shiny head.
d. The hat fit the narrator.
3. What can you infer about the fraction find?
a. Some kids couldn't find anything with a fraction on it.
b. Raquelita found the most interesting item.
c. Paco brought in his whole team.
d. The Beatles record was the most interesting thing.
4. From the story, what can you infer about the narrator's family?
a. They get along well together.
b. They argue a lot.
c. They live in a trailer.
d. They don't have time to do things together.
Practice 2: Ancient Animals
Read the selection, and then answer the questions that follow
(1) Dinosaurs are everywhere. You see them in movies, books, museums, and
TV documentaries. They show up as stuffed toys or on T-shirts. These
prehistoric beasts may be extinct—no longer living—but they're definitely
not forgotten!
(2) It's been a long time since dinosaurs roamed and ruled Earth. Scientists say
the last ones died about 65 million years ago. We know the dinosaurs are
gone, but no one knows exactly why. After all, no one was here to witness
what happened! Most scientists believe dinosaurs died out after a gigantic
meteorite hit Earth's surface and drastically changed the planet's climate.
Birds and mammals that were protected by feathers and fur, were better able
to adapt to the weather changes than cold-blooded dinosaurs.
(3) Other scientists say dinosaurs aren't extinct, they just look different! These
experts believe the prehistoric beasts changed and developed into birds!
Still other scientists say that Earth's warmer weather caused more male than
female dinosaurs to develop. So, they say, dinosaurs died out because there
were no more females to increase the population!
(4) How do scientists know what dinosaurs looked like? There were no cameras
millions of years ago, so dinosaurs are the only ones who know . . . and
they're not talking! Scientists get clues from dinosaur fossils, and infer the
rest.
(5) Bones, footprints, and other remains are evidence of how big dinosaurs
were and how they moved. To figure out how they looked with their skin
on, scientists look at animals that live today. Because dinosaurs were lizardlike, scientists can infer that dinosaurs looked a lot like modern-day lizards.
And since modern lizards are brown, gray, or green, then dinosaurs
probably were, too! That's why dinosaur pictures and museum models have
the same colors as today's lizard populations.
(6) Scientists are always discovering new things about dinosaurs. In recent
years, fossils were found in Antarctica, proving that dinosaurs lived on
every continent. Experts also figured out that Stegosaurus had only one
spread-out row of plates down its back, not two individual rows. And fossils
of the smallest and the largest dinosaurs have been found. What will
scientists discover next?
5. From the first paragraph, you can infer that
a. you can see dinosaurs only in museums.
b. all dinosaurs were very tall.
c. the author doesn't like dinosaurs.
d. people of all ages are interested in dinosaurs.
6. Scientists found a rare blue lizard in Colombia, so you can infer that
a. the scientists were looking for missing people.
b. some dinosaurs might have been blue.
c. no dinosaurs had ever lived in Colombia.
d. the lizards built nests near the top of a volcano.
7. Since scientists are always discovering new things about dinosaurs, you can
infer that
a. they still might not have found the smallest or biggest dinosaurs.
b. science is no longer interested in looking for fossils.
c. prehistoric people left written records with descriptions of dinosaurs.
d. when scientists make inferences, they are always right.
8. What can you infer from the fact that Stegosaurus has just one row of
plates?
a. Stegosaurus wasn't as old as scientists thought.
b. Old pictures and museum models of Stegosaurus had to be changed.
c. Someone stole the other row of plates from a museum.
d. Stegosaurus means "roof lizard."
9. What can you infer about lizard eggs?
a. Cooler temperatures should produce more female lizards.
b. Hot weather should produce female lizards.
c. Cold temperatures will produce more male lizards.
d. Hot weather will produce more orange lizards.
10. What can you infer about scientists?
a. They never watch TV.
b. All scientists study about dinosaurs.
c. They don't always agree.
d. They never make mistakes.
Practice 3: Toadstool or Mushroom?
Read the selection, and then answer the questions that follow.
(1) All toadstools are mushrooms, but not all mushrooms are toadstools! That's
because toadstools are mushrooms that are either poisonous or have a bad
taste. There are more than 2,000 mushroom species, and there's no simple
test to tell the poisonous ones from those safe to eat! You just have to learn
to recognize which is which.
(2) Most toadstools aren't deadly if eaten, but they're likely to make you very
sick. For example, the Jack-o'-Lantern toadstool, whose bright orange cap
glows in the dark, might give you an upset stomach or diarrhea. But some
toadstools have deadly poison, and no amount of cooking can get rid of it.
They damage the liver and kidneys, and unless the eater gets immediate
treatment, he or she will die. That's why experts warn, never eat a
mushroom you find growing anywhere unless you know it's the safe kind.
(3) Some of the loveliest toadstools are deadly. For example, the fly agaric has
a bright yellow, orange, or red cap with white bumps on top. Some people
cut up this deadly beauty, sprinkle it with sugar, and tempt pesky flies to
drop in for a meal. If they do, they get the specialty of the house: instant
death!
11. After reading the article, what can you infer about blue mushrooms?
a. They are extremely poisonous.
b. They are always safe to eat.
c. They will upset your stomach.
d. I don't have enough information to infer anything.