How to draw conclusions from things we read.

By Christopher K. Shumaker

What can you assume to be true by looking at this photo?

She is happy.

I locked my car keys inside of my car.

I left my term paper that is due today at home.

I can’t find my wallet in order to purchase lunch.

1. I am happy?

2. I like to eat lunch.

3. I am having a bad day.

I locked my car keys inside of my car.

I left my term paper that is due today at home.

I can’t find my wallet in order to purchase lunch.

1. I am happy?

2. I like to eat lunch.

3. I am having a bad day.

How do you think this guy feels?I would guess angry or mad.

This is an inference.

They are what you can assume to be true based on what you read.

They will NOT be literally stated in the passage, but you can understand them as truths based on what is being said.

If your roommate is washing the dished and says acidly, “I hope you’re enjoying your novel,” the literal meaning of his words is quite clear, but you probably know very well that he is not expressing a concern about your reading pleasure. He is really saying, “I am furious that you are not helping to clean up after dinner.” Other emotions can be expressed through tone of voice as well. When Mae West, a once famous film star and master of sexual innuendo, asked, “Why don’t you come up and see me sometime?” her voice oozed sensuality. Similarly, if you receive a phone call from someone who has very good or very bad news, you will probably know how she feels before she has told you what happened. In the same way, we can literally hear the fear in a person’s voice, as we do when we listen to a nervous student give an oral report.

If your roommate is washing the dishes and says acidly, “I hope you’re enjoying your novel,” the literal meaning of his words is quite clear, but you probably know very well that he is not expressing a concern about your reading pleasure. He is really saying, “I am furious that you are not helping to clean up after dinner.” Other emotions can be expressed through tone of voice as well. When Mae West, a once famous film star and master of sexual innuendo, asked, “Why don’t you come up and see me sometime?” her voice oozed sensuality. Similarly, if you receive a phone call from someone who has very good or very bad news, you will probably know how she feels before she has told you what happened. In the same way, we can literally hear the fear in a person’s voice, as we do when we listen to a nervous student give an oral report.

1. Which of the following would be a good title for this passage?

A. Humans Can Sense Fear.

B. It’s Not What You Say; It’s How You Say It

C. Getting Along with Others.

If your roommate is washing the dished and says acidly, “I hope you’re enjoying your novel,” the literal meaning of his words is quite clear, but you probably know very well that he is not expressing a concern about your reading pleasure. He is really saying, “I am furious that you are not helping to clean up after dinner.” Other emotions can be expressed through tone of voice as well. When Mae West, a once famous film star and master of sexual innuendo, asked, “Why don’t you come up and see me sometime?” her voice oozed sensuality. Similarly, if you receive a phone call from someone who has very good or very bad news, you will probably know how she feels before she has told you what happened. In the same way, we can literally hear the fear in a person’s voice, as we do when we listen to a nervous student give an oral report.

1. Which of the following would be a good title for this passage?

A. Humans Can Sense Fear.

B. It’s Not What You Say; It’s How You Say It

C. Getting Along with Others.

If your roommate is washing the dished and says acidly, “I hope you’re enjoying your novel,” the literal meaning of his words is quite clear, but you probably know very well that he is not expressing a concern about your reading pleasure. He is really saying, “I am furious that you are not helping to clean up after dinner.” Other emotions can be expressed through tone of voice as well. When Mae West, a once famous film star and master of sexual innuendo, asked, “Why don’t you come up and see me sometime?” her voice oozed sensuality. Similarly, if you receive a phone call from someone who has very good or very bad news, you will probably know how she feels before she has told you what happened. In the same way, we can literally hear the fear in a person’s voice, as we do when we listen to a nervous student give an oral report.

2. The author uses the example of Mae West in order to suggest that

A. movie stars used to be far sexier than they are now.

B. Mae West probably never experienced a moment of nervousness in her life.

C. people are capable of conveying much meaning through voice quality.

If your roommate is washing the dished and says acidly, “I hope you’re enjoying your novel,” the literal meaning of his words is quite clear, but you probably know very well that he is not expressing a concern about your reading pleasure. He is really saying, “I am furious that you are not helping to clean up after dinner.” Other emotions can be expressed through tone of voice as well. When Mae West, a once famous film star and master of sexual innuendo, asked, “Why don’t you come up and see me sometime?” her voice oozed sensuality. Similarly, if you receive a phone call from someone who has very good or very bad news, you will probably know how she feels before she has told you what happened. In the same way, we can literally hear the fear in a person’s voice, as we do when we listen to a nervous student give an oral report.

2. The author uses the example of Mae West in order to suggest that

A. movie stars used to be far sexier than they are now.

B. Mae West probably never experienced a moment of nervousness in her life.

C. people are capable of conveying much meaning through voice quality.

What can you conclude from this photo?A couple just got married.

The two love each other.

The sun is setting.

They possibly got married on the beach.

Is this kid tired or what?Can you assume anything from this

photo?

Eating a keyboard?Can’t this guy wait until lunch?

He must be starving.

For the EXIT EXAM:

1. The correct answer to the question being asked will not be stated in the passage, but you can assume it to be true based on the reading.

If you see one of the answer choices stated in the passage exactly the same, please stay away from that answer.

You are looking for the answer that is not stated in the reading passage but you know to be true because of the content you just read.