Making Inferences in Fiction

Making Inferences in Fiction

Read each passage carefully. Then, use the clues in the story and what you already know to make an inference and answer the questions. An inference is an educated guess about something the author doesn't directly tell you.

Maria skipped all the way home from school, her backpack bouncing with every step. Her mom had told her there was a 'special surprise' waiting. When she opened the front door, she heard a small yelp from the living room. On the floor was a big basket with a fluffy blanket inside. As she peered closer, two big, brown eyes looked up at her from under the blanket.

1. What do you think Maria's special surprise is?

2. What clues from the story helped you make this inference?

The sky outside was dark and grey. Sarah sighed, looking out the window at the puddles forming on the sidewalk. Her plans to play soccer with her friends were ruined. She grabbed her favorite book and curled up on the couch, pulling a soft blanket over her lap.

3. What can you infer about the weather outside?

4. Why did Sarah pull a blanket over her lap?

Sam looked under his bed, in his closet, and behind the curtains. His favorite superhero action figure was nowhere to be found. He remembered playing with it in the backyard yesterday. When he went outside, he saw muddy paw prints leading from the sandbox to the doghouse. Inside the doghouse, he saw a fluffy tail wagging excitedly.

5. Sam inferred that his toy was probably  .

6. The clues that helped Sam make this inference were  .

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the kitchen. Mom gasped and ran towards the sound. When she got there, she saw broken pieces of a plate on the floor and a very startled cat staring at the mess.

7. True or False: You can infer that the cat broke the plate.

8. True or False: You can infer that Mom was expecting the plate to break.