Meeting 3

Interpretation and Evaluation:

INFERRING INFORMATION

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Following this meeting, you should be able to:

◼ predict content from your background knowledge;
◼ use clues to infer what a written or pictorial text is about; and
◼ be aware of the importance of active reading and questioning content while
reading.

INFERRING INFORMATION

When you found the main ideas in the preceding paragraphs, you were using inference.
Making inferences is important in daily life. For example, if you see storm clouds, you
might infer it will rain. Inference in reading is a type of informed guesswork in which the
reader makes judgments about the author’s meaning. You must read “between the lines.”
Sometimes you can correctly guess information that is implied in paragraph, but other
inferences may not be supported by what the author has implied.

Information is not always stated in exact terms, we must supply our own information from
details or ideas that are only suggested by the writer. We cannot always be certain that
what we supply is absolutely right. But if we follow hunches that are based on evidence,
we can be fairly sure about some things, even if they are only hinted at.

 Activity 1: Making inferences from cartoon and picture

Individually
1. Look at the picture A and B the lecturer shows you.
2. In a sentence explain the point of the picture – that is, what you think the picture is
about.
3. Answer the questions the lecturer gives you.

1
Picture A

2
Picture B

MAKING INFERENCES FROM A WRITTEN TEXT

Example: Samuel Morse

In the following paragraph, write yes before each statement that can be inferred and no
before each statement that cannot be inferred from what the author has implied.
Underline the main idea.
During his lifetime, Samuel Morse (1791 - 1872) was more famous for his painting than
for his invention of the telegraph and Morse code. He was known first for his ivory
carving, which he studied at Yale University. He was later known for his portrait
painting. By 1822, at the age of 31, he was internationally recognized. It was another ten
years before he became interested in telegraphic communication.
1. Today, Morse is better known for his invention of the telegraph
2. Morse died young
3. Morse was famous as scientist during his lifetime
4. Morse’s art was seen in different countries
5. Morse studied to be an artist
6. Morse was an unusually talented man

Explanation:
Statement 1, 4, 5, and 6 can be inferred from the paragraph. It can be inferred that
statement 1 is true from the first sentences in the paragraph. Statement 4 can be inferred
from phrase “internationally recognized.” Statement 5 can be inferred from the reference
to Yale University. Statement 6 can be inferred from all the things Morse was able to do.

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Statement 2 is not a valid inference, because Morse was able to 1872. Statement 3 cannot
be inferred, Morse started working on the telegraph in 1832, but he didn’t die until 1872.
The main idea is in the first sentence, and it supported by facts.

(Taken from Minnette Lenier, p 34)

 Activity 2: Teratorn
Type: Individual

Instruction: write yes before the sentences that can be inferred and can be inferred and
write no before the ones that cannot be inferred. Then underline the main idea and fill in
the type of supporting details used.
It’s believed that the largest bird ever to fly was the giant teratorn. Fossils of
this bird found in Argentina showed that it had a wingspan of twenty-five
feet and was the size of a man. Remains of this mammoth bird have been
found in Argentina, Florida, Nevada, northern Mexico, and California. The
largest bird flying today is the Andean condor, with a wingspan of only ten
feet.
1. The largest animal ever to fly was a bird
2. The teratorn hunted humans.
3. The teratorn had feathers,
4. The teratorn was larger than any modern flying bird.
5. Feathers from this giant bird have been found.
6. The teratorn was found in several part of the world.

(Taken from Minnette Lenier, p 35)

Activity 3: Pet
Write yes before the sentences that can be inferred and write no before the ones that
cannot be inferred. Then underline the main idea and fill in the type of supporting details
used.
Pet over-population has become a major problem in the United States. No one
wants to kill dogs and cats, and people don’t want to keep their pets from
breeding, so there is an epidemic of unwanted pets. Every hour 12,500
puppies are born in United States. Most will never have a permanent home. In
New York City, there are at least one million stray dogs and five hundred
thousand stray cats.

1. There are more cats born than dogs

2. People don't want to take responsibility for their pets
3. People will begin killing more animals in the next century.
4. Many dogs and cats are abandoned by their owners.
5. New York City has a worse problem than any other city.
6. Cats and dogs are the only pets that have a problem with overpopulation.

(Taken from Minnette Lenier, p 35)

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Activity 4: Saudi Arabia
Type: Individual
Instruction: If you can infer the statement from the paragraph, answer yes. If you cannot
infer the statement, answer no.

Saudi Arabia must import sand. This may seems strange, because most of the
country is desert. But desert sand is too coarse to use in building. Building
material must be fixed with fine sand to make strong cement blocks. It would be
too expensive and too difficult to grind up the desert sand so that it could be
used. Therefore, the Saudis must import river sand from Scotland.

1. Scottish sand is finer than Saudi Arabian sand.

2. Scottish sand is more useful for building than Saudi Arabia.
3. Sand is necessary in making cement.
4. The Saudis export their own sand to other countries.
5. Saudi Arabia has little or no river sand.
6. Saudi Arabia has no water.

(Taken from Minnette Lenier, p 35)

Activity 5: The Stradivarius

Type: Individual
Instruction: If you can infer the statement from the paragraph, answer yes. If you cannot
infer the statement, answer no.

Although it has never been possible to produce a violin like the Stradivarius, it may
be possible to produce its sound in the future. According to Janos Negyesy as the
University of California, Sand Diego, someday there may be a way to produce the
same quality of sound by computer.

1. A stradivarius is a very good violin

2. A Stradivarius was made by using a computer.
3. Negyesy made Stradivarius violins.
4. Many violinists would like to own a Stradivarius violin.
5. The new computer reproduction will look like the original.
6. The same note played on different violins can sound different.

(Taken from Minnette Lenier, p 35)

“TIPS FOR BUILDING INFERENCE SKILLS

❑ “Try to read beyond the words. Fill in details and information based on the writer’s
suggestions.
❑ “Question yourself as you read. “Why is Sally hiding the money?” you might have
asked as you read. “Why are there clouds and lightning in the sky?” Supply the
answers on the basis of the writer’s hints and your own experience.
❑ “If a writer describes a person, try to understand the person from how she moves,
what she says, what she looks like. You can infer things about character from the
way a person behaves. Try to build a picture of the person in your mind; base your
picture on the writer’s description of action and appearance.

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❑ “If you find that you cannot easily answer a question about what you have read,
remember to use inference skills. Return to the part of the reading where you expect
the answers. Then see if the writer suggests something that you yourself have to
supply in clearer terms” (Wiener & Bazerman, 1988, pp. 155-156).

 Activity 6: Making inferences

Individually
The following is one of Aesop’s Fables, but it is presented without the ending, which you
will have to figure out by using inference.
1. Read the story and then answer the questions below.

An old lion, which was too weak to hunt or fight for his food, decided that he
must get it by his wits. He lay down in a cave, pretending to be ill. Whenever
any animals came to visit him, he seized them and ate them. When many had
died in this way, a fox happened along. He stood at some distance from the
entrance to the lion’s den and inquired how the lion was feeling. “Bad”, the
lion answered, and asked the fox why he would not come inside the cave.

A. How does the fox know that the cave is a dangerous place?

B. Why is the fox sure that the lion will not come out and eat him?

C. What is a suitable moral for this story?

D. How do you suppose this story ends?

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(Adapted from Wiener & Bazerman, 1988, pp. 164-165)

REFERENCES

Maker, Janet. Lenier, Minnette, (1991). College Reading Book. Third Edition.
California:Wadsworth.

Mikulecky, B. S. & Jeffries, L. (1996). More reading power. Boston: Longman.

Wiener, H. S. & Bazerman, C. (1988). Reading skills handbook. (4th ed.). Boston: Houghton
Mifflin.