This section of our ParaPro Study Guide covers drawing inferences. When taking the ParaPro Exam, you won’t only be asked about thoughts, feelings, and events that are directly stated in the text; you will also be asked to infer information beyond the text. This important reading skill is covered below.
How to Make Inferences
To make an inference is to draw a conclusion based on what is already directly stated in the passage.
When drawing inferences from stated content, you will want to do the following things:
1. Look for clues about what the author’s intentions are.
An author taking a stance can lead us to conclude what they are passionate about and what their perspective would be on similar issues. For example, if the author is discussing the negative effects of too much cell phone usage, we can infer that they would stand against cell phone usage in a classroom.
Further, if an author shows broad support for something, they would likely support specific topics or initiatives relating to it. If the author is discussing the positive characteristics of clubs and sports, we can conclude that they are in support of children being involved in extracurricular activities after school.
2. Be familiar with titles and how they could influence a selection.
The title is a great indicator of the type of information you will be reading. If a story is titled “The True Story of the Vietnam War,” we can infer it is an informative piece (nonfiction) with facts and information. However, if a story is titled “Reasons Why You Should Be a Teacher,” we can infer that this is a persuasive piece that will include more personal opinions, or even that the author is a teacher or has a teacher that they highly respect in their lives.
3. Evaluate figurative language.
Figurative language is the way an author leverages words to paint a picture in a reader’s mind. To set a dismal tone, an author doesn’t need to say, “Johnathan was depressed after he lost the championship. He said he felt hopeless about his future as a football player.” Instead, the author can set the tone by saying, “Johnathan did not get out of bed the day after the championship game. He kept his curtains drawn and his door shut, and he did nothing but stare at his phone.” The author’s use of imagery paints a scene of a depressed character. We can infer both how he feels and the result of the game without the author directly stating it.
4. Look for key words.
Authors choose their words carefully. Word choice can impact the tone or meaning of a passage, providing clues about what an author or a character is really trying to say. Take the following passage:
“Have you seen my wallet?” Mae asked.
Her daughter’s eyes shifted from one point to another. “No.”
“Hm. I thought I left it right here.”
Mae moved the stack of mail and collection of random household items from the kitchen island, then put her hands on her hips in frustration. Her daughter’s fingers nervously played with the hem of her shirt, but she smiled and shrugged, hoping she came off as nonchalant.
With just the information we have above, we can infer what happened to the wallet without the author directly stating it. Word choices like eyes “shifting,” fingers moving “nervously,” or a character “hoping” she came off as nonchalant all indicate that Mae’s daughter knows what happened to Mae’s wallet, despite what she says.
Let’s try an example of a question you’d see on the ParaPro Exam.
Example 1
How AI and Technology are Killing Jobs
Artificial intelligence (AI) and the increase in technology have undoubtedly made our society more advanced. However, while it has its positives, it also has taken away many jobs as a result. Writers have lost jobs because companies simply now put a few keywords into a program and devise an article. Cashiers at supermarkets have also seen their jobs taken away because everything has become self-checkout. Researchers no longer put in the time since the internet and artificial intelligence can find it within minutes. Additionally, as electric vehicles take over the world, the people working at gas stations and fuel companies will also suffer their fate in employment.
From reading this article, what conclusion can we make about the author?
- they are happy about the new changes in technology and AI
- they work in a field related to technology and AI
- they are worried about the loss of jobs as a result of technology and AI
- technology and AI have helped them get a job recently that is rewarding
Before we even focus on the question, what can we conclude about the author? Because of words and phrases like “killing,” “take away,” “suffer their fate,” and “however” in contrast to “positives,” we can say they personally feel that technology has been detrimental. We can also conclude from the title that this is a persuasive article and the author clearly feels passionate about their stance.
Based on the conclusions we made in the paragraph above, we can determine that the answer is (C). The author doesn’t directly state that they are that they are personally worried, but we can make that inference based on the information provided in the article and their persuasive stance. Since they have negative emotions regarding AI, it would be unlikely that they work in a related field or landed a job thanks to this technology.
Remember: look for clues on how the author feels about a subject and draw a conclusion. Is he/she positive or negative about a subject? Are they in support of something? Are they providing anecdotes that support one side of a debate?
You should now have the skills and strategies you need to go beyond the text and make inferences. Test your skills ahead of the ParaPro Exam with our brief review quiz below.