Making Inferences Within Literature
When reading, it is common to read between the lines. It is called inferencing. As a reader, you pick up the clues the author gives you, leading you to conclude something. Inferencing is crucial for it helps build the critical thinking skills of the readers. Also, inferencing is a fun and enjoyable interaction between the author and the reader. For example, you are reading a mystery novel; you try to deduce who the killer is, but you discover it wasn’t him. What you believed to be was wrong. It leaves you wondering with the thought, “that caught me off guard.”
Steps in Making Inferences within Literature
- Read Text
Reading between the lines is a skill that we learn or inferencing as you read through any materials. To begin inferencing starts with reading and understanding the text or story.
- Find Clues
As you read, you pick up clues to what the author tries to convey. Clues are crucial in figuring out what the bigger picture is.
- Draw a Conclusion
After having the clues, then you conclude. You deduce something out of the clues.
Below is a sample text
To Terry Fox, the one-legged runner whose life was the antithesis1 of self-aggrandizement2, the thought he would be the first Canadian depicted on a circulating coin would be considered loony.
What does the paragraph suggest about Terry Fox’s character?
A. He was humble.
B. He was humorous.
C. He was determined.
D. He was competitive.
Except that at this moment, as he smokes a Kool, he sighs and declares, “I’m tired of talking about myself.” Right. Not only is he speaking to Fortune (and Entrepreneur, the San Francisco Chronicle, Tavis Smiley, and so on), but he has also booked 50 speaking appearances. It is only Gardner’s willingness to talk about himself that makes his plans plausible. Sure, he’s something of an operator. His period of homelessness— devastating at the time—has become the dramatic center of his life story, the part that makes people stop and listen. But his sincerity is also compelling. Gardner is using his personal history—plus his persistence and manifest charisma—to sell
Why is the quotation, “‘I’m tired of talking about myself'” ironic?
A. Gardner is well-known.
B. Gardner is a private person.
C. Gardner has scheduled over 50 interviews.
D. Gardner should be grateful for the opportunity.
