TEN STEPS to BUILDING COLLEGE READING SKILLS Use the tab key, space bar, arrow keys, or page up/down to move through the slides. FIFTH EDITION This presentation is best viewed in “Slide Show” view. [Go to “Slide Show” pulldown menu and click on “Play from Start.”]

TEN STEPS to BUILDING COLLEGE READING SKILLS FIFTH EDITION John Langan © 2011 Townsend Press

This Chapter in a Nutshell Ideas are often suggested rather than being stated directly. We must infer, or figure out, those ideas. Discovering ideas that are not stated directly is called making inferences. We make inferences all the time—in life and in visual and reading materials of all types. To make logical inferences, we must look closely at the information available and use our own experience and common sense.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences An Introduction to Inferences Inferences are ideas that are not stated directly. They are conclusions we draw from what we see, hear, and read.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences An Introduction to Inferences 2. Junior is not doing well in most subjects. Which of these two inferences is most logically based on the information suggested by the cartoon? 1. The parents have several children in school.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences An Introduction to Inferences 1. The parents have several children in school. 2. Junior is not doing well in most subjects. Nothing in the cartoon indicates that the husband and wife have other children. The only child they are talking about is Junior. If “the good news” is that Junior is passing gym, we can infer that there is also bad news: he is not passing some, or even all, of his other classes.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences An Introduction to Inferences Which of these three inferences is most logically based on the information suggested by the cartoon? 3. The parents are angry about Junior’s grades. 4. The wife is trying to be positive about a bad situation. 5. The parents were both good students when they were in school.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences An Introduction to Inferences 3. The parents are angry about Junior’s grades. 4. The wife is trying to be positive about a bad situation. 5. The parents were both good students when they were in school. Nothing suggests that the husband or the wife is angry. They might, for example, be used to Junior’s poor performance in academic subjects. By presenting “the good news” about gym class first, the wife is trying to be as positive as possible. There is no evidence that the husband and wife were good students. In fact, they might have had the same kind of academic difficulties as their son, but there’s no way to tell.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences Inferences about Visual Materials With visual material such as cartoons, book covers, and photographs, we can infer a great deal from all the clues provided.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences Inferences about Visual Materials Cartoons How well a cartoon works often depends on the reader’s inference skills.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences Inferences about Visual Materials / Cartoons 2. The boy has probably never seen animals in a zoo. Which of these two inferences is most logically based on the information suggested by the cartoon? 1. The boy doesn’t like monkeys.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences Inferences about Visual Materials / Cartoons Nothing the boy says or does suggests he dislikes monkeys. His expression may even suggest that he is concerned about the monkey. The boy would not be so apparently puzzled or upset if he were accustomed to seeing animals behind bars. And the father has to explain to the boy that “This is a zoo.” 2. The boy has probably never seen animals in a zoo. 1. The boy doesn’t like monkeys.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences Inferences about Visual Materials / Cartoons Which of these three inferences is most logically based on the information suggested by the cartoon? 3. The father is angry with the boy. 5. The boy and his father go to the zoo often. 4. The boy thinks the monkey is being punished.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences Inferences about Visual Materials / Cartoons 3. The father is angry with the boy. 4. The boy thinks the monkey is being punished. 5. The boy and his father go to the zoo often. Nothing indicates that the father is angry. From what the father is saying, we know that the boy thinks the monkey is in jail. The cartoon suggests the boy has not seen an animal in a cage before, so this is not likely.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences Inferences about Visual Materials Book Covers Which of these two inferences is most logically based on the information suggested by the book cover? 2. The women are good friends with one another. 1. The “three true stories” are about the three women shown. / Book Covers

CHAPTER 8 Inferences Inferences about Visual Materials 2. The women are good friends with one another. 1. The “three true stories” are about the three women shown. It is logical to assume that people shown on the cover would be the book’s subjects. There is no evidence given that the women know each other. Also, they are in separate photos, rather than together in one photo. / Book Covers

CHAPTER 8 Inferences / Book Covers Inferences about Visual Materials Which of these three inferences is most logically based on the information suggested by the book cover? 3. The women’s lives have changed in positive ways. 5. All the women dropped out of school because of reading problems. 4. All the women had parents who were non-readers.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences / Book Covers Inferences about Visual Materials 3. The women’s lives have changed in positive ways. 5. All the women dropped out of school because of reading problems. 4. All the women had parents who were non-readers. The title of the book and the smiling faces of the women suggest that the changes in their lives have been positive. We are not given any information about the women’s parents. We are not told that the women dropped out of school.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences Inferences about Visual Materials Advertisements Which of these two inferences is most logically based on the information suggested by the advertisement? 1. The man had a bicycle accident. 2. It is the man’s own fault he is in the hospital. / Advertisements

CHAPTER 8 Inferences Inferences about Visual Materials 2. It is the man’s own fault he is in the hospital. 1. The man had a bicycle accident. / Advertisements The ad is for Lazer bike helmets. It is clear that the man in the picture has been in some sort of accident. His entire body is in a cast except for the top of his head; this is the part that would be protected by a bicycle helmet. Taken together, these details suggest the man has had a bicycle accident. None of the information in the ad indicates who is at fault for the man’s accident.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences / Advertisements Inferences about Visual Materials Which of these three inferences is most logically based on the information suggested by the advertisement? 3. There should be a law requiring bikers to wear helmets. 5. Bicycling is more dangerous than other activities. 4. Wearing a bike helmet protects one’s head.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences / Advertisements Inferences about Visual Materials 3. There should be a law requiring bikers to wear helmets. 5. Bicycling is more dangerous than other activities. 4. Wearing a bike helmet protects one’s head. The ad suggests that it makes sense to wear a bike helmet. However, nothing indicates that there should be a law requiring bikers to wear helmets. The one part of the man that is not in a cast is a helmet-shaped area at the top of his head. This suggests that wearing a bike helmet protects one’s head. The ad does not compare the dangers of biking with the dangers of other activities. This is not a logical inference.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences Inferences about Reading Materials In the United States, shaking hands is the appropriate way to greet someone; in China, bowing is the right way. Below is a sentence you saw in the chapter “Vocabulary in Context.” The sentence does not give us a definition of appropriate, but it does suggest that appropriate is close in meaning to “right.” Thus we can infer in this sentence that appropriate means “right” or “proper.” As you looked at all the sentences in the chapter “Vocabulary in Context,” you inferred the meanings of words by looking closely at the surrounding context.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences In all of our everyday reading, we make logical leaps from the information given directly on the page to ideas that are not stated directly. To draw such inferences, we use the clues provided by the writer, and we also apply our own experience, logic, and common sense. Inferences in Passages Inferences about Reading Materials

CHAPTER 8 Inferences Inferences about Reading Materials / Inferences in Passages B. The author’s old roof would have held up for another year or two. I once hired a roofer to put a new roof on my home. He checked the roof and then quoted me a price of $1,000. I agreed. He tore the old roof off, then came back down. I noticed a barely hidden smile on his face. “Sorry,” he said, “it’s gonna cost you $1,800. I didn’t know it needed so much work.” “No way,” I said, folding my arms. “Whatever you say,” the roofer said. He looked up at the sky and commented, “You know, it looks like rain.” I sighed, shook my head, and said, “With my luck, it will rain for three days. Finish the job.” Read the passage below. Then decide which inference is most firmly based on the given information. A. At first, the author did not want to spend the extra $800.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences Inferences about Reading Materials / Inferences in Passages B. The author’s old roof would have held up for another year or two. I once hired a roofer to put a new roof on my home. He checked the roof and then quoted me a price of $1,000. I agreed. He tore the old roof off, then came back down. I noticed a barely hidden smile on his face. “Sorry,” he said, “it’s gonna cost you $1,800. I didn’t know it needed so much work.” “No way,” I said, folding my arms. “Whatever you say,” the roofer said. He looked up at the sky and commented, “You know, it looks like rain.” I sighed, shook my head, and said, “With my luck, it will rain for three days. Finish the job.” Read the passage below. Then decide which inference is most firmly based on the given information. A. At first, the author did not want to spend the extra $800. Nothing in the passage suggests how much longer the the old roof would have lasted. When the roofer first tells the author that the job would cost $1,800, the author says, “No way.” Using our common sense, we can conclude that the author of the selection refuses because he doesn’t want to spend the extra $800.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences Inferences about Reading Materials / Inferences in Passages I once hired a roofer to put a new roof on my home. He checked the roof and then quoted me a price of $1,000. I agreed. He tore the old roof off, then came back down. I noticed a barely hidden smile on his face. “Sorry,” he said, “it’s gonna cost you $1,800. I didn’t know it needed so much work.” “No way,” I said, folding my arms. “Whatever you say,” the roofer said. He looked up at the sky and commented, “You know, it looks like rain.” I sighed, shook my head, and said, “With my luck, it will rain for three days. Finish the job.” Read the passage below. Then decide which inference is most firmly based on the given information. C. The roofer may have planned all along to raise the price after the old roof was torn off. D. The author believes that all roofers are con men. E. The roofer had been recommended to the author.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences Inferences about Reading Materials / Inferences in Passages I once hired a roofer to put a new roof on my home. He checked the roof and then quoted me a price of $1,000. I agreed. He tore the old roof off, then came back down. I noticed a barely hidden smile on his face. “Sorry,” he said, “it’s gonna cost you $1,800. I didn’t know it needed so much work.” “No way,” I said, folding my arms. “Whatever you say,” the roofer said. He looked up at the sky and commented, “You know, it looks like rain.” I sighed, shook my head, and said, “With my luck, it will rain for three days. Finish the job.” Read the passage below. Then decide which inference is most firmly based on the given information. C. The roofer may have planned all along to raise the price after the old roof was torn off. D. The author believes that all roofers are con men. E. The roofer had been recommended to the author. The passage makes no mention of the author’s view of all roofers. We see only his reaction to this roofer. There is no mention in the passage of how the author came to hire the roofer. In spite of the roofer’s claim that he “didn’t know,” the “barely hidden smile on his face” implies he may have been planning all along to charge $1800.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences Inferences about Reading Materials Guidelines for Making Inferences 1 Never lose sight of the available information. As much as possible, base your inferences on the facts. 2 Use your background knowledge, experience, and common sense to help you in making inferences. The more you know about a subject, the better your inferences are likely to be. 3 Consider the alternatives. Don’t simply accept the first inference that comes to mind. Instead, consider all of the facts of a case and all the possible explanations.

CHAPTER 8 Inferences