Inference Skills

Okay, so 3B, you guys did Making Inferences Worksheet 1 today. How'd you find it? Pretty interesting and non-stressful, huh. Don't worry, 3A. You guys will have your chance soon.. *wicked grin*.


To infer something just means that we're not looking for a direct meaning. Instead, we're looking at clues and subtle hints, and sometimes drawing a conclusion for ourselves from what we've read. Another phrase for "inferring something" is to read between the lines. When we read between the lines, we don't take everything that we've read at face value - instead, we understand that some words or phrases might have hidden meanings. Ok, let's look at an example:

Let's just say that there exists a comprehension passage with such a line - "Uncle Tan was a wolf in sheep's clothings."

What can you infer from this line? Would you answer that :

a) Uncle Tan is the name of a specimen of canin lupis, otherwise known as the Wolf, and that it likes to cloth itself in the discarded garments of sheep, or

b) Uncle Tan is an incurable chee-ko-pek, most probably a middle-aged man.

(Speaking of which - HEADLINES! Do be careful when you're online and someone unfamiliar asks for your number...)

All right, I digress. Right now let's dissect the significance of inference skills in a more indepth way...

Some of you might be wondering what the significance of actually possessing Inference Skills is - other than scoring you high marks in one component of your Social Studies exam, that is. Well, let's take a look at how being able to infer things is vital to your doing well for comprehension tests. Oftentimes, you're not given direct facts in comprehension passages. Nope, your life's not gonna be so easy, hurhurhur...mostly, the examiner wants to test your depth of understanding of certain phrases and words. Is he/she/it likely to throw you this passage: Miss Lan is 25 years old and likes to work with youngsters. She loves to guide their learning and to quench their curiosity and then ask you "How old is Miss Lan?" or "What do you think Miss Lan works as?" If your answer is the former, then... I'm sorry to break the news to you now, kiddoes - you guys ain't in Sec 1 anymore. Sad, but true. :/

Supposing a related question to the our afore-mentioned uncle DOES come out in your Paper 1. Imagine that you're being asked this: "What is Uncle Tan's favourite hobby?"

How would you answer it? Leave your answers in the comment section, my Alpha's and Beta's...