What this lesson teaches
I can work out what a writer suggests but does not say, and show where the passage implies it.
Syllabus 8881, Paper 2 questions: Passage 1. Questions cover literal comprehension, inference, analysis, evaluation and synthesis of ideas based on Passage 1 (9-11 marks).
I can judge whether part of a passage, such as its ending, does its job, and explain why.
Syllabus 8881, Paper 2 questions: Passage 1. Questions cover literal comprehension, inference, analysis, evaluation and synthesis of ideas based on Passage 1 (9-11 marks).
I can break a passage into its parts and explain how they work together to make the writer's point.
Syllabus 8881, 3.1.1. analyse arguments to understand the parts of the given texts and how the parts relate to one another to convey an overall meaning
Make a guess
'He thanks her and changes the subject.' What does this suggest about Mr Tan?
- He did not hear her properly, so he thanks her out of habit
- He does not want her plan but avoids saying so
- He agrees with her plan and is grateful for it
Show the answer
He does not want her plan but avoids saying so
Right. Thanking her is polite, and changing the subject avoids a yes. Together they suggest quiet refusal.
An inference is what the words suggest but do not say. Give the meaning, then point to the words that show it.
An inference is something the writer suggests but does not say outright. Inference questions use words such as 'suggest', 'imply' or 'what does this tell us about'. The answer is not written in the passage, but the clues are.
Work in two steps. First, find the clue: an action, a word or a detail that seems to mean more than it says. Second, ask what a careful reader would conclude from it. Your answer gives the conclusion, then the words that show it.
A good inference stays close to the evidence. 'Mr Tan is reluctant to change' is fair, because he avoids his daughter's offer. 'Mr Tan hates technology' goes too far, because nothing in the passage says so. If you cannot point to the words that support an inference, drop it.
Sort these
Read the practice paragraph about Mr Tan. Is each statement stated, a fair inference, or not supported?
Groups: Stated in the passage, A fair inference, Not supported.
- His daughter offered to put the shop online.
- The shop will close before the end of the year.
- He leaves the radio on low in the evenings.
- He still hopes his old customers will come back.
- He is angry with his daughter for interfering.
- He is reluctant to sell online but too polite to say so.
Show the answer
Stated in the passage
- His daughter offered to put the shop online. The passage says this in so many words, so it is a literal point, not an inference.
- He leaves the radio on low in the evenings. This is written in the passage directly. An inference goes beyond what the words say.
A fair inference
- He still hopes his old customers will come back. He leaves the radio on 'in case someone drops by', which only makes sense if he still hopes.
- He is reluctant to sell online but too polite to say so. He thanks her, then changes the subject. Avoiding a yes politely suggests reluctance.
Not supported
- The shop will close before the end of the year. No date or plan to close is given. This guesses at the future without any evidence.
- He is angry with his daughter for interfering. He thanks her. Nothing shows anger, so this reads more into the passage than it holds.
Some questions ask why something is ironic or poignant. Irony is a gap between what you expect and what happens. Poignant means sad in a way that moves you, often because hope or effort meets an empty result. Name both sides of the gap in your answer.
Evaluation questions ask whether a part of the passage works. An example is 'Is the ending effective?' Give a clear judgement, then a reason drawn from the passage. An ending often works because it returns to an earlier idea, sums up the writer's view, or leaves the reader with a strong feeling.
Keep answers short and in your own words. One or two sentences per mark is enough. Start with the inference itself, such as 'He still hopes customers will return'. Then add the clue: 'as he leaves the radio on in case someone drops by'.
- Inference
- What the words suggest but do not say. Always point to the clue.
- Poignant
- Sad and moving, often because effort or hope meets an empty result.
- Irony
- A gap between what is expected and what happens.
Practice passage (our own)
Paragraph 3 of a passage on neighbourhood shops
Mr Tan's daughter has offered to put the shop online. He thanks her and changes the subject. Each evening he still wipes the counter, straightens the tins of biscuits and leaves the radio on low, in case someone drops by. Most nights, no one does.
Question words and what they want
Suggest why...
A likely reason the passage hints at, with the clue that shows it.
What does this tell us about...
A conclusion about a person or idea, drawn from what they do or say.
What is ironic or poignant...
Both sides of the gap: what was hoped or expected, and what actually happens.
Is the ending effective?
A judgement and a reason: how the ending links back, sums up or leaves a feeling.
Try it on a new passage: Set 2, crowds and civility (our own)
Passage 1, paragraph 3
The online ticket rush is no better. Thousands refresh a page at the same second, and the losers turn on one another in comment threads, or pay a tout three times the price. At the stadium gate, the usher smiles the tired smile of someone who has said 'please queue' a thousand times.
Your question
What does the writer suggest about the usher in the last sentence? Give the clue words and what they imply.
Check your answer has
Clues: 'tired smile' and 'a thousand times'. Inference: the usher has asked people to queue again and again, expects to be ignored, and has grown weary but stays polite. The exaggeration in 'a thousand times' shows how often the request fails.
Worked example: From clue to inference
Question: Suggest why Mr Tan leaves the radio on each evening. Read the practice paragraph first.
- Find the clue: he leaves it on 'in case someone drops by'.
- Ask what it means beyond the literal: a radio makes a shop feel open and welcoming.
- Conclude: he still hopes old customers or neighbours will visit.
- Write it: 'He still hopes people will visit. The radio keeps the shop feeling open in case someone drops by.'
Watch out for this
Inference means giving my own opinion about the passage, so any idea I can defend will do.
An inference is what the passage suggests, not what you think. It must rest on words you can point to in the passage.
Check your understanding
Line: 'She still sets out two cups each morning, though her husband died last spring.' What is poignant about it?
- Her habit keeps alive a routine they shared, though the person it was for has gone
- She is forgetful and has not yet noticed that her husband is no longer there
- It is a long sentence that joins two contrasting ideas together with the word 'though'
Show the answer
Her habit keeps alive a routine they shared, though the person it was for has gone
Right. It names both sides: a loving daily habit, and the absence it now points to.
Check your understanding
Is 'Most nights, no one does' an effective ending for the paragraph? Which answer is strongest?
- Yes, because it is short, simple and easy to read
- No, because it ends the paragraph without telling us what Mr Tan should do next
- Yes, it answers 'in case someone drops by' with a bleak 'no one does'
Show the answer
Yes, it answers 'in case someone drops by' with a bleak 'no one does'
Right. It gives a judgement and shows how the ending links back to an earlier phrase to leave a strong feeling.
Check your understanding
Set 2, Passage 1: 'the losers turn on one another in comment threads'. What does this suggest about the people who miss out on tickets?
- They complain to the concert organisers online until the organisers release more tickets
- They take their frustration out on fellow fans, who are not to blame
- They are writing long reviews of the concert that they were not able to attend
Show the answer
They take their frustration out on fellow fans, who are not to blame
Right. 'Turn on one another' implies they attack people in the same position as themselves, which shows anger looking for a target.