CRITICAL READING FOR COLLEGE AND BEYOND: CH 7 INFERENCES

CRCB: CH 7 INFERENCES

An inference is a process of making an assumption, drawing a conclusion about information when an author’s opinion or ideas aren’t clearly stated. Some inference strategies are:

1. Understanding an author’s purpose.

2. Note comparisons and implied similarities.

3. Understand the author’s use of tone.

4. Detect the author’s bias.

5. Recognize information gaps.

Knowing how much to infer is recognizing perspective and using the text to support conclusion. An implied main idea is the main points that are not stated. Some ways to help you identify the main idea are:

1. Read carefully.

2. Identify the topic of the reading.

3. Ask yourself what important point the author makes about the topic.

4. Combined the topic with the new information you’ve learned.