Reading Inferences 1 (In-Class Practice)

Directions: read each sentence or short passage and choose the answer choice that is a valid inference
based on the information you read.

EXAMPLE: Compared with the rest of its brain, the visual area of a turtle’s brain is quite small, since
turtles, like all other reptiles, depend mainly on sense other than sight.

a. No reptile uses sight as its primary sense

b. Animals that depend on sight all have larger visual areas in their brain than turtles do
c. The visual area of other reptiles’ brains is smaller than that of turtles

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1. An old, but still useful proverb, says, “Beware of oak, it draws the stroke.” In general, trees with
deep roots that tap into groundwater attract more lightning than do trees with shallow, dry
roots. Oaks are fifty times more likely to be struck than beeches. Pines are not as safe as
beeches but are still much safer than oaks.
a. The roots of oaks are fifty times deeper than those of beeches
b. Pines’ roots are deeper than beeches’, but not as deep as those of oaks
c. The deeper the root, the safer the tree

2. Illegible handwriting does not indicate weakness of character, as even a quick glance at the
penmanship of Franklin D. Roosevelt or John F. Kennedy reveals.
a. Roosevelt and Kennedy both had handwriting that was difficult to read
b. Roosevelt’s handwriting was more illegible than that of Kennedy
c. The author believes both Roosevelt and Kennedy had weak characters

3. Jack London spent only a year prospecting for gold in Alaska. However, nearly half of his forty
books are set there.
a. London was successful in his search for gold in Alaska
b. Although London worked in Alaska for only a short time, he wrote almost twenty books
while he was there
c. London’s experiences in Alaska had a strong influence on his writing

4. Most fish take on the coloration of their natural surroundings to a certain degree. It’s not
surprising, therefore, that fish inhabiting the warm, shallow waters around tropical reefs are
colored all the brilliant hues of the rainbow.
a. Tropical fish are unlike other fish because they take on the coloration of their
environments
b. Tropical reefs are brightly colored environments
c. Tropical fish are brightly colored because they inhabit warm waters

5. Although sheep herding is an older and more beloved occupation, shepherds never caught the
attention of filmmakers the way cowboys did.
a. There have been more films about cowboys than about shepherds
 b. Films about shepherds are older and more beloved than films about cowboys
c. Cowboys are generally younger than shepherds

6. The Okefenokee Swamp is a fascinating realm that both confirms and contradicts popular
notions of a swamp. Along with huge cypresses, dangerous quagmires, and dim waterways, the
Okefenokee has sandy pine islands, sunlit prairies, and clear lakes.
a. Although most swamps are not very interesting, the Okefenokee is an exception
b. The Okefenokee has features that are not commonly associated with swamps
c. Unlike most swamps, the Okefenokee does not have huge cypresses, dangerous
quagmires, or dim waterways

7. Thomas Jefferson preferred the Roman style of architecture, as seen in the buildings at the
University of Virginia, to the English style favored by Charles Bullfinch.
a. The architecture of the University of Virginia was influenced by the Roman style
b. Bullfinch was an English architecture
c. Jefferson preferred to build in the English style of architecture

8. In all cultures, gestures are used as a form of communication, but the same gestures may have
very different meanings in different cultures.
a. No two cultures use the same gestures
b. One gesture almost never has the same meaning in two cultures
c. A person from one culture may misunderstand the gestures used by a person from
another

9. Even spiders that do not build webs from silk use it for a variety of purposes, such as
constructing egg sacs and nursery tents.
a. All spiders build webs
b. Spiders that build webs don’t build egg sacs or nursery tents
c. Silk is used by all spiders

10. In theory, a good screwdriver should last a lifetime, but it seldom does, usually because it is
used as a substitute for other tools.
a. Using a screwdriver for purposes other than those for which it was intended can shorten
its life
b. All screwdrivers, if they are really good, last a lifetime
c. If you want a screwdriver to last a lifetime, use other tools to substitute for it