Making inferences from Text &

Essay Question

Topic 2
English 2 Course
Making inferences from a text
Making an inference involves using what you know to make a
guess about what you don't know or reading between the lines.
Readers who make inferences use the clues in the text along
with their own experiences to help them figure out what is not
directly said, making the text personal and memorable.
Proficient readers use their prior knowledge and textual
information to draw conclusions, make critical judgments, and
form unique interpretations from text. Inferences may occur in
the form of conclusions, predictions, or new ideas (Anderson
and Pearson, 1984).
Good readers make inferences to understand what they are
reading. Emphasize that they will bring their own knowledge
of events to the text, so each inference may be unique.
 Making an inference is a result of a process. It requires
reading a text, noting specific details, and then putting
those details together to achieve a new understanding. In
other words, inferences are not created in a vacuum

 To successfully make an inference, students must first look

at the relevant information and list those specific textual
details. Once they have compiled those ideas, they need to
figure out what they mean in order to answer the question.
Five explicit instructional steps to
make an Inference
 Step 1: Read the text.
 Step 2: Read and understand the question.
 Step 3: List the relevant details.
 Step 4: Model how to look for patterns and relationships
among the details.
 Step 5: Put clues together, which means thinking about the
details one at a time
 Making Inferences from the text

Let’s check Unit 2, Unlock reading and writing skills 4

Page 38 – 39 and complete the exercises
 -Writing-
Understanding Essay
question
To answer an essay question (EQ), students
must assess
1. The purposes of the essay question:
 factual recall,
 analysis (explanation of relationships)
 synthesis (application/transfer of previously learned principles)
 Opinion (In the case of ‘agree and disagree’ essay, this is related to
‘opinion’)

2. How much information to include, repeat, restate (intro needed?

details needed?).
HOW TO ANSWER AN ESSAY
QUESTION
1. Read the questions very carefully at least 2 or 3 times.
2. Circle the main verb (= action verb/imperative) in the question and decide on the
necessary rhetorical strategy for answering the question (cause-effect, comparison-
contrast, definition, classification, problem-solution).
3. Make sure you understand what type of answer the main verb calls for (a diagram a
summary, details, an analysis, an evaluation).
4. Circle all the keywords in the question.
5. Decide if you need to write a 1-paragraph or a multi-paragraph answer.
6. Write a brief outline of all the points you want to mention in your answer.
7. Restate the question and answer it with a topic sentence (for a 1-paragraph answer) or a
thesis statement (for a multi-paragraph answer).
8. Answer the question according to general rules of academic writing. Use indentations;
begin each paragraph with a topic sentence; support the topic sentence(s) with reasons
and/or examples; use transition words to show logical organization; write a conclusion.
Use correct punctuation throughout.
9. Read over your answer again and check if all the main ideas have been included.
10. Check your answer for grammar and punctuation.
How To Understand An Essay
Question
 As your first step in preparing for the essay, take some time
to think about what the question means and what you are
being asked to do. You may think that the question looks
straightforward and want to charge straight in and begin
reading, or even writing a first draft of your essay.

 Essay questions are usually worded in one of a number of

standard ways: they often start with words and phrases such
as discuss, analyse, assess, and to what extent? which give
you a hint as to how to deal with the question.
Here are some typical instructions and what
they mean:
analyse / examine / investigate break down an issue into its main features and
look at them in detail

assess / evaluate / how far? / to what extent? present your judgement as to how far something
is the case, supported by evidence

compare identify the similarities between the stated items

contrast identify the differences between the stated items
define give the exact meaning of; explain in detail
describe / give an account of / state present a detailed account of
discuss / do you agree? present the arguments for and against something
explain / what? / why? / how? show that you understand something fully;
display your factual knowledge of an issue

explore look at the issue from different points of view

illustrate present the main features, giving relevant
examples
outline / trace present the main aspects of an issue
summarize sum up the main aspects of an issue
 Let’s see the essay
questions about
‘agree and disagree’ essay
Write an agree and disagree essay (250-350 words) by choosing one of
the topics below:
 Avoiding preventable illnesses is the responsibility of individuals and their
families, not governments. Do you agree or disagree with the statement?
(See Unlock book page 66).

 After the pandemic ended, teaching and learning activities at universities

must be conducted fully online. Do you agree or disagree with the
statement?
Writing an introduction
of an ‘agree & disagree
essay’
Writing an introduction to an
essay
An essay introduction tells the reader what your essay will
contain. For example:
Background information, context or the reason why this
subject is important.
The aim of the essay. (Talk about the stance/position)
 In this essay, I would like to argue that possessing a degree
from a reputable university does not guarantee a person to
have a good job.
An outline, or map, of the essay.
 - Other skills required
 - Unwillingness from the employers

Source: Unlock Reading & Writing Skills 4, p.46

A good introduction should :
be written in your own words (do not repeat the words
in the essay title)
be general (do not write about yourself, unless the
essay asks for this)
refer to all parts of the essay question
be focused on the essay question (do not add any
unnecessary information

Source: Unlock Reading & Writing Skills 4, p.46

 What is an introductory paragraph?
It is the first paragraph of an essay.
It is usually four to ten sentences.
It catches the readers’ interest.
It gives the general topic of the essay.
It gives the background information about the
topic.
It states the main point (the thesis statement)
of the essay.
Source: Dorothy Zemach (….:….)
What makes an
introduction?
 To make an introduction interesting,
include...
interesting facts or statistics,
a personal story or example,
an interesting quotation,

…in the general statement

Source: Dorothy Zemach (….:….)

19
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2y86j5AgMs
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2y86j5AgMs
Let’s practice writing an
introduction of an ‘agree
& disagree essay’
Having a good university degree
guarantees people a good job.

To what extent do you agree or

disagree?
Having a good university degree guarantees people a good
job.
To what extent do you agree?
Introduction Outline:
Par 1: Introduction
Background information: paraphrase the question
statement
Thesis statement: put your stance/position (agree or
disagree, and why?)
Having a good university degree guarantees people a good
job.
To what extent do you agree?