Inference vs Explicit Meaning · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

What the Words Say vs. What You Figure Out

English · English Thinking · ages 7-9
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Explicit meaning is something you figure out from clues, not from the exact words.

    Circle one:   True   False

  2. A story says, 'Ben packed his swimsuit and a towel in his beach bag.' What does the story explicitly tell you?

    • Ben was going swimming
    • It was a hot, sunny day
    • Ben packed his swimsuit and a towel

  3. A story says, 'Sam zipped up his red jacket.' Lee tells his friend, 'The story says Sam zipped up his jacket.' Did the story really say that?

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Using the same sentence about Ben's shoes, which idea is an inference, not something the story said?

    • Ben's shoes were soaked and muddy
    • Ben probably stepped in mud or a puddle
    • Ben has shoes

  5. A text says, 'Jae put on his helmet and pumped air into his bike tires.' Which idea is the best inference?

    • Jae is the fastest rider in his school
    • Jae never likes walking anywhere
    • Jae is getting ready to ride

  6. A text says, 'Dad smiled at the messy kitchen and started washing the dishes.' Which sentence is explicitly stated?

    • Dad wanted to help the family
    • The family had just eaten dinner
    • Dad started washing the dishes

  7. You read a story and think, 'The character must be scared.' Before you decide that is a fact, what should you check?

    • Whether the story has pictures
    • How long the story is
    • Whether the exact word 'scared' or a clue for it is really in the text

  8. Priya thinks the dog in the story was excited. Which sentence from the story is the best clue for her idea?

    • It spun in circles and barked at the door
    • The dog was big and brown with floppy ears
    • The dog slept on a mat in the kitchen

  9. A story says, 'The garden gate swung open, and muddy paw prints crossed the clean kitchen floor.' Ben says, 'The author told us a dog came inside.' Is 'a dog came inside' explicit or an inference?

    • Explicit, because paw prints always mean a dog
    • Explicit, because the sentence mentions the kitchen floor
    • An inference, as those exact words never appear

  10. The class reads, 'Nina tied her apron and pulled a big bowl from the shelf.' Later, three readers talk about it. Which reader mixed up a guess with the text's exact words?

    • "I think Nina might be baking, because of the apron and the bowl."
    • "The book says Nina was about to bake a cake."
    • "The book says Nina tied her apron."
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

What the Words Say vs. What You Figure Out W1-mt_lp3qyEujIv-s1

  1. False · That is the definition of an inference. Explicit meaning is written right there in the exact words.
  2. Ben packed his swimsuit and a towel · Packing the swimsuit and towel is written in the sentence. Swimming and sunny weather are ideas you add from clues.
  3. True · Zipped up and jacket are right there in the sentence. Lee repeated the story's own words.
  4. Ben probably stepped in mud or a puddle · The story never says how his shoes got wet. You worked that out from a clue.
  5. Jae is getting ready to ride · The clues point to getting ready to ride. Fastest rider and never likes walking add big ideas the clues do not support.
  6. Dad started washing the dishes · Washing the dishes is written right in the text. Wanting to help and the finished dinner are guesses from clues.
  7. Whether the exact word 'scared' or a clue for it is really in the text · Checking the actual words keeps you honest about what you inferred versus what was stated.
  8. It spun in circles and barked at the door · Spinning and barking point to excitement. Looking big and brown or sleeping on a mat do not.
  9. An inference, as those exact words never appear · The text gives clues, an open gate and muddy paw prints, but never writes that a dog came inside. Ben worked that out himself.
  10. "The book says Nina was about to bake a cake." · Baking a cake is never written, so saying 'the book says' treats a guess as a fact. The first reader is careful: they say 'I think' to mark the guess as their own.
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