English Language · Reading: understanding a text. The idea in plain words, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid and a worked example, written and checked by Mega Lecture.
Writers often do not tell you how a person feels. They show it through what the person does, says or notices, and leave you to work it out. This working out is called inference.
Ask yourself: why would a person behave like this? A boy who reads the same line three times is probably worried or distracted. Your answer must rest on a clue in the text, not on a guess.
For attitude questions, look at the choice of words. Words like ‘sadly’, ‘at last’ or ‘so-called’ show approval or disapproval. Many attitudes are mixed, so the best option often has two parts, such as ‘critical but fair’.
Picking an option that only repeats what the text says. An inference question wants what the detail shows about the person, so ask ‘what does this tell me about their feelings or reasons?’
Answer: She is disappointed with her own result but hides it politely.
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