Inference Skills
AdvancedInference Skills.
- Inference = clues + common sense — the answer is never written directly
- Clue examples: fell silent at once · hid their phones · whispered the page number
- Support every inference: because the text says…
文體小知識：Read between the lines — use clues to guess what is not stated.
§Text Passage
1The professor walked into the room twenty minutes late. He put down his bag slowly and placed a thick book on the desk. It was the same book he had mentioned a week ago. He looked at the students over his glasses. "I told you to read this book last week," he said quietly. The students, who had been laughing a moment earlier, fell silent at once.
2No one moved. Some students looked down at their desks; two of them quickly hid their phones under their exercise books. The clock on the wall ticked loudly, and a single page turned somewhere at the back of the room. The silence lasted a long time, longer than any break between lessons. A boy whispered the page number to his friend, but the professor raised one eyebrow. The professor did not repeat his question; he simply waited, as still as a statue.
3Then, one brave hand went up. It was a girl who usually said nothing, and her voice was barely louder than the fan. The professor's expression softened for the first time that morning. He nodded and opened the book to the first page. "Finally," he said, "someone who trusts her own memory more than her neighbour's silence." That morning, the class learned that a quiet room can ask louder questions than any words.
§Sentence-by-sentence translation Sentence-by-sentence translation
The professor walked into the room twenty minutes late.
教授遲了二十分鐘才走進課室。
He put down his bag slowly and placed a thick book on the desk.
他慢慢放下袋子，再將一本厚書放在桌面。
It was the same book he had mentioned a week ago.
那本書正是他一星期前提過的那本。
He looked at the students over his glasses.
他隔著眼鏡望著學生。
"I told you to read this book last week," he said quietly.
「我叫了你們上星期看這本書。」他輕聲地說。
The students, who had been laughing a moment earlier, fell silent at once.
學生剛才還在笑，一瞬間全部安靜下來。
No one moved.
沒有人動。
Some students looked down at their desks; two of them quickly hid their phones under their exercise books.
有些學生低頭望著自己的桌子；有兩個急忙把手機藏到作業底下。
The clock on the wall ticked loudly, and a single page turned somewhere at the back of the room.
牆上的鐘大聲地滴答響，課室後面有一下翻書聲。
The silence lasted a long time, longer than any break between lessons.
沉默持續了很久，比任何小息都長。
A boy whispered the page number to his friend, but the professor raised one eyebrow.
有個男孩低聲向旁邊的人說了一個頁數，但教授只是挑起了一邊眉。
The professor did not repeat his question; he simply waited, as still as a statue.
教授沒有再重複問題；他只是等，動都不動，好像一座雕像。
Then, one brave hand went up.
然後，有一隻勇敢的手舉了起來。
It was a girl who usually said nothing, and her voice was barely louder than the fan.
她是一個平時不多出聲的女孩，嗓音僅僅比風扇大。
The professor's expression softened for the first time that morning.
教授的表情那天早上第一次軟化下來。
He nodded and opened the book to the first page.
他點頭，將書翻到第一頁。
"Finally," he said, "someone who trusts her own memory more than her neighbour's silence."
「終於，」他說，「有人相信自己的記憶，多於相信旁邊的沉默。」
That morning, the class learned that a quiet room can ask louder questions than any words.
那天早上，全班學到：一個安靜的課室，可以問出比任何言語更響的問題。
1Summary 重點摘要
Inference Skills.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Guess from clues.
Suggest indirectly.
Hint.
Surrounding words.
Unstated belief.
Supporting facts.
Reason logically.
Subtle difference.
3Step by step Steps
- Find cluesWatch words, tone and details. Example: the students were laughing a moment earlier, and after one quiet remark they fell silent at once — that sudden silence is itself the biggest clue.
- Use common senseAdd life experience. Example: two students quickly hid their phones under exercise books, and a boy whispered the page number — common sense says they had not done what the professor asked.
- Check textEvery inference needs support from the passage. Example: the claim that the professor wanted them to face the silence rests on he simply waited, as still as a statue — quote it or do not claim it.
- EliminateIn multiple choice, pick the best-supported option. Example: the professor's mood is serious, not angry — the text shows no anger, only a man who waits quietly.
- imply vs inferThe writer implies; the reader infers. Example: the passage implies that nobody had read the book; we infer that the students feel guilty. Answer in the form The writer implies… / We can infer…
- Answer formatThe formula: stance + because the text says… + a quotation. Example: The students fell silent because none of them had read the book — inference first, evidence second, full marks third.
- Avoid over-guessingInfer just enough. Example: the text never says students will be punished, so do not write that they will be kept behind — replacing the writer's meaning with your own experience is the classic trap.
5Worked example Example
From the professor passage: why did the students fall silent at once? And why did the professor simply wait without repeating his question?
- Step 1: Find the clues — a moment earlier they were laughing, then they fell silent at once.
- Step 2: Clues + common sense → inference: they had not read the book, so the quiet remark exposed them.
- Step 3: Collect more evidence — two of them quickly hid their phones; a boy whispered the page number.
- Step 4: Infer the professor's choice — he waited, as still as a statue, to let them face their own silence.
- Step 5: Check — every inference is backed by the text; nothing is over-guessed.
- Answer: The students fell silent because none of them had read the book the professor had told them to read a week earlier — the clues are that they had been laughing a moment before, two of them hid their phones, and a boy whispered the page number. The professor simply waited, as still as a statue, because he wanted them to face their own silence instead of being told off. The quiet girl earned his praise because she trusted her own memory more than her neighbour's silence — she had actually done the reading.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1Inference vs fact?
Q2How to infer?
Q3She slammed the door implies?
Q4What supports inference?
Q5Common trap?
Q6Imply vs infer?
Q7What is the professor's mood?
Q8Why did no one move?
Q9What did he expect?
8Recap Recap
- Inference = clues + common sense — the answer is never written directly
- Clue examples: fell silent at once · hid their phones · whispered the page number
- Support every inference: because the text says…
- Tone clues: said quietly · raised one eyebrow — silent pressure
- Never replace the writer's meaning with your own experience