OSSLT Making Inferences from Text 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A news article states: 'The shelter's donation bins overflowed within two days of the announcement, and volunteers had to work overtime to sort the items.' What can be inferred about the community's response?
- The community was largely indifferent to the shelter's needs.
- The community responded with strong generosity and support. (Correct answer)
- The shelter had too many volunteers and not enough donations.
- The announcement was poorly planned and caused confusion.
Correct answer: The community responded with strong generosity and support.
Overflowing bins and overtime volunteers indicate an overwhelmingly generous community response.
Question 2: A diary entry reads: 'I checked my phone for the third time this hour. Still nothing. I keep rehearsing what I want to say, but the words feel wrong.' What is the author most likely experiencing?
- Boredom from having nothing to do
- Anxiety while waiting for an important response (Correct answer)
- Anger at someone who owes them an apology
- Excitement about an upcoming celebration
Correct answer: Anxiety while waiting for an important response
Repeatedly checking for a message and rehearsing words suggests nervous anticipation about an expected reply.
Question 3: A short story describes a character who always sits at the back of the classroom, never raises her hand, and eats lunch alone while reading. What can readers infer about her?
- She is the most popular student in school.
- She prefers to remain unnoticed and values solitude. (Correct answer)
- She is failing all of her classes.
- She is planning to transfer to a different school.
Correct answer: She prefers to remain unnoticed and values solitude.
Consistently choosing the back, avoiding participation, and eating alone suggest she prefers to stay out of the spotlight.
Question 4: A product review says: 'I've bought three of these in the past year.' What inference is best supported by this statement alone?
- The product is extremely expensive.
- The reviewer finds the product useful or satisfying enough to repurchase. (Correct answer)
- The product breaks down and must be replaced frequently.
- The reviewer is paid to promote the product.
Correct answer: The reviewer finds the product useful or satisfying enough to repurchase.
Repurchasing three times most directly suggests satisfaction or utility, since that detail alone is given.
Question 5: A passage about a forest fire states: 'By morning, the creek that once teemed with trout was choked with ash, and the hillside that hikers had loved was bare.' What does this passage imply about the fire's impact?
- The fire was quickly contained with minimal damage.
- The fire caused significant environmental destruction. (Correct answer)
- Wildlife successfully relocated before the fire arrived.
- Hikers started the fire by accident.
Correct answer: The fire caused significant environmental destruction.
An ash-clogged creek and a stripped hillside directly imply severe environmental harm.
Question 6: A character in a novel receives a large envelope in the mail and immediately hides it under her mattress without opening it. What can be inferred?
- She is saving it as a birthday surprise for someone else.
- She wants to open it in private because its contents are sensitive. (Correct answer)
- She forgot the envelope existed the moment she hid it.
- She is unaware that the envelope arrived.
Correct answer: She wants to open it in private because its contents are sensitive.
Hiding an unopened envelope suggests she is concealing something she considers private or sensitive.
Question 7: An article notes that a city's bus ridership rose 40% after a major employer moved its office near the central transit hub. What can be inferred?
- The employer forced workers to take the bus.
- Convenient transit access encourages more people to use public transportation. (Correct answer)
- The city built new bus routes specifically for the employer.
- Ridership would have risen regardless of the employer's move.
Correct answer: Convenient transit access encourages more people to use public transportation.
The timing of the ridership increase directly after the employer's move implies proximity to transit drives usage.
OSSLT Making Inferences from Text 2
A news article states: 'The shelter's donation bins overflowed within two days of the announcement, and volunteers had to work overtime to sort the items.' What can be inferred about the community's response?