AO1-2 Draw inferences: identify and interpret implicit information Quiz: AQA English Language, Unit 3

The 20 questions

1. What does 'draw inferences' mean in AO1?

   • Work out implicit meaning from clues the text gives
   • Count the paragraphs that contain the word 'inference' in them
   • Copy the explicit facts from the passage into the answer booklet
   • Write a new ending for the story using the same characters

2. A text says 'the cups were still on the table, cold, and the chair was pushed back.' What is the best inference?

   • The cups were a gift from a relative who visited the house
   • The person left the table in a hurry and did not return to it
   • The chair was new and had been bought only the week before
   • The table was made of wood and was very old and valuable

3. Which answer best shows an inference rather than a stated fact?

   • The character has a watch that was given to her as a present
   • The character is nervous, as the text says in the second line
   • The character is called Anna and lives in a flat on the third floor
   • The character is probably nervous, because she keeps checking her watch

4. Which is the best reason an inference must be supported by the text?

   • Inferences are only rewarded if they are stated in the first line
   • The examiner checks inferences by counting the words in each answer
   • Students are forbidden from making any inferences in the exam at all
   • Without evidence it becomes a guess the examiner cannot credit

5. A passage describes a child hiding behind a door, whispering. What is the most likely inference?

   • The child is singing a song to entertain the adults in the room
   • The child has been asked to tidy the room and refuses to do it
   • The child is trying not to be noticed or found
   • The child is reading a book that is very large and heavy

6. Which phrase signals that a reader is drawing an inference?

   • This suggests that the writer wants the reader to feel
   • The title of the passage is 'A House in the Hills'
   • The text says the house was built in the year 1820
   • The writer states on the first line that the house is old

7. A text describes an empty classroom with chalk dust on the floor and a broken window. What is the best inference?

   • The class is busy and full of students talking loudly and laughing
   • The classroom is a new building that opened only this morning
   • The classroom has just been cleaned and painted a bright colour
   • The classroom has been unused for some time and needs repair

8. Which is the most secure inference from a character who 'stood at the window for hours'?

   • The character is waiting for someone and feels anxious about it
   • The character is a window cleaner by trade, paid by the hour
   • The character is tall and has long arms, the text suggests
   • The character has a view of the sea from the top of the house

9. What is an implicit idea?

   • An idea the reader must work out from indirect clues
   • An idea that appears only in a quotation from another writer
   • An idea that is stated in the title of the text
   • An idea that is repeated in every sentence of the passage

10. A writer describes a garden where the flowers are wilting and the gate is rusted shut. Which inference is most secure?

    • The garden was planted by the writer's grandmother in spring
    • The garden is the largest in the village and very popular
    • The garden is being prepared for a wedding celebration this weekend
    • The garden has been neglected for a long time

11. Which evidence best supports an inference that a character is wealthy?

    • 'She ordered the most expensive dish and left a generous tip.'
    • 'She walked to the shops on Monday morning before the rain.'
    • 'She sat at the table near the door and read her paper.'
    • 'She was born in a small town near the coast many years ago.'

12. A passage says a man 'checked the lock twice before going to bed'. What is the best inference?

    • The man has lost his keys and cannot find them anywhere
    • The man feels anxious about security or danger
    • The man is about to go on holiday to a warm country
    • The man is a locksmith and enjoys checking every lock daily

13. Which is an example of an inference from a text about a village?

    • The village has a population of 2,400 people, according to the census
    • The village was founded in 1756 by a family of local farmers
    • The village is probably isolated, as the nearest town is a long drive
    • The village has a church, a school and a post office on the main road

14. Which is the best inference about a writer who uses many exclamation marks?

    • The writer is calm and has nothing at all to say about the topic
    • The writer may be excited, enthusiastic or emotionally intense
    • The writer is writing a legal document that must be precise
    • The writer is a mathematician who uses symbols in a formula

15. A character 'smoothed the crumpled letter on the table, reading it slowly again'. What can be inferred?

    • The character is cleaning the table with an old cloth from the kitchen
    • The letter is a receipt for goods that were bought last month
    • The letter contains news that the character finds important or difficult
    • The letter is a shopping list that the character has already finished

16. Which inference is best supported by a passage describing a family gathering where no one speaks?

    • The family may be tense or upset with one another
    • The family is very happy and has nothing to say to each other
    • The family has moved to a new house on the other side of the country
    • The family is planning a surprise party for a close relative soon

17. Which is an inference rather than a stated fact?

    • The station is served by two railway lines running east and west
    • The station was probably quiet at night, given its empty platforms
    • The station's main entrance faces the river on the north side
    • The station opened in 1890 and has four platforms in total

18. Which best describes the difference between a stated detail and an inference?

    • A stated detail is always false; an inference is always the truth
    • A stated detail is directly given; an inference is reasoned from clues
    • A stated detail is a guess; an inference is a fact from a textbook
    • A stated detail appears only in the title; an inference only in the end

19. A text describes a letter left unopened on a hall table for weeks. What is the most secure inference?

    • The letter is a birthday card from a close friend of the recipient
    • The letter has been posted by mistake to the wrong house address
    • The recipient has been avoiding or ignoring something important
    • The hall table is made of oak and was bought at an auction last year

20. Which phrase from a student's answer correctly signals an inference?

    • The writer says the house is painted white with blue shutters on it
    • The house has two floors and a garden at the back of the building
    • The text is titled 'The House' and is printed on the page after the map and the notes
    • The writer seems to suggest that the old house holds painful memories

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