Reading inference questions, explained

Most reading papers include questions that ask for more than what the text says. They ask what it suggests. This guide shows what that means with a short passage written for this page, and gives a method a child can use again and again. Dubai College lists English as one of the three modules of its Year 7 assessment and does not publish its question types (source: the school’s Year 7 frequently asked questions, read 16 October 2026), so we do not say that any particular type appears there.

What is an inference?

An inference is a conclusion the clues support although the text never states it. If a character arrives soaked and holding a dripping umbrella, nobody has to write “it was raining”. A good reader joins the clues up.

An example passage

Mira carried the box of tomatoes into the kitchen and set it down with a thump. “Forty-one,” she announced, though nobody had asked. Her brother raised an eyebrow. All week she had been up before the sun, checking the plants, and there was still soil under her fingernails. “And some of them,” she added, grinning, “are the size of tennis balls.”

Question: What can we tell about Mira?

• A. She dislikes gardening.
• B. She is proud of what she has grown.
• C. She bought the tomatoes at a shop.
• D. She is angry with her brother.

How do you solve it?

1. Find the clues. She announces the number “though nobody had asked”. She has been up before the sun all week. There is soil under her fingernails. She is grinning, and boasts about the size.
2. Say what they point to together. She cares about the tomatoes, worked hard on them, and is pleased with the result.
3. Check every option against the text. A is contradicted by the effort she put in. C is contradicted by the soil and the plants she checked. D has nothing behind it: the only thing her brother does is raise an eyebrow, and nothing says she is angry. B is the one the clues support: the answer is B.

What goes wrong most often?

• Choosing what could be true. Any of the options might be true of someone, but only one has support in this passage.
• Using one clue. “She announced the number” alone could mean she is bossy. Joined with the grin and the early mornings, it means pride.
• Bringing in outside knowledge. The answer comes from the passage, not from what the child thinks people usually do.

How can a parent help?

Read short passages together and, after each answer, ask “how do we know?” A child who can point to the words that gave them the answer is doing exactly the work that inference needs. Our English practice includes a reading topic on inference, with a worked explanation after every question.

See the Dubai College guide.