Reading: inference and the writer's feelings

Two kinds of question

Some questions are answered by a line you can point to. Others ask what the text suggests — the answer is not written down, but the clues are. That second kind is called inference, and it is where marks are won at Stage 5 and above.

Clues to a feeling

Writers rarely say she was nervous. They show it: she read the letter twice, then put it down without opening the envelope again. Actions, body movements and the words a character chooses are the evidence.

Answering an inference question

Give the feeling and the clue: She was nervous, because she read the letter twice and could not open it again. An answer with no evidence is a guess; an answer with evidence is reading.