Drawing conclusions from a reading passage requires “reading between the lines” or “reading beyond the text” to fully understand the passage. The ability to draw conclusions shows that the reader can read, understand and make inferences and predictions about the ideas, characters, themes or authors of the passages.
Making an inference requires that the reader figure something out using the facts in the text and common sense. Inferences must take into account the entire context of the passage. When making an inference, avoid making unsupported generalizations or focusing too narrowly on one detail in the passage.
In the following passage an inference may be made about the character Paula:
Paula came stomping down the hallway this morning just after the warning bell rang. She threw her books on the floor in front of her locker, spun the combination lock and yanked the door open. Muttering the entire time, she rummaged noisily among papers and books and then slammed the locker shut.
From the evidence in this passage, a reader can infer that Paula is angry. Her actions and common sense about those actions indicate this conclusion. An incorrect inference that is too broad would be that Paula is always grumpy in the morning. The passage only describes her actions on one morning, not several. An incorrect inference that is too narrow would be that Paula's locker is messy. The passage refers to books and papers in her locker, but it does not describe how they are arranged.
Making a prediction means the reader figures out what might occur next based on what has happened in the text so far and, again, common sense. The key to making correct predictions is to think about the given facts and decide what would happen or what a character would do in the given situation. The reader should not make predictions based on what he would do in the situation or what he would like the characters to do.
This passage allows the reader to make a prediction about Paula:
In sixth grade, Paula ran for class president and won. In seventh grade, she was elected president of the Service Club. In eighth grade, Paula ran for president of the Junior Honor Society but lost. She was a good sport about it and offered to help the elected president organize the first fundraiser.
From the evidence in this passage, a reader may confidently predict that Paula will run for some kind of elected office in high school. This conclusion is based on her actions of the past three years. The loss of the election in eighth grade does not discourage Paula from participating in the group, and a reader can safely assume that the loss would not discourage Paula from seeking future elected positions.