Making Inferences from Text Evidence

Text evidence is any exact word, phrase, or sentence taken directly from a passage. When you cite evidence, you copy it precisely and often place it in quotation marks. Evidence can come from what a character says, what a character does, or how the author describes a setting or an event.

Not every quote is equally useful. Some evidence is strong because it connects clearly to your conclusion. Other evidence is weak because it is too general or does not actually support what you are trying to prove. Part of this skill is learning to sort strong evidence from weak evidence before you use it.

An inference is more than a quote. It is a two-part structure: the evidence you cite, and the reasoning that explains why that evidence leads to your conclusion. Reasoning is the bridge between what the text says and what you already know about the world.

Suppose a passage says, "Marisol's voice cracked as she read the letter, and she quickly wiped her eyes." You could cite this evidence to support the conclusion that Marisol feels sad. Your reasoning might explain that a cracking voice and wiping eyes are physical signs people show when they are holding back tears, so the evidence supports the conclusion that she is upset, even though the word "sad" never appears in the sentence.

Notice the pattern: conclusion, evidence, reasoning. Every strong inference you write should include all three parts, with the evidence copied exactly as it appears in the text.

When a passage offers several possible quotes, compare them before you choose. Ask yourself which quote most directly connects to the conclusion you want to support. A specific detail, like "his hands shook as he reached for the letter," is stronger evidence for nervousness than a general statement like "it was a big day," because the specific detail describes a physical reaction while the general statement could mean almost anything.

You can also combine two or more pieces of evidence from different parts of a passage to make your conclusion more convincing. If one sentence shows a character's shaking hands and another shows short, quick answers in dialogue, both quotes together give stronger support for the conclusion that the character feels nervous than either quote alone.

Before you finish an inference, check it against three questions. Does your evidence come from an exact quote in the text? Does your reasoning explain the connection between the quote and your conclusion? Would another reader agree that your conclusion is logical based on the same evidence? If you can answer yes to all three, your inference is well supported.

This checking process also helps you avoid inferences that go too far beyond the evidence. A conclusion should always be something the quoted evidence can reasonably support, not a guess that has little connection to the actual words in the passage. Practicing this skill alongside drawing inferences from cited text will help you get comfortable checking your reasoning against the exact wording of a passage.

Inference: A logical conclusion formed by combining text evidence with background knowledge.

Text Evidence: Exact words, phrases, or sentences quoted directly from a passage.

Reasoning: The explanation that connects a piece of evidence to a conclusion.

Strong Evidence: A quote that directly and clearly supports a specific conclusion.

Weak Evidence: A quote that is too general or unrelated to actually prove a conclusion.

Conclusion: The idea or claim you are trying to prove using evidence and reasoning.

Read a short passage and underline every quote that could serve as evidence for a character's feelings. Then rank the quotes from strongest to weakest, and explain your ranking. For each quote you keep, write a full inference statement that names your conclusion, cites the exact quote, and explains your reasoning in one or two sentences.

Try this with different kinds of passages, including dialogue, action, and setting description, so you practice recognizing evidence in more than one form.

Related lessons

• Inferring Using Quoted Passages