Drawing conclusions from limited information

1. Read the passage looking for clues.

2. Use your background knowledge about the world.

3. Narrow down the possible answers.

4. Make a good guess!

Every day after work Paul took his muddy boots off before he went in the front door.  Alice would be very angry if he took even one step inside with the boots. He then took off his dusty overalls (ثياب العمل) and threw them into a plastic garbage bag; Alice left a new garbage bag on the front steps for him every afternoon before he got home.  On his way in the house, he dropped the garbage bag off at the washing machine and went straight up the stairs to the shower like she had asked him. He would eat dinner with her after he was “presentable,” as Alice had often said. 

​Crack!  Thunder struck and rain poured.  Max stared sadly out the window, trying to have happy thoughts, but failing badly. He was beginning to lose control.  Dropping the football from his hand, Max broke out into full cry.  His mother comforted him, “There, there, Max.  We’ll just find something else to do.”  She began to unpack the picnic basket that was on the counter and offered him a sandwich.  Max shouted, “I don’t wanna sand-mich!” and stomped his little foot angrily.  A flash from the sky lit up the living room.  Boom!  Mom sighed.

“Tommy!”  Mom called out as she walked in the front door.  “Tommy,” she continued shouting, “I sure could use some help bringing the groceries inside, especially the icecream.”  There was still no reply.  Mom walked into the kitchen to put the grocery bags down on the counter when she noticed broken glass from the big window all over the living room floor and a baseball not far from there.  “You’re in big trouble, Tommy!” Mom yelled to herself as she realized that Tommy’s shoes were gone, although his phone was on the table.

Cassie rolled over in her bed as she felt the sunlight hit her face.  The sunlight was warming the back of her neck when she slowly realized that it was a Thursday, and she felt a little too good for a Thursday.  Having trouble opening her eyes, she looked up at the clock. “9:48,” she shouted, “Oh, no!”  Cassie jumped out of bed, quickly put on the first uniform she could find, brushed her teeth in 10 seconds, threw her books into her backpack, and then ran out the door.