Comprehending the Text

Concept: Identify Details of a Location

Definition

An inference is a conclusion someone reaches based on reasons and facts.

• In any reading passage, an author mentions some clues that tell us about the location of an incident without giving the name of the location. In this instance, you have to guess the location based on the information given in the text. This concept is called identifying details of the location.
• Location inference is figuring out something that was not explained completely.

How to find details of a location?

Put these pieces together to find out the location of the story. Read the passage given.

Passage:

I sat down on the dry sand. The sand was warm as it was just a few hours past noon. My sister asked me to make something out of the sand, so I started making a sand castle . I made a starfish, and I saw a crab crawl out of a hole and race toward me. I was scared and ran away from it. This made my sister laugh out loudly. Later in the evening, My sister and I had a few snacks and coconut water.

Clues in the text:

• warm sand
• sand castle
• crab crawl out of a hole



Imagine it in your mind by answering questions:


• Where would you find enough sand to make a sand castle?
• Where would you see a crab come out of the hole in the sand?

I infer that this is a sea beach.

Ways to Answer

Once you have guessed where is the location the text describes you can write in using the following sentences:

• I can predict because…
• It could mean…
• I guess…

Mistakes

1. Not reading the text carefully

To infer location details, you must read the text carefully or else your inference could turn out to be incorrect.

2. Not writing down the clues

Make a note or underline the clues that indicate the location. It is these clues that will help you to infer the location correctly.