Unlocking the Secret to answering Comprehension OE Inferential Questions

Inferential questions, the bane of every student’s life. What is it about comprehension questions
that makes it so difficult to handle? Is it because the answer cannot be found from the text? Is it
because students actually have to think to get the answer? Is it because arriving at a correct
answer is dependent on the student’s ability to synthesise a grammatically correct sentence with
concise vocabulary derived from their general knowledge? Well, how about all of the above?

While it is true that inferential questions tend to be challenging, they are not impossible to do!
Scoring the mark is still possible if students approach it with a step-by-step process diligently.
Often, students tend to think they can just “wing it”. Or, that they might be able to answer the
questions based on how they “feel”.

Sherlock Holmes once said:

“My dear Watson, how dangerous it always is to

reason from insufficient data.”

In fact, students who consciously put together their general knowledge/background knowledge/
schema/real-world experience with clues from the passage, are often able to arrive at inferences.
As such, the formula to answering inferential questions would be:

Schema (General Knowledge) + Clues from the Text = Inference

For a worked example of how one can answer inferential questions, refer to the page below:
 A 4-step Proven Process in answering Thinking (Inferential)
Questions

Identify that it is a thinking question by spotting

keywords such as:

✓ why
✓ explain clearly
✓ why… you think
✓ what … mean
(This is not an exhaustive list, there might be more!)

Fully understand what the question is asking

by underlining KEY words:

Why was Wu not keen to have Ah Seng stay too long at his
place?
What is being asked: A clearly constructed, conclusive and
unquestionable reason illustrating the reason why
Wu did not want Ah Seng at his house for too long.

Search for CLUES in the passage:

"Are you looking for this?" The old man picked up the bag from
behind his stool. Ah Seng snatched it back. "Thanks. It contains
everything my father left me before he died," Ah Seng said.
"So it must have been your father who robbed the
jewellery store last night,” the old man mocked..

Use your *SCHEMA, along with clues in the

*SCHEMA is simply passage to transform/paraphrase a grammatically
knowledge you have gotten accurate answer:
from reading, or experiences
you have collected from life. must have been your father who robbed the
Answering inferential, or jewellery store last night…mocked = Ah Seng robbed a
thinking questions requires jewellery store the night before and that makes him a criminal.
you to be well-read or widely Hence, he would be wanted by the police and if he stays at Wu’s,
exposed to the world. So… Wu will be implicated.
read up and remember to tap
on your experience when you
answer Thinking Questions.
 Adeline Yeo
A graduate in Mass Communications and a former Food and Wine Journalist
for several publications, Adeline was searching for an endeavour to sate the
need for fulfilment. That’s when she started to teach. Shortly after, she
authored the local bestseller “Score the A* You Deserve in PSLE Writing”. It
was then that Adeline realised her inherent flair for writing and love for
teaching helped change the lives of the many students who sought after her
classes. A hunger to lead a team of professional and passionate teachers led to
the founding of The Right Word. With the completion of her Masters in
Teaching English to Young Learners, Adeline has refined both theory and
practice to conceive The Right Word’s pedagogy – The SAIL Approach

The Right Word is an English Specialist centre that has coached more than a thousand students
since 2013. With our proprietary Sail to Success techniques and TRW ethos, students have chosen
to go on their language acquisition journey with us through primary school to JC.
The SAIL Approach:
An Enriching Journey Towards Academic Success

The SAIL Approach is conceived through research workshops and research projects
by the team of teachers at TRW. Through the journey of our Masters education,
journalism/writing expertise and the many years of experience we have collected
teaching students, we have put together an approach proven to inculcate inquisitive,
motivated students who have a zest for success in academic endeavours and in life.
The dynamic SAIL approach constantly innovates and adapts to the seas of change
that students are subjected to in this highly-globalised and competitive society.
If you’ve enjoyed this resource, you might be glad to know this is only one small
part out of the many strategies we use to tackle EVERY section of the
English paper.
 Why Students and Parents Love TRW

Celeste Woon (CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School)

Before I joined the classes, I could not write a decent composition and had really
bad grammar. Having lessons at The Right Word helped me improve 10 marks
in my Paper 1. I’m really glad that my writing is finally decent! I managed to
improve with the FARTD strategy. For some reason, it reminds me to use
techniques I have learnt. What I really enjoy about the lessons is that it is fun and
engaging.
Emmanuel Tan (St Joseph’s Institution Junior) [Graduated from
PSLE with A*]

I improved about 5 marks in my composition, consistently scoring

more than 30 marks each time. With the FARTD strategy, I can describe
my characters in composition much better!

Tay Yu Cheng (West Grove Primary School)

I used to fail my compositions as I had a lot of difficulties with my

composition. My vocabulary was also very weak. After I was taught
strategies such as FLR and DOP, I improved close to 10 marks. I
also found compositions a lot easier to do. At The Right Word, I learn a lot of
phrases and also news stories that I do not know about that I can apply to writing
my stories.

Radiance Tan (Ai Tong Primary School)

I used to dislike English and I found it difficult to spell words. But with the
fun and engaging classes, I have improved 5 marks in my writing. Spelling does not
seem that difficult now that I have improved. Teachers at The Right Word really
make sure we understand what is taught. Other than that, there is also a “Reward
Board” that allows us to aim to fill up areas like Strategy Application, Excellence
and Potential. Filling up the board gives us the chance to win money or other
prizes and it motivates me to push myself to do better!

Elizabeth Ong (Raffles Girls’ Primary School) [Score A* in the

PSLE]

I found it challenging to think of original good phrases. My plots were also very
clichéd. After attending classes and applying strategies such as ICRCCRR under
the Power Planning technique, I have improved by about 7 marks to
score 35 marks or more in my compositions. When I write my
compositions now, my ideas just flow and I do not find it much of
a chore to write. The Right Word’s lessons are enjoyable because the teachers
are friendly and I know that I can ask for help any time.

Joslyn Tan (Ai Tong Primary School)

I was facing challenges with writing compositions as I had trouble thinking of plot
ideas. Grammar was also difficult to me. After taking classes, I am happy to
have improved in my composition by more than 5 marks! I think I
found the FART strategy really useful as it helped me think of more ideas and
phrases. The lessons at The Right Word are enjoyable because we get to play
Kahoot and learn in a fun way. The prizes awarded to us are also very encouraging.
Chong Dong Shyang (Qifa Primary School)

I improved a lot in my composition as the challenges I had in composition were

made easier with strategies to help me write better. Some of the techniques I
learnt that were useful is the FARTD for composition. I can strategise
how to write better sentences. The lessons are also fun and thrilling as the
teachers often use jokes to educate and encourage us.

Jasper Tan (Pei Chun Public School)

I was quite weak in my oral examination and English Paper 2 but after applying
TRW’s strategies, I saw improvement in both my papers. I improved from 21
to 26 marks for my oral examination. The comprehensive grammar notes
I was given was very useful too! Also, I enjoy the lessons because it is fun and
engaging. There is Kahoot, which helps us improve in both English and general
knowledge. I am very thankful to Mr Kelvin. He would always help me when I ask
him questions. He even stayed back for 2 hours after lessons for
several weeks in preparation for the PSLE. I am grateful to have such a
wonderful teacher like Mr Kelvin!

Jodie Tan (Marymount Convent School)

I used to be too quick to answer my MCQ questions without a thought and often
gave incomplete answers in my comprehension open-ended. Applying strategies
like ACE in comprehension OE really made me understand the question better
and motivated me to look through the passage for clues. I’ve improved in my Visual
Text and Booklet B a lot. I’m glad that I see more ticks than crosses
and Os! Overall, I’ve improved at least 5 marks in my English.
What I love best about TRW is that the teachers are friendly and the environment
is welcoming!

Matthias Wong (Maris Stella High School)

I could not do comprehension and had a lot of difficulty in both cloze and open-
ended but having lessons with Ms Dorothy helped me to think further to
elaborate my answers, and better understand the meaning of words in the passage.
The strategies I found most useful were SPUMUE and SKIs. They
helped me attempt my visual text and comprehension better
such that I improved 12 marks in my preliminary examinations.
The part of the lessons I enjoy most is Kahoot as it helps me learn English in a fun
and engaging manner.
Rachel Lau (CHIJ)

I struggled a lot of comprehension cloze as I had difficulties filling in the blanks.

However, acquiring the strategy for comprehension cloze helped
me improve as I learnt to summarise the paragraphs and understand
the questions better. I enjoy lessons at TRW because it’s not only fun but also
enriching!

Chen Le Yuan (Ai Tong School)

I could not pass English at first because I made a lot of spelling and
grammar errors. I also could not understand the passage. But applying the ACE
comprehension strategy helped me improve in my comprehension. I finally
improved by almost 10 marks and passed my English! I enjoy the
lessons at TRW because they share with us videos and there are quizzes that are
fun. I’m so very happy that I improved a lot.

Elizabeth Tang (Marymount Convent School)

I’ve improved 8 marks in my English as I scored better in

comprehension cloze, open-ended and synthesis and
transformation. The strategies taught at TRW really help me in identifying clue
words and with those hints, I knew how to do my work better. What I like most
about TRW is that the teachers are very nice and go out of the way to help us.

Bryan Koh (Fairfield Methodist Primary School)

I used to be bad in synthesis and comprehension. In my preliminary

examinations, I improved in my MCQ, synthesis and
comprehension to score 30 more marks. I’m glad that I applied the TRW
strategies to see improvement! Ms Dorothy taught me to understand questions
better by paying attention to key words and underlining them. I also like playing
Kahoot quizzes as it is fun and helps me improve.

Reagan Goh (Pei Chun Public School)

I was weak in my grammar and comprehension but I’ve improved in those two
sections and other components. Applying the strategies taught helped
me improve from 48 marks to 66 marks. Learning how to identify
questions types made it easier for me to answer the questions. I enjoy going to
classes at TRW because the environment is conducive and fun.
Jamie Koh (Gongshang Primary School)

I used to have difficulties scoring in synthesis and transformation and

comprehension. However, applying strategies taught in TRW helped me improve in
listening comprehension, oral examination and English Paper 2. From 79%, I
improved to 86% in the preliminary examinations. I enjoy the fun
atmosphere and the teachers at TRW really help students pay attention and apply
strategies through all sorts of methods such as Kahoot quizzes and more.

Owein Wong (Yew Tee Primary School)

I had a lot of challenges with spelling and comprehension open-ended. However, I

was taught strategies on how to identify common spelling errors in editing. There
were many strategies to help me learn grammar rules too. I’ve improved
close to 10 marks, from 63 to 71 marks. The best thing about the
lessons at TRW is that the lessons are fun but also very useful!

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