Inferences Worksheet 5 | Reading Activity - Free Printable

Let’s go through each question one by one. We’ll read the story carefully, find clues in the text, and use those clues to make smart guesses — that’s what “inference” means!

---

Question 1: What happened to Jenna's apartment?

Look at what the text says:
- There were long rips in the couch (like someone used knives).
- A lamp was shattered on the floor.
- Picture frames were crooked or fallen off the wall.
- The cat’s travel cage door was open.
- Feathers were on the floor near the birdcage.
- The cat was found in the bedroom patting a shoe with its claws.

Jenna first thought burglars did it… but then she heard the cat meowing and saw it acting guilty. She yelled, “That’s it!” and threw the cat back in the cage.

So — the cat made the mess! It got out of its cage, knocked things over, ripped the couch, maybe scared the bird away (feathers!), and played with shoes.

✔ Final Answer for Q1:
The cat caused all the damage in the apartment.

How do you know this?
Because after seeing the cat patting her shoe with its claws, Jenna said, “That’s it!” and put the cat back in the cage — meaning she realized the cat was responsible. Also, there were no signs of real burglars — just feathers, an open cage, and a misbehaving cat.

---

Question 2: Why is there an empty birdcage in Jenna's apartment?

Text clues:
- The door to the birdcage was swinging back and forth.
- There were feathers on the floor.
- The cat was loose and causing chaos.

Birds don’t just vanish — if the cage is open and there are feathers, and a cat is running around… the cat probably chased or caught the bird.

✔ Final Answer for Q2:
The cat likely chased or ate the bird, which is why the cage is empty and there are feathers on the floor.

How do you know this?
Because the birdcage door was open, feathers were scattered, and the cat was free and destructive — so it’s logical to infer the cat got the bird.

---

Question 3: What is Jenna going to do with the cat?

Text clues:
- She threw the cat back into its travel cage.
- The lock wouldn’t catch.
- She huffed and grabbed duct tape.

She’s frustrated (“I’m done with this”) and trying to keep the cat locked up — even using duct tape because the lock broke.

✔ Final Answer for Q3:
Jenna is going to lock the cat in its travel cage using duct tape to keep it from escaping again.

How do you know this?
Because she tried to shut the cage door, it didn’t lock, so she grabbed duct tape — showing she’s taking extra steps to contain the cat.

---

Now let’s look at the second story about Earl and Gail.

---

Question 4: What did Gail find on the receipt?

Text clues:
- Earl came home from a fishing trip.
- He brought back perfectly filleted salmon steaks.
- Gail was suspicious when he said Jeff taught him how to fillet fish.
- While helping unpack, Gail found a grocery store receipt dated that morning.
- What she saw was “disappointing and unsurprising.”

If Earl supposedly caught the fish himself, why would there be a grocery store receipt from today? That means he bought the fish — he didn’t catch them.

✔ Final Answer for Q4:
Gail found that the salmon steaks were bought at the grocery store — not caught by Earl.

How do you know this?
Because the receipt was from the grocery store and dated that morning — proving Earl didn’t catch the fish; he bought them.

---

Question 5: Why was Gail disappointed and unsurprised with what she saw?

Text clues:
- Gail knew Earl was “not a very good fisherman.”
- She asked reluctantly if he caught anything.
- When he showed the fish, she was surprised he could fillet them — but then he blamed Jeff.
- Then she found the receipt.

She wasn’t shocked because she already doubted his fishing skills. But she was sad (disappointed) because he lied — pretended he caught the fish when he actually bought them.

✔ Final Answer for Q5:
Gail was disappointed because Earl lied about catching the fish, and unsurprised because she already knew he wasn’t a good fisherman.

How do you know this?
Because the text says she “reluctantly asked” knowing he wasn’t good at fishing, and finding the receipt confirmed her suspicions — so she wasn’t shocked, but still hurt by the lie.

---

Final Answers:

1. The cat caused all the damage in the apartment.
→ You know this because Jenna realized it after seeing the cat act guilty and put it back in the cage.

2. The cat likely chased or ate the bird, which is why the cage is empty and there are feathers on the floor.
→ You know this because the cage was open, feathers were everywhere, and the cat was loose and destructive.

3. Jenna is going to lock the cat in its travel cage using duct tape to keep it from escaping again.
→ You know this because she tried to lock the cage, it failed, and she grabbed duct tape to fix it.

4. Gail found that the salmon steaks were bought at the grocery store — not caught by Earl.
→ You know this because the receipt was from the grocery store and dated that morning.

5. Gail was disappointed because Earl lied about catching the fish, and unsurprised because she already knew he wasn’t a good fisherman.
→ You know this because she doubted his skills from the start, and the receipt proved he bought the fish instead of catching them.