Skill and Form Number: Making Predictions #1
Making Predictions
1.
This was Molly's first babysitting job. She was very excited, but nervous at the same time. Molly's parents made her attend a babysitting workshop before she could babysit the neighbor's five-year-old son, Matthew. She learned how to perform first-aid, calm a cranky baby, and treat cuts and burns.
Molly knew this was a huge responsibility, but she thought she was ready. Molly marched confidently to Matthew's house and waved good-bye to Matthew's parents. As soon as his parents left, Matthew fell and hit his chin on the coffee table. Molly did not panic. She knew exactly what to do.
Based on the above information, what will Molly most likely do next?
A.
talk to her friends
B.
give toys to the baby
C.
apply first-aid
D.
yell at the baby
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2.
Hannah had heard from several people about the potential for icy patches near
Lake Samish. So far this year, the weather had been quite mild, and Hannah's 45 minute commute to and from work had been uneventful. She liked it that way. If she could just get from her house to work, enjoying her coffee and a little morning music every day, that was just fine with her. But she knew even before she got out of bed that this morning was going to be different. She clicked on her radio just as the local news was coming on.
"Temperatures are dropping and the rain is starting to turn to slush. This cold snap is not expected to let up for at least 24-48 hours." The weatherman only confirmed what
Hannah already knew.
She slumped out of bed, went downstairs, and turned on the coffee maker. Hannah wondered if she would be able to find her extra large coffee cup.
What can the reader predict Hannah will do this morning?
A.
Go back to bed.
B.
Stop at a diner for breakfast.
C.
Do her Yoga exercises.
D.
Drive with extra caution.
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Skill and Form Number: Making Predictions #1
3.
by Yann Martel
Sometime that afternoon, I saw the first specimen of what would become a dear, reliable friend of mine. There was a bumping and scraping sound against the hull of the lifeboat. A few seconds later, so close to the boat I could have leaned down and grabbed it, a large sea turtle appeared, a hawksbill, flippers lazily turning, head sticking out of the water. It was striking-looking in an ugly sort of way, with a rugged, yellowish brown shell about three feet long and spotted with patches of algae, and a dark green face with a sharp beak, no lips, two solid holes for nostrils, and black eyes that stared at me intently. The expression was haughty and severe, like that of an ill-tempered old man who has complaining on his mind. The queerest thing about the reptile was simply that it was. It looked incongruous, floating there in the water, so odd in its shape compared to the sleek, slippery design of fish. Yet it was plainly in its element and it was
I who was the odd one out. It hovered by the boat for several minutes.
I said to it, "Go tell a ship I'm here. Go, go." It turned and sank out of sight, back flippers pushing water in alternate strokes.
Which of the following most accurately predicts what happens later in this story?
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4.
A.
The narrator and the turtle will see each other several more times.
B.
The turtle will bump the boat over and knock the narrator out.
C.
The narrator will grab the turtle the next time he sees it.
D.
The turtle will get eaten by sharks.
by the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler
"I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That is clear.
Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we all are seeking something better in life. So, I think, the very motion of our life is towards happiness. . . ."
With these words, spoken before a large audience in Arizona, the Dalai Lama cut to the heart of his message. But his claim that the purpose of life was happiness raised a question in my mind. Later when we were alone, I asked the Dalai Lama. . . ."

Skill and Form Number: Making Predictions #1
Based on the above passage, what might the narrator ask the Dalai Lama next?
A.
How do you like Arizona?
B.
What time is it?
C.
Would you please repeat that?
D.
Are you happy?
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5.
George had never been outside his own hometown before. But that didn't stop him from dreaming. On Saturdays, when all the other boys were out at the park playing football, George was at the library gathering books, magazines, and articles. It didn't matter what place. Fiji. The Bahamas. The Virgin Islands. Guatemala. Peru. Nepal. He paid less attention to the names of the places than he did to the details of what life might be like there. He imagined walking down the backstreets and alleys of rural
China, passing old hunched-over men, peasants carrying pails of manure, street vendors selling mysterious concoctions, and children squatting at the side of the road watching as the foreigner passed by.
Based on this passage it is reasonable to predict that
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6.
A.
George will join a football team.
B.
George will become a book collector.
C.
George will become a librarian.
D.
George will one day explore foreign lands.
by Lyle Lovett
And if I had a boat
I'd go out on the ocean
And if I had a pony
I'd ride him on my boat
And we could all together
Go out on the ocean
Singin' me upon my pony on my boat.

Skill and Form Number: Making Predictions #1
Based on the song lyrics above, what can the reader predict about the singer?
A.
The singer is planning to get a larger sailboat.
B.
The singer plans to teach his horse how to swim.
C.
There isn't enough information to tell.
D.
The singer will probably be moving to Florida.
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7.
Most dogs seem to enjoy the flavor of grass. Dogs also eat grass when they have digestive disorders. The grass causes vomiting, which can help make the dog feel better.
Digging is an instinctive activity that dogs retain from their wild ancestors. The ancestors of dogs often buried part of the food they caught on hunts to protect it from other animals. Dogs frequently bury bones or food, or simply dig holes.
Panting helps a dog stay cool. When saliva evaporates from the tongue and mouth, it has a cooling effect that helps reduce the dog's body heat. Unlike people, dogs cannot cool themselves by perspiring. They have sweat glands only in their feet, and the glands have little effect on body temperature.
Which of the following will the author most likely write about next?
A.
what to feed your dog
B.
how to decide what kind of puppy to get
C.
a review of the movie My Dog Skip
D.
why dogs chase their tails
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8.
A strong man of over six feet in height, Roald Amundsen was born into a family of merchant sea captains and prosperous ship owners in 1872. Amundsen developed a fascination with Antarctica from the time he first glimpsed its frozen terrain in 1897.
Antarctica, a continent the size of Europe and Australia combined, had not yet been explored by humans. Amundsen aimed to be the first.
Based on the passage above, it can be predicted that
A.
Roald Amundsen wanted to visit Australia more than Antarctica.
B.
Roald Amundsen was unsuccessful in his attempt to reach Antarctica.

Skill and Form Number: Making Predictions #1
C.
Roald Amundsen only read about Antarctica in books.
D.
Roald Amundsen was the first man to successfully reach Antarctica.
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Randy stuffed his goggles, sun screen, and towel in his backpack. It was already mid-July, and Randy had not been to the city pool yet. His leg had been in a cast all summer to heal a break he suffered in football practice. His cast had come off a week earlier, and he was glad to have full use of his leg again. He threw the backpack over his shoulder and ran to the front yard to get his bike.
As he was walking his bike down the long driveway, he saw his friend Lamar riding his bike down the road. Randy waved. Lamar grinned and suddenly jumped back while still on his bike. His bike rose up on just the back wheel. Lamar rolled along like that for a few seconds, and then he dropped back down to both wheels. Randy’s jaw dropped.
“How did you learn to do that?” Randy asked as he approached Lamar.
“My brother taught me,” Lamar said. “It’s easy. You just have to be going fast and keep your balance.”
Randy decided to try it out. He got on his bike and began pedaling fast. He felt strong as he cut through the warm air. When he began coasting, he pulled back on the handlebars and tilted his bicycle back.
For a split second, it seemed to work, and the bicycle continued rolling forward on one wheel. Then, Randy lost his balance, and the bike crashed backwards onto the concrete. Randy fell backward but landed on his side. His arm crunched beneath him.
Wh en he was able to roll over, he felt like his arm was on fire. He didn’t even realize that he was screaming. His dad came running from the garage. He sighed as he looked at Randy’s twisted arm.
His dad shook his head. “You need to see a doctor right away.”
9. What will probably happen at the end of this story?
A.
Lamar will buy a new bicycle.
B.
Randy will go to a football game.
C.
Randy will go to the hospital.
D.
Lamar will try to hurt Randy.
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10. The reader can predict that Randy will probably
A.
break his leg in football practice.

Skill and Form Number: Making Predictions #1
B.
work with his dad in the garage.
C.
go to Lamar's house for the day.
D.
have to wear a cast on his arm.
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\

Skill and Form Number: Making Predictions #1
1. C
2. D
3. A
4. D
5. D
6. C
7. D
8. D
9. C
10. D
1. You will notice that the clue lies in the third sentence of the passage.
Molly's parents made her take classes before she could babysit. It is reasonable to assume that she would have applied first-aid.
2. With the weather turning bad, and Hannah's knowledge of icy roads near the lake, it's reasonable to assume that she will be driving extra carefully this morning.
3. The narrator is recounting a story, and in the beginning of the passage, he states that the turtle eventually becomes "a dear and reliable friend."
Based on this, it is safe to predict that they saw each other several more times after their initial encounter.
4. The subject of the Dalai Lama's speech was happiness, and the Dalai
Lama states his belief that everyone is seeking to be happy. It is reasonable to assume that the narrator would wonder if the Dalai Lama himself is happy.
5. George clearly has an ambition to see the rest of the world. It is safe to predict that he will likely find a way to travel and explore the places he is dreaming about.
6. There is a difference between making a prediction based on information you have or find out, and just making a "wild guess." In this case, although the lyrics of the song tell us that the singer is imagining what it would be like if he had both a pony and a boat, we don't get enough information to make any of the predictions listed.

Skill and Form Number: Making Predictions #1
7. This article focuses on the somewhat strange behaviors of dogs, and why they do certain things. The author has discussed why dogs eat grass, why dogs dig, and why dogs pant. Why dogs chase their tails would be the most logical next thing to write about.
8. This selection tells how Roald Amundsen was fascinated with Antarctica. It remained unexplored until Amundsen became the first man to reach it. Since the passage ends with Amundsen wanting to be the first person to explore
Antarctica, it is reasonable to predict that he did.
9. Randy gets hurt when he is trying to do a new trick on his bicycle. He ends up falling backwards on concrete and crushing his arm. His father says that he needs to see a doctor right away. If the story were a little longer, the reader would probably see that Randy goes to the hospital next. That is place where people can go if they need to see a doctor in an emergency.
10. The reader can tell that Randy's arm is broken. The reader also should know what happens when a bone gets broken. The first paragraph explains that Randy had to wear a cast to heal a broken leg. The reader can use these clues to predict that Randy will have to get a cast to heal his newly broken arm.
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