Why might a reader need to make an inference?

Answer 1

What exactly are you implying by this question? Foreshadowing is a literary device that implies the future and of things to come. Foreshadowing will be missed with out inference on the readers part. A good writer will construct sentences that work on several different levels and again without inference the texture of the sentence will be lost. As an example, Franz Kafka once wrote: "A bird went in search of a cage." There is much to infer from this sentence and the more inference taken the more intriguing the sentence becomes. All good writers tell straight, clearly told stories. The best will imply and suggest all sorts of themes and ideas all through their straight story. It is the inference on the readers part that creates that special bond between author and reader.

Answer 2

Making an inference is understanding something that is not explicitly stated. Some other ways of saying that: making a guess based on clues or reading between the lines.

For instance, if a writer says a character is staring off into the distance, you might use that clue to infer the character is bored, is daydreaming and/or has something on his mind. The writer did not say any of those things, but you understand they could be true based on your prior knowledge of why people stare off into the distance.

As the writer tells more about the character, it will become easier to narrow your inference.

Making inferences as you read helps you to stay engaged with the narrative, anticipating the discovery of whether the inferences you make turn out to be correct.

Answer 3

the author mgiht hint at an idea rather than state it directly