Inference Skills
by Margaret Whisnant
Sample Pages
By Lois Lowry
Chapters 1 -5
Twenty Cards
Multiple Choice Questions
Copyright © 2014 Margaret Whisnant
Inference Skills
by Margaret Whisnant
The Giver
by Lois Lowry
Chapter 1 – Chapter 5
The Giver is one of the best, if not the best, examples from children’s literature of how important inference skills can be. Like
a secret code between writer and reader, Ms. Lowery unveils Jonas’s dystopian world clue by clue. Her carefully chosen words
and phrases are candles flickering in the dark, each one shedding a point of light on a small corner of the strange community
until they reveal the awful truth. Miss the clues, and Jonas’s heart-pounding story is a tangle of confusion.
These task cards are designed to guide young readers through the novel’s gallery of passages, sentences, phrases, and even
single words that carry inferred meanings involving plot analysis and character development. Each card presents a story
passage (always in italics), a summary of story events, or a combination of the two with an accompanying inference question.
Students must choose the correct answer from four given possibilities (multiple choice).
This package includes a cover card (which can double as a container label), a student instruction card, an answer sheet, and
answer keys. Page numbers where passages and summaries are located in the book are included with the answer keys to
give teachers the option of using the individual cards as warm-ups or quizzes.
Preparation Instructions: The cards are formatted with a color border, but they also work well in grayscale.
 Cut card pages vertically at 5½” and individual cards horizontally at 4”.
 Answer sheets are designed to be cut 5½” by 7¾”.
These Task Cards cover Chapter 1 – Chapter 5. Sets for Chapters 6-10 and Chapters 11-15 are also available from my
store. Cards for the remainder of the book are being created and will be posted soon.
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Margaret Whisnant
This resource is an original work by Margaret Whisnant Copyright © 2014. All rights reserved.
Permission to copy is granted to the original purchaser for single classroom use only.
Electronic distribution is limited to single classroom use. It may not be stored on the internet in such a manner that it is downloadable by the general public.
The Giver
1
Chapters 1-5
2
Chapters 1-5
Jonas had been fascinated by the plane until citizens were
ordered to go inside. Looking through his window, Jonas
had seen no people: none of the busy afternoon crews. . .
He saw only the abandoned bikes here and there. . .He had
been frightened then. The sense of his own community
silent, waiting, had made his stomach churn.
Jonas had not been frightened by the plane, but by
A. the orders for citizens to go inside.
B. the uncertainty as to why it was flying over the
community.
C. the change that it brought to the community.
D. his feelings of fascination.
The Giver
The Giver
3
Jonas grinned, remembering the morning that Asher had
dashed into the classroom, late as usual, arriving
breathlessly in the middle of the chanting of the morning
anthem.
Which word indicates that Asher had been running for
quite a distance?
A. dashed
B. breathlessly
C. chanting
D. anthem
The Giver
4
Chapters 1-5
Chapters 1-5
“That’s right,” Lily said, laughing too. “Like animals.”
Neither child knew what the word meant exactly, but it was
often used to describe someone uneducated or clumsy,
someone who didn’t fit in.
The boy who made Lilly angry because he didn’t follow the
playground rules was from another community.
This story fact indicates that
Based on the information in this passage, the reader can
infer that
A. there are no animals in the community, only people.
B. the community doesn’t think of animals as intelligent.
C. very few families are allowed to have animals.
D. Jonas and his family are vegetarians.
Copyright © 2014 Margaret Whisnant
A. Lily is an obedient child.
B. Lily is not a patient, understanding child.
C. the plane that frightened Jonas was from another
community.
D. there is more than one community, and they have
contact with each other.
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Name____________________________
Inference Skills
The Giver
Chapters 1-5
The Giver
Answer Keys
Chapters 1 -5
Copyright © 2014 Margaret Whisnant
Chapters 1 -5
Copyright © 2014 Margaret Whisnant
Inference
Skills
Inference
Skills
The Giver
Chapters 1-5
Instructions
Read each story passage or section summary and
the question that goes with it. Choose the correct
answer from the four possible responses and write
its letter on your answer sheet.
Copyright © 2014 Margaret Whisnant
1. C (p. 2)
11. C (p. 17)
2. B (p. 3)
12. C (p. 20)
3. A (pp. 5-6)
13. D (p. 21)
4. D (p. 6)
14. B (p. 22)
5. A (p. 2-p. 7)
15. A (p. 23)
6. B (p. 8)
16. D (p. 24)
7. A (p. 8-p. 9)
17. C (p. 26)
8. B (p. 11)
18. A (p. 17)
9. C (p. 12)
19. C (p. 32)
10. D (p. 14)
20. D (p. 37)
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Name___________________________
Name____________________________
The Giver
The Giver
Answer Sheet
Answer Sheet
1. ________________ 11. _________________
1. ________________ 11. _________________
2. ________________ 12. _________________
2. ________________ 12. _________________
3. ________________ 13. _________________
3. ________________ 13. _________________
4. ________________ 14. _________________
4. ________________ 14. _________________
5. ________________ 15. _________________
5. ________________ 15. _________________
6. ________________ 16. _________________
6. ________________ 16. _________________
7. ________________ 17. _________________
7. ________________ 17. _________________
8. ________________ 18. _________________
8. ________________ 18. _________________
9. ________________ 19. _________________
9. ________________ 19. _________________
10. ________________ 20. _________________
10. ________________ 20. _________________
Chapters 1-5
Background Image:
Copyright © 2014 Margaret Whisnant
Chapters 1-5
Dollar Photo Club
Image of Boy: Fotolia
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