English · Inference & Evidence
Comprehension X-Ray
Highlight only the sentences that show this is true. Then show the examiner.
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Why this works
Evidence is not "the bit that mentions it" - it is the bit that could not be true unless the statement were true. Maya turning at the fork without checking the signpost, and warning the others about a loose step she has never been shown, both need her to have been here before. The other sentences fit the scene beautifully, but a first-time visitor could have produced every one of them.
Helping a child through Comprehension X-Ray
Hints, least revealing first
- A sentence is only evidence if the statement would fall apart without it.
- Some sentences are about the lighthouse, or about the weather. Being on the same topic is not the same as being proof.
- Look for things Maya does that she could only do if she already knew the path.
When they finish it: “Exactly the two pieces an examiner wants.”
What usually goes wrong here
- Chooses a plausible inference without enough textual evidence.
This is the wrong answer 11+ papers are built to offer, so it is worth watching for directly: a child who does this will look confident and still lose the mark. If it keeps happening on infer implicit meaning, the fix is the misunderstanding rather than more questions.
4 11+ skills this exercise practises
Each of these has its own page, with a worked example on it. 2 of the 4 name the mistake that skill attracts.
- Identify textual moodIdentify the mood created by a short passage or poem.
- Identify writer viewpointIdentify the writer viewpoint from language choices.
- Infer implicit meaningDraw one supported conclusion that is not directly stated.
- Retrieve an explicit detailFind a detail stated directly in a passage.
You can reuse this. Here is exactly how far that goes
Tutors, teachers and editors keep asking, so this is the answer in writing rather than by email. You do not need to ask permission, and you do not need to tell us.
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Embed this exercise
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Comprehension X-Ray touches 4 skills at once
Which means a child who struggles with it could be stuck on any one of them. A free diagnostic across all four subjects narrows it to the one.