There are three types of meanings we can get out of reading comprehension: literal meaning, inferential meaning, and evaluative meaning.
We’ll explore the literal and inferential aspects of the comprehensions and learn their difference.
What are Literal Questions?
Literal questions require straight answers. Answers to literal questions are always factual, and there is always one correct answer.
You cannot effectively answer or scrutinize an argument until you have accurately determined the facts, giving the context to understand the larger picture.
Literal questions call for clear and unambiguous answers and can be agreed upon by most people.
In comprehension tests, the answers to real questions can always be found in the text. Answers to real questions can reveal who, what, where and when. Asking literal questions is the beginning of understanding what is being conveyed.
Examples of Literal Questions
- What time does the concert start?
- What size are you wearing?
- What clues did you use to write your paper?
- Who is the main character in the story?
- How many inches of foot?”
Asking real questions gives you a deeper, richer understanding of new things. Learning is very difficult if you do not have a solid foundation on which to build.
What are Inferential Questions?
Inferential definition involves taking information given in a text and using it to find out what the text means but not directly.
Inferential questions require answers that require contextual clues. Inferential questions are difficult to answer because they can have more than one correct answer. In teaching comprehension, the answers to inferential questions are not found in the text, but are supported by evidence in the text. The answers to the fundamental questions shed light on why and how. It is important to look at what can be included in the facts because you can learn a lot from observation.
Inferential questions ask for answers that you get by picking up background information and getting the conclusion without allowing your own opinion to color the answer.
Examples of Inferential Questions
- How did you get to that conclusion?
- Why salt is a cause for melting the snow?
Asking why a question helps you to evaluate the accuracy of the answers. From there you can develop questions and answers that include your thoughts and ideas.
Let’s understanding the literal and inferential meaning of Comprehension
Consider a young man named Billy. He sits alone in a corner and builds a tower with bricks. He puts one block on top of the other as his tower grows and rises. The more he adds, the more complex his design becomes.
The literal meaning is what the text says. That is exactly what happened in the story. This is a very important level of understanding because it provides the basis for the most advanced understanding. Without the understanding made at this level, you would not have gone so far.
Let’s use our story about Billy to make an example. The real meaning of the story is that Billy built a tower out of blocks.
Here are some examples of the types of information that can be identified as literal:
- The main idea
- Facts told
- Sequence of events
- Characters in the story
Inferential include finding out what the text means. You start with the information provided. This information is then used to obtain a deeper meaning that is not explicitly stated. Finding unlimited meaning requires that you think about the text and come to a conclusion.
Going back to Billy again, what inferential explanation can we find in our story? We can say that Billy is able to build good towers!
Examples of the types of information that can be identified as nonsense include:
- General
- Cause-Effect Relationships
- Future forecasts
- An unspoken main idea