A paraphrase restates the passage. An unsupported claim adds something the passage never says. Learning to tell them apart makes your answers safer.
This lesson is part of close reading and evidence in the SPM Bible Knowledge learning guide. The passage is original and written for practice.
The original passage
“Hana counted the coins twice and pushed the purse back across the counter. ‘You gave me too much,’ she said.”
The three-way test
For each statement ask: can I point to words in the passage that say this, or clearly lead to it?
| Result | Name | Safe to use? |
|---|---|---|
| Words say it | Paraphrase | Yes |
| Words clearly lead to it | Inference | Yes, with a careful verb and the clue |
| No words lead to it | Unsupported claim | No |
Sorting six statements
- “Hana returned extra money.” Paraphrase: the extra money is “too much” and the purse is pushed back.
- “Hana checked the amount.” Paraphrase: “counted the coins twice”.
- “Hana is honest.” Inference: her action of returning the extra suggests honesty. Use “suggests”.
- “Hana is very poor.” Unsupported: nothing in the passage mentions her income.
- “Hana wanted a reward.” Unsupported: the passage gives no sign of it.
- “Hana spoke politely.” Unsupported: “said” gives no tone.
Only statements 1 to 3 are safe. The last three go beyond the text, even though each is a plausible story.
Turning a risky statement into a safe one
An unsupported claim can sometimes be repaired by narrowing it to what the text shows.
| Risky | Safe |
|---|---|
| “Hana is very poor.” | “Hana counted the coins carefully.” |
| “Hana wanted a reward.” | “Hana pushed the purse back.” |
The safe versions are smaller, but each one is connected to exact words.
The mistake of filling gaps
A common slip is filling gaps with stories. The writer imagines why Hana acted, adds a feeling, and writes it as fact.
A useful rule: if your sentence needs an “and probably”, “because she was” or “she must have” that the passage does not give, stop. Either find the clue or cut the extra.
Check yourself
Sort each statement as paraphrase, inference or unsupported claim. (a) “Hana counted twice.” (b) “Hana was nervous.” (c) “Hana cared about getting the amount right.”
Answer
(a) Paraphrase: the passage says “counted the coins twice”.
(b) Unsupported claim: no words mention nerves.
(c) Inference: counting twice and then returning the extra suggests care. Write it as “suggests” and quote “counted the coins twice”.
What to study next
Continue with supporting an explanation with appropriate textual evidence, or go back to finding the detail a question needs.
If you want a teacher to check your own sentences, see online one-to-one Bible Knowledge tuition, which starts with a one-hour trial class (from RM50).