Step 2: Read the following passage, and then answer the questions by selecting a if the statement is an accurate or valid inference and b if it is not accurate based on the details presented.
     When Joey Newton was born two months prematurely, the doctors diagnosed his cerebral palsy, warning the parents that the condition was so severe that he would not live through the night. So a solemn priest arrived late that evening to administer last rites to the fragile infant.
     But Joey lived. Bewildered, the doctors examined Joey repeatedly over the next few days and concluded that he would surely never leave the hospital. Death, they said, was imminent. Nevertheless, Joey's father insisted that you never know what might happen, a thought the family would cling to and learn to cherish. After six weeks of vigilant neonatal care, Joey went home.
     Still, the doctors said Joey would never learn to sit up. But Joey did learn to sit up. Then they predicted he would never be able to feed himself or even be aware of his surroundings, and several medical experts recommended institutionalizing him. "I wouldn't want to live the life he is destined to have," pronounced one grim doctor. But Joey did learn to feed himself. And he continued to watch and listen.
     Baffled by his progress, the doctors still said he would never learn to walk. However, after enduring many years of physical therapy and intense exercising at home with a devoted mother, father, and two older sisters, Joey can now walk and ride a bike and play firefighter and hit a baseball.
     Finally, though, the doctors warned that Joey would never learn to speak. This prediction seemed accurate until one day, when he was listening to the radio and heard "Let Her Cry" by the South Carolina musical group Hootie and the Blowfish. Suddenly, Joey began to sing along with Darius Rucker, the group's vocalist and acoustic guitarist. And today Joey can talk. A lot.
     Recently, when Hootie and the Blowfish came to town, Joey's mom decided it was time to hear the group in person. After all, they were the reason Joey had learned to talk. A lot.
     So one July evening, an excited Joey and his mom arrived to a charged atmosphere at the amphitheater in Virginia Beach. They immediately began chatting with a disc jockey from the radio station that was promoting the concert, and it was during that conversation that Joey's mom explained why it was a special day for them. Quickly, the disc jockey excused herself. Shortly thereafter a voice boomed over the loud speaker, "Would Joey and his mom please come to the front of the stage?"
     Everyone began looking around curiously. Even Joey and his mom craned their necks to see the people who were being paged. They were incredulous, however, when a smiling usher appeared to escort them down the aisle. They were even more amazed when they were led onto the stage and seated at a special table that the band members had arranged for the young boy and his mother. When the group had learned about how they had impacted Joey's life, they insisted Joey and his mom be given a place of honor for the entire concert. Later, backstage, Darius Rucker and Joey exchanged hats to pose for a photograph.
     For Joey, it was an affirmation that his was a most worthy hero. "This is the best day of my life," he later exclaimed.
     For Joey's mother, it was proof that, indeed, you never know what might happen next.
     For us, Joey's story exemplifies optimism and perseverance and empathy and the goodness of the human spirit—the stuff of miracles.

Refer to the photograph in the Lab Manual and this selection to determine which statements can be accurately inferred.

		6. The expert opinions of doctors do not always prove accurate.    a. valid inference   b. not accurate
		7. Joey did not have to stay in the hospital long after he was born.    a. valid inference   b. not accurate
		8. Joey had many years of physical therapy with specialists and family members.    a. valid inference   b. not accurate
		9. Premature babies do not usually live long after birth.    a. valid inference   b. not accurate
		10. The disc jockey who heard Joey's story did not think the rock group would care.    a. valid inference   b. not accurate
		11. Darius Rucker and the group members of Hootie and the Blowfish felt empathy for Joey.    a. valid inference   b. not accurate
		12. At every concert, a disc jockey invites someone in the audience to sit on the stage.    a. valid inference   b. not accurate
		13. Joey and his mom immediately knew they were being paged at the amphitheater.    a. valid inference   b. not accurate
		14. In the photograph in the Lab Manual, Darius is wearing Joey's hat and Joey is wearing Darius's hat.    a. valid inference   b. not accurate
		15. All singers in rock bands are known for similar kind gestures.    a. valid inference   b. not accurate
		16. Much of Joey's success occurred because his family did not give up.    a. valid inference   b. not accurate
		17. Joey's family should have listened to the doctor's advice to institutionalize him.    a. valid inference   b. not accurate
		18. Joey's father is an optimistic person.    a. valid inference   b. not accurate