Read the excerpt from Heart of a Samurai.
As the boats rounded the tip of the island, the fishermen gasped. An enormous bird with many huge, white wings sat upon the water. But, no, it was a ship, bristling with masts, slung with dozens of sails, and alive with movement. Many strange foreigners scurried about on deck or crawled up the ropes that were strung all over the vessel like spiderwebs.
What does the phrase “the fishermen gasped” help readers infer?
1.The fishermen have never seen a large sailing ship before.
2.The fishermen are surprised to see Japanese sailors.
3.The fishermen cannot believe that they have been rescued.
4.The fishermen recognize the sailing ship as one from home.

The phrase "the fishermen gasped" from "Heart of a Samurai" helps readers infer that the fishermen have never seen a large sailing ship before. (option A)

What can readers infer?

The excerpt tells us the fishermen gasped when they saw this enormous ship before them. To gasp means to breathe in suddenly, with one's mouth open, due to surprise or astonishment.

With the information above in mind, we can say the fishermen were surprised by the size of the ship. That helps us infer they had never seen a large sailing ship like that one before. Thus, option A is the correct answer.

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