ANSWERING QUESTIONS
ON READINGS
Avoiding
common
problems
FOCUSING ON THE QUESTION
Make sure you understand what the question is asking for. If you are
not sure, ask the teacher.
Why did Peter make such a tragic mistake at the end of the story?
How does the description of the house make us feel about the scene?
Explain why Canadians think they need a holiday in February.
Describe a time when you were a victim of prejudice.
Identify the three main methods of discipline, using your own words.
NOTE: Always use paragraph form and complete sentences.
HOW TO TURN QUESTIONS INTO
TOPIC SENTENCES
The first sentence of every paragraph answer is a topic sentence.
Underline the key words from the questions
Explain why Walter Mitty spends so much of his time daydreaming.
Make the key words part of a statement that answers the question
in a general way.
Walter Mitty spends so much of his time daydreaming because he is
bored and unhappy in his life.
Save the details for the rest of the sentences in your answer.
CHOOSING AND
PUNCTUATING QUOTATIONS
If you want to use a sentence or phrase from the reading, you must put
it in quotation marks. You should introduce it or provide context in your
own words:
The author is concerned because Canadians don’t always
understand newcomers like her “despite our good intention”
(Mineyko, 1990)
The first paragraph describes the setting of the story: “We lived in
three places – the school, the church and the skating rink – but our
real life was on the skating rink” (Carrier, 1979)
Note: Higher level classes are also expected to show the source of the
quotation in an in-text citation.
FORMAT OF A PARAGRAPH ANSWER
Start with a topic sentence based on the question
Provide at least two sentences of supporting details, in your own
words. Include ideas from the reading AND your own ideas.
Add a quotation and citation if it strengthens your point
Q. Explain why Canadians think they need a holiday in February.
A. There are several reasons why Canadians think they need a holiday in
February. First, it is in the middle of a long period after New Years and
before Easter with no other holidays. Also, the difficult weather makes
people feel tired and stressed out. Finally, as the authors point out,
“Canada has fewer public holidays than the U.S. and most countries in
Europe.” (Marino and Rioux, 2001).