Question Answer Relationships
Explanation
Question-Answer
relationship
(QAR) is a strategy to be used
after students have read. QAR
teaches
students
how
to
decipher what types of questions
they are being asked and where
to find the answers to them.
Four types of questions are
examined in the QAR.
They include:




Right There Questions (in the book): Literal questions whose answers can
be found in the text. Often the words used in the question are the same words
found in the text e.g. characters names, setting etc.
Think and Search Questions (in the book): Answers are gathered from
several parts of the text and put together to make meaning. For example, the
answer is in the novel, but you must think carefully about the whole story.
Author and Me (in my head): These questions are based on information
provided in the text but the student is required to relate it to their own
experience. Although the answer does not lie directly in the text, the student
must have read it in order to answer the question.
On My Own (in my head): These questions do not require the student to have
read the passage but he/she must use their background or prior knowledge to
answer the question.
Benefits of QAR




It can improve students' reading comprehension.
It teaches students how to ask questions about their reading and where to find
the answers to them.
It helps students to think about the text they are reading and beyond it, too.
It inspires them to think creatively and work cooperatively while challenging
them to use higher-level thinking skills.
COMPREHENSION STRATEGY (POST READING)
How to use QAR in the English classroom
1. Explain to students that there are four types of questions they will encounter.
Define each type of question and give an example.
1. Read a short passage aloud to your students.
2. Have predetermined questions you will ask after you stop reading. When you
have finished reading, read the questions aloud to students and model how
you decide which type of question you have been asked to answer.
3. Show students how to find information to answer the question (i.e., in the text,
from your own experiences, etc.).
4. After you have modeled your thinking process for each type of question, invite
students to read another passage on their own, using a partner to determine
the type of question and how to find the answer.
5. After students have practiced this process for several types of questions and
over several lessons, you may invite students to read passages and try to
create different types of questions for the reading.
6. Students may work by themselves, in pairs or small groups. Remind students
that they should be prepared to discuss and debate their reactions to the
questions and how they figured out their answers.
COMPREHENSION STRATEGY (POST READING)
In Practice
 In the Text
The answers are right there in the text. These types of questions are literal.

Right There
The answer is in one sentence of the text; the question and answer usually
have the same wording. Answers usually are one-word or short-phrase
responses. There is usually only one right answer to Right There questions.
Some examples of phrases used for Right There questions:
Who is....? e.g. Who is the main character?
Where is...?
What is...?
When is...?
How many...?
When did...?

Think and Search
The answer is found in several parts of the text. The question and answer
have different wordings. Answers are usually short answers.
Some examples of phrases used for Think and Search questions:
For what reason...?
How did...? e.g. How did the character return home?
Why was...?
What caused...?
COMPREHENSION STRATEGY (POST READING)
 In My Head
Students must use their prior knowledge to answer these types of questions.

Author and Me
The answer to the question comes from both clues in the text and students'
prior knowledge. Students must synthesize the text to fully understand the
question.
Some examples of phrases used for Author and Me questions:
Would you...? e.g. Would you have made the same choice the character
made?
Which character...?
Did you agree with...?
What did you think of...?

On My Own
The answer comes entirely from students' prior knowledge. These questions
require inferential and evaluative thinking. Answers do not require information
from the text but do require that students make some type of judgment about
or relate to the topic of the text.
Some examples of phrases used for On My Own questions:
Do you know...? e.g. Do you know what it's like to feel jealousy?
Have you ever...?
Would you ever...?
Sources / Useful Websites
www.adlit.org
www.nbss.ie
www.readwritethink.org
www.readingrockets.org
www.jcspliteracy.ie
COMPREHENSION STRATEGY (POST READING)
QAR: Question Answer Relationships (Sample Exercise)
Passage 1
Paul Murphy lived in Dingle, Co. Kerry, and each afternoon after school he ran. He did not
run from anything and did not run to anything, did not run for the school athletics team nor
did he run to stay in shape and lose weight.
He ran to be with himself.
Question: Why did Paul Murphy run?
Rationale: This is a “right there” question. The answer is found in the third sentence: “He
ran to be with himself.”
Passage 2
He did not know his father. He lived alone with his mother and when he was home— which
was less and less as he approached fifteen and his mother spent more and more time
working to live, working to be, working to feed and clothe her only son—the two of them
existed in a kind of quiet tolerance.
Question: Why didn’t Paul know his father?
Rationale: This is a “think and search” question. This passage never explicitly states that
Paul’s dad left his mother when Paul was a baby. However, it mentions that he lived alone
with his mother, and we can assume that the father left when Paul was too young to
remember him.
Passage 3
He needed the money. His mother had told him she couldn’t afford to help him with his
school clothes as much as she’d thought she would because she didn’t get a raise she
thought she would get. Paul had tried to get other jobs but he was too young. They didn’t
care if he could do the work or not. He was too young.
Question: What importance does teenage employment play in our society today? Why do
teenagers get jobs when they reach the age of 15 or 16?
Rationale: This is an “on your own” question. The students read the issue in the text, but
the answer comes specifically from their own experience(s).
Passage 4
He had no really close friends, no girl—just himself. It was strange but he didn’t seem to
make connections with other kids. Last year for most of the year he’d been close to a boy
named Sean and he guessed Sean had been his best friend. But Sean didn’t run and Paul
did and after a time they just drifted apart and sort of stopped calling each other and that
was that.
Question: Why do you think it is important for us to understand that Paul had no close
friends? What significance do you think it will play in the rest of the story?
Rationale: This is an “author and you” question. The answer is not stated directly in the
text, but the reader can use his/her own experience(s) and feelings as well as the author’s
thoughts to come up with an answer.
COMPREHENSION STRATEGY (POST READING)