Whether you are answering questions or creating your own questions as you read, it is helpful to know where to look for the answers to various types of questions. When you are reading, there are four main types of question-answer relationships. Here they are, with a brief explanation for each:
- Right There. The answer is in the text, and if we pointed at it, we'd say it's "right there!" Often, the answer will be in a single sentence or place in the text, and the words used to create the question are often also in that same place.
- Think and Search. The answer is in the text, but you might have to look in several different sentences to find it. It is broken up or scattered or requires a grasp of multiple ideas across paragraphs or pages.
- Author and You. The answer is not in the text, but you still need information that the author has given you, combined with what you already know, in order to respond to this type of question.
- On My Own. The answer is not in the text, and in fact you don't even have to have read the text to be able to answer it.
1. Right There:
Question: What is one of the rituals in Jonas' community?
Answer: the evening telling of feelings
Words for the question, and the answer are both found in this sentence: "It was one of the rituals, the evening telling of feelings." p. 4
2. Think and Search:
Question: Who does Jonas mention as his friends in the community?
Answer: Asher, Fiona, and later, the Giver [I had to go to three different pages to find this aswer.]
3. Author and You:
Question: Why doesn't the community allow more than three books?
Answer: Reading books gets people to think and wonder and consider possibilities beyond their own experiences. For Jonas's community to continue to work as it has been, the people need to be content with what they have and not think or wonder too much.
[I had to know about the community from reading The Giver, but I also used what I knew even before I read the book to help answer the question.]
4. On My Own:
Question: Have you ever experienced a sled ride? (You and I could answer that without reading any part of the The Giver!]
Another On My Own:
Question: Which do you think is more important -- freedom or security? [You and I could answer that question without reading The Giver, though once we've read it, we could use examples from that book in defense of our choice of which is more important.]
