QAR, or “Question Answer Relationship”, was developed by Taffy Raphael (1988) to help students understand the relationship between different types of questions and their use of text to find the answers. That is because answers can be either explicit, implicit (implied), or not found in the text – depending upon the nature of the question.
The four basic question-answer relationships are:
- Right There – The answer is found in a single sentence or phrase.
- Think and Search – The answer is found in several sentences or phrases which are scattered throughout the text.
- Author and You – The answer comes from connecting the overall information provided by the author with the reader’s prior knowledge.
- On My Own – The answer can be found only by using the reader’s prior knowledge; no text is necessary.
QAR Guidelines and Sample Handout Question-Answer Relationships