Short Answer Response
*On your short story test(Friday), you will be
asked to answer two short answer responses
that go with either one or both of the readings
that you have read.
Short Answer Response
 What is a short answer response?
 A short answer response is a 3-4 sentence
answer that answers the question
completely, includes textual evidence, and
elaborates(explains) how the answer fits
with the textual evidence.
Short Answer Response
 How can I remember what to put in my
SAR?
 A- Answer the question completely
 T-Textual evidence
 E-Elaborate on your answer
Step #1- Answer
 Step #1- Answer the question completely.
 Remember: Include part of the question in your
answer.
 Example: What is the mood in the first paragraph of
The Scarlet Ibis?
 EX(A): The mood in the first paragraph of The Scarlet
Ibis is of sadness and longing.
Step #2- Textual Evidence
 Step #2- Provide textual evidence that helps to support
your answer.
 Remember: You must embed your quotes
(quotations NEVER stand alone!)
Example: What is the mood in the first paragraph of The
Scarlet Ibis?
EX(T): The narrator uses the description that “summer
was dead but autumn had not yet been born”, and words
like “stained”, “rotting”, and “rank” to help the reader
picture the mood as one of sadness or longing (p.462).
Step#3- Elaborate
 Step#3- Elaborate on your answer (but do not repeat
what you’ve written in part #1 and #2).
 Remember: You need to explain why your answer goes
along with the quote(s) that you picked (without
saying “This goes with the quote above…”).
 Example: What is the mood in the first paragraph of
The Scarlet Ibis?
 Ex(E): James Hurst uses sadness and longing in the
first paragraph to help the reader understand exactly
what type of feeling the atmosphere the story was to
give off.
Step#4- Put it all together
 #4- Put steps #1-#3 together:
 The mood in the first paragraph of The Scarlet Ibis is
of sadness and longing. The narrator uses the
description that “summer was dead but autumn had
not yet been born”, and words like “stained”,
“rotting”, and “rank” to help the reader picture the
mood as one of sadness or longing (p. 462). James
Hurst uses sadness and longing in the first paragraph
to help the reader understand exactly what type of
feeling the atmosphere of the story was to give off.
Short Answer Response Practice
 Question: How is Doodle different from other kids?
 #1 #2-
 #3 #4-