Abstract: Textual patterns are formulaic forms or strategies for the organization of discourse which are established in the process of language use in a language community. In written discourse, the question-answer pattern is very often used as a way of organizing discourse, and as such it reveals the interactive nature of discourse. In the question-answer pattern, the question is usually raised merely for the sake of questioning, and the writer, by answering his or her own questions or raising more follow-up questions, indicates the direction of discourse as it unfolds. It is argued that the question-answer pattern performs the organizational functions of labeling information, introducing and expanding topics. It can be said that the question-answer pattern contributes to the organization of written discourse by rendering discourse a clear line of development.