The Mysterious Benedict Society

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What does “subliminal” messaging mean? How is it supposed to work? What does science say about whether it does work? What kinds of manipulation would be possible if someone could find a way to make subliminal messaging effective?

Teaching Suggestion: Many students may not have heard of subliminal messaging. You might offer the resources below as a way to prepare students to answer this question. This is also a good opportunity to talk about the prefix “sub” and teach the new vocabulary word “liminal.” Even if students are answering this prompt in written form, they might enjoy discussing the final question aloud, as this will allow them to consider many more possibilities than they can generate on their own.

• This 5-minute video from SciShow Psych discusses what subliminal messaging is and reviews scientific research on the topic.
• This news article offers a more detailed and nuanced discussion of the science surrounding subliminal messaging.

2. What is propaganda? How is it similar to manipulation, and how is it different? If someone found a way to make subliminal messages effective, how could they be used in propaganda or manipulation?