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?

Teaching Suggestion: Students are likely to have at least some ideas about propaganda and manipulation, but their ideas may be incomplete. Few will have heard of “coercive persuasion.” The resources below and other similar resources may be helpful in supplying ideas and language to prepare students to begin reading the book with accurate knowledge. If you choose to have students discuss this prompt aloud, you might want to establish guidelines about civil discussion, as politics, religion, and other sensitive topics may be introduced as examples.

• This 11-minute video from Academy of Ideas offers a thorough explanation of propaganda.
• This article from Big Think examines the differences between persuasion and manipulation. (Note: The length and complexity of this article may make it more appropriate as a teacher-facing resource in some classrooms.)
• This page from the APA defines “coercive persuasion.”
• Here are some student-facing resources on propaganda and persuasion, and a teacher-appropriate source on manipulated media.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

In The Mysterious Benedict Society, the main character sees an ad asking children to take a test to earn access to a special opportunity. Imagine that you saw an ad like this. What would you hope that “special opportunity” would be, and why? How would the ad be worded if it were designed to appeal specifically to someone like you?

Teaching Suggestion: It may be helpful to students to brainstorm as a class or in small groups about what kinds of hypothetical opportunities they might encounter—encourage students to think of a wide range of potential opportunities before they settle on one that is perfect for them. They might think of grandiose opportunities—like ruling the entire world, traveling to a magical place, or acquiring a superpower—or more practical things—like attending a sports camp, learning to write code, or getting a horse. Before students attempt the final part of the prompt, you might remind them of what they have learned about manipulation and propaganda and ask them to consider carefully how an advertiser might use language to target them in particular.