Name: __________________________________________________
Period: _____________
Pre‐Reading Questions
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
Pre‐reading questions help you explore your views in order to uncover important themes in the novel.
Directions: Write down your response to each of the questions below. Keep this handout. You will need it
after you finish the novel.
1. Like you, your best friend has lots of acquaintances and other friends. For a long time, you have both
shared such friendships, but lately your best friend has become very friendly with someone you do not
like. You feel you have good justification for not associating with that person, who has questionable
character, and has even been arrested and convicted of an offense you consider to be not only illegal but
morally wrong. Your best friend says you are misjudging the situation, that the arrest was a big mistake,
and that the offense is not that big a deal. Do you continue your friendship and tolerate your best
friend’s involvement with the other person? Explain.
2. What animal is your favorite pet? _______________________________________________
Suppose that a law is passed by your local town council that forbids keeping this animal as a pet. What
would you do?
3. What animal is your least favorite as a pet? _________________________________________
Suppose a law is passed that forbids keeping this animal as a pet. A few people in your town have
these pets, including a person you do not particularly like. When someone comes to you, asking your
help in petitioning lawmakers to allow people to keep these pets, what will you do?
4. You unintentionally over hear a conversation between a person you particularly admire and another
person. They are talking about a third person in very uncomplimentary terms. Besides ridiculing their
subject, they are also commenting about the person’s religion in an unflattering manner. As they discuss
ways of keeping that person out of their groups and planned activities, you realize they are talking about
you. How do you feel about these two people? What do you plan to day or do?
5. You and your best friend have the same math class. You often study together and you know that your
friend is having difficulty in a subject which is easy for you. On the day of the final exam, you notice your
friend a few seats away and realize that your friend and another classmate are cheating, though you
cannot see which one is helping the other. What do you do?
6. Several members in your class are being considered for a citizenship award, involving community service,
good grades, and participation in school improvement activities. The final part of the competition calls
for an appearance before the judging panel, with each contestant talking about community service. As
you listen, one contestant begins citing a fine record serving on the teenage hotline in your community.
You listen intently to the flowing self‐complimentary speech, because you also work on the teen hotline.
You know this person has been reprimanded several times by the hotline director, and if improvement is
not shown, will be asked to leave. You can see the contestant is impressing the judges, and you know
they do not have the accurate information to make a fair selection. How will you handle this situation?
7. How does a personal preference differ from a prejudice?