How to Win Friends and Influence People

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. In the book, the author began a petty argument over a quote by Shakespeare.

• According to the book, why is winning an argument a bad idea? (topic sentence)
• Use textual evidence to describe why winning an argument is a bad idea, how someone should approach an argument, and how to get your point across without arguing.
• In your concluding sentences, describe the author’s strategies if you must find fault with someone.

2. In How to Win Friends and Influence People, the author describes strategies for meeting new people and making friends.

• What does Carnegie argue is the best way to make friends? (topic sentence)
• Who does the author recommend should be the focus of a conversation when meeting new people? Using evidence from the book, explain how someone might prepare to make a new acquaintance and what strategies can be used if you meet someone for the first time without preparation.