Matilda Questions

​Matilda

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Chapters 4-6 comprehension questions: Matilda punishes her father again for how he treats her regarding numbers. So far her revenges have included super glue, the 'ghost' and the hair-dye.

...the new game she had invented of punishing one or both of them each time they were beastly to her made her life more or less bearable. Being very small and very young, the only power Matilda had over anyone in her family was brainpower. For sheer cleverness she could run rings around them all." ​

​Matilda

​Brainpower

Multiple Select

What happens to her parents temporarily after being punished?

• They become less unbearable.

• They become tolerable to Matilda.

• They become even worse.

Multiple Select

Why does Mr. Wormwood hate the fact that Matilda could do the math in her head?

• He thinks girls can't do quick math.

• He needed ten minutes to figure it out so he feels embarrassed.

• He was proud of himself and now Matilda has taken the spotlight from him.

• He got the number wrong and she got the correct number.

"Don't give me that rubbish!" the father shouted. "Of course you looked! You must have looked! No one in the world could give the right answer just like that, especially a girl! You're a little cheat, madam, that's what you are! A cheat and a liar!"

​Literary Device: Irony. It is ironic that Mr. Wormwood calls Matilda a cheat and liar when he is the true cheat and liar.

​Irony

Multiple Select

Actions and Consequences: Matilda often punishes her parents for their 'misdeeds,' is what she is doing good or evil? (You MUST be able to explain your answer using proof).

• Good.

• Evil.

• Both.

​Mr. Wormwood freaks out when everyone realizes his hair has turned blond. How is Matilda able to manipulate the situation?

​Manipulate: sway someones opinions or emotions

​Blond-hair

Open Ended

Mrs. Wormwood says: "The mother, dialling the number on the phone, said, "I'm afraid men are not always quite as clever as they think they are. You will learn that when you get a bit older, my girl."

What does she mean by this to Matilda?

Fill in the Blank

Is Mrs.Wormwood an inherently bad person like Mr. Wormwood (criminal, liar, cheat)? Are they the same? Explain your answer using examples.

1. The Reader of Books

2. Mr Wormwood, the Great Car Dealer

3. The Hat and the Superglue

4. The Ghost Arithmetic

5. The Platinum-Blond Man

​Part One: Chapter 1-6

• Main focus is on Matilda's growth and brilliance (speaking, reading, complex thoughts, revenge plots)

• ​Main 'villains' are her family members (mother and father)

​Part One: Chapter 1-6

Her first "​arguments" start with her father and he is the main one who argues with her and puts her down. He is also the main victim to Matilda's punishments. He is a cheat, liar, ignorant, hot-headed and sexist (believes girls are less than boys).

​Part One: Chapter 1-6

Her mother is described as 'silly' and spends most of her time at the bingo hall. She usually serves them TV dinners or fish and chips. While she is not seen as a constant source of hurt to Matilda, she is an "enabler" and selfish.

​Part One: Chapter 1-6

Multiple Select

Chapters 1-6 deal with the themes of Revenge and Punishment. Are these punishments deserved or undeserved punishments? (You MUST be able to defend your answer)

• Deserved. The Father is awful.

• Undeserved. The father is awful but Matilda should respect him.

• Undeserved. The father is not awful.