Garden Heights Academy · Independent Novel Study
Part 8
for The BFG · Part 8 · Chapters 23–24
a novel by Roald Dahl
This workbook is built on a solid pedagogical foundation, effectively integrating content and language learning based on the CLIL framework (Content and Language Integrated Learning), elevated by our unique 5th C — Connection — and an integrated Standardized Test section that weaves every SAT & TOEFL question type right into the novel, so learners build real test skills easily, naturally, and with fun.
💭 Before You Read · Just for Fun
No right or wrong answers — just think or chat about it: What is something you learned “late” that turned out to matter enormously? If you wrote the book of your life so far, what would its title be — and who should sign it? And which is the better ending to a great adventure: a parade, or a quiet room of your own?
What Happens in Part 8
The nine captured giants are lowered into a deep pit in England, where they will spend the rest of their lives eating snozzcumbers — the very food they always forced the BFG to eat. This is their comeuppance: a fitting punishment. The BFG is given a beautiful house and Sophie a cottage nearby. The BFG learns to read and write with Sophie’s help. He begins writing the story of how it all happened — and Dahl reveals in a twist of metafiction that the book you have just read is the very book the BFG wrote, titled “The BFG by Roald Dahl.”
What We Will Study
| Focus | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Comeuppance | Why the giants’ punishment — eating snozzcumbers in a pit — is perfectly designed to fit their crimes |
| Reward & Resolution | How Dahl rewards the BFG and Sophie for their bravery and goodness |
| Metafiction | The remarkable twist: the book you just read was written by the BFG himself |
Copyright Notice
This is an independent study guide created by Garden Heights Academy to support reading comprehension and literary analysis. It contains original analysis questions and does not reproduce any text from the novel. The BFG is a work by Roald Dahl. This guide is not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by Roald Dahl, the Roald Dahl Story Company, or any associated rights holders. Students should read the original book, available from libraries and booksellers.
Part 1
Vocabulary
Study the key words from Chapters 23–24, then answer each question.
Knowledge Bank · When Made-Up Words Become Real
Language · A Living LegacyThe book ends by turning into a story about who wrote it down, and that is a fitting place to remember what writing can do to a language. Some of Dahl’s invented words have traveled so far that dictionary-makers finally welcomed them in; his gobblefunk gave real reference books entries they had never held before. A word becomes official only when enough people use it and writers set it down in print, and Dahl’s stories put his coinages in front of millions of readers. This is how language has always grown — a fresh word is born, spreads mouth to mouth and page to page, and one day is part of how we speak. Written stories are a kind of net for catching words the way the BFG catches dreams, holding them safe so they are never lost. A well-loved book can hand its inventions to the wide world.
ⓘ The vocabulary words in this list are selected to help you understand and complete this workbook. Some may not appear verbatim in the original novel.
comeuppancen.Ch.23
A deserved punishment or consequence for bad behavior; getting what you deserve
“The nine giants received their comeuppance: a lifetime in a pit, eating nothing but snozzcumbers.”
pitn.Ch.23
A large deep hole in the ground; here, the enclosed area where the captured giants are kept
“The soldiers lowered each giant into the enormous pit, which had walls too steep to climb.”
confinementn.Ch.23
The state of being kept within a restricted space; imprisonment
“Their confinement in the pit meant the giants could no longer roam the world and harm anyone.”
decreen./v.Ch.23
An official order made by someone in authority; to give such an order
“The Queen issued a royal decree granting the BFG a fine house and land near Windsor Castle.”
generousadj.Ch.23
Willing to give or share more than is usual or necessary; kind and giving
“The Queen was enormously generous to the BFG and Sophie, rewarding them both with comfortable homes.”
establishv.Ch.24
To set up or create something on a permanent basis
“The BFG’s new home near Windsor was established as a permanent gift from the Crown.”
manuscriptn.Ch.24
A handwritten or typed document, especially the original draft of a book before it is published
“The BFG worked for months on his manuscript, carefully writing down every detail of the adventure.”
literacyn.Ch.24
The ability to read and write
“Sophie helped the BFG develop his literacy, teaching him letters and how to form words on the page.”
metafictionn.Ch.24
A form of storytelling in which the story is aware of itself as a story, often blurring the line between the fictional world and reality
“The revelation that the BFG wrote the book called ‘The BFG by Roald Dahl’ is a classic example of metafiction.”
revelationn.Ch.24
A surprising and important discovery or piece of information that was previously hidden
“The final revelation — that you have been reading the BFG’s own book — is Dahl’s greatest surprise.”
1The giants spent the whole novel eating humans. Now they must eat snozzcumbers forever. What word describes this perfectly fitting punishment?Ch.23
2True or False: A “manuscript” is a printed and published book available in bookshops.Ch.24
3Fill in the blanks to describe the giants’ situation in Chapter 23.Ch.23
Word choices:pitconfinementdecreemanuscriptgenerous- some words will not be used
The nine giants were lowered into a deep , and their there was permanent — they would never be free again.
4The Queen made an official order giving the BFG a house as a reward. What word describes this kind of official order from a ruler?Ch.23
5True or False: “Metafiction” is a story that is aware of itself as a story, often blurring the line between fiction and reality.Ch.24
6Fill in the blanks about the BFG’s new skills in Chapter 24.Ch.24
Word choices:literacymanuscriptestablishgenerousrevelation- some words will not be used
Sophie helped the BFG develop his , and together they worked on his — the handwritten story of all their adventures.
7True or False: “Confinement” means being set free and allowed to travel anywhere you wish.Ch.23
8At the end of the novel, Dahl reveals that the BFG wrote a book called “The BFG by Roald Dahl.” What is the literary term for this technique of a story becoming aware of itself as a story?Ch.24
9True or False: A “revelation” is something that was already known to everyone from the very beginning of the story.Ch.24
10Fill in the blank with the correct word.Ch.23
Word choices:comeuppanceconfinementestablishrevelationgenerouspit- one word will be used
The giants had always been the most terrifying creatures in the world, but now they had finally received their — a lifetime of eating the horrible snozzcumber.
Part 2
Comprehension
How well do you understand Chapters 23–24?
Knowledge Bank · Finding the Big Idea
Reading Skill · ThemeA theme is the deep message a whole story leaves behind, the lesson that outlasts the plot itself. It is bigger than what happened; it is what the happening means. Now that the tale is done, look back over all eight parts and ask what ideas kept returning: that kindness matters more than size, that the powerless can still change the world, that true friendship crosses every difference. Those repeated ideas are the themes, and a writer proves them not by stating them plainly but by showing them again and again through the story’s events. The metafiction ending, where the BFG himself learns to write, even makes storytelling one of the themes — a book quietly celebrating books. As you close the cover, try naming the one idea you will carry away with you. That lasting thought, more than any single scene, is Dahl’s truest gift.
1What food are the nine giants given in the pit?Ch.23
2True or False: Sophie is rewarded with a small cottage near the BFG’s new house.Ch.23
3Who teaches the BFG to read and write in Chapter 24?Ch.24
4True or False: At the end of the novel, the BFG writes a book about his adventures, and this book turns out to be the one you have just read.Ch.24
5Write the numbers 1–5 to show the correct order of events. Number 1 = what happens first.Ch.23–24
- Crowds of people arrive to watch the giants lowered into the pit and cheer at their comeuppance.
- The BFG finishes his manuscript — and Dahl reveals the book is called “The BFG by Roald Dahl.”
- The nine captured giants are lowered into a deep pit in England and given snozzcumbers to eat.
- Sophie helps the BFG learn to read and write, sitting with him every day.
- The Queen grants the BFG a large, beautiful house and Sophie a cottage nearby.
6Why is the giants’ punishment — eating snozzcumbers in a pit — considered particularly fitting?Ch.23
7True or False: The BFG’s new house is located in Giant Country, not in England.Ch.23
8Fill in the blanks to complete the sentence about the ending.Ch.23–24
Word choices:pitBFGSophiesnozzcumbersbookQueen- some words will not be used
The giants were put in a deep and fed , while the BFG received a beautiful house as a reward.
9What is the surprising twist that Dahl reveals about the book itself at the very end?Ch.24
10True or False: By the end of the novel, both the BFG and Sophie have gone from having no home and no standing in the world, to having homes, belonging, and purpose — making the ending a complete transformation for both of them.Ch.23–24
Part 3
Literary Elements
Understanding HOW and WHY Dahl ends the novel the way he does.
Knowledge Bank · Dahl’s Craft in Part 8
Language · Loaded-Word SpotlightSome words carry more than a plain meaning; they drag a whole feeling along with them, and we call these loaded words. Take comeuppance: it does not just mean a punishment, it means a punishment that is richly deserved, one that leaves you nodding with satisfaction. When the greedy giants are dropped into a pit and fed the very snozzcumbers they once scorned, that single word names our exact glee. A writer chooses a loaded word to steer your emotions, not merely to inform you. The connotation — the mood clinging to a word — can matter as much as its dictionary definition. As you finish the book, weigh words like comeuppance and ask what feeling each one smuggles in beside its plain meaning. Learning to sense that hidden weight makes you a sharper reader, alert to every mood a careful author has tucked between the lines.
📚 Literary Devices in This Part · definitions & examples
Comeuppance is a deserved punishment that fits a character’s earlier bad behavior. The man-eating giants are dropped into a deep pit and fed only revolting snozzcumbers — the very food the BFG was forced to eat while they feasted on humans.Circular structure is when a story’s ending echoes or returns to its beginning. Sophie began alone and unwanted in an orphanage at night; she ends safe, loved, and belonging — with the BFG living right beside her. The story comes full circle.Metafiction is writing that reminds the reader that what they are reading is a made-up story. In the final chapter, Dahl reveals that the BFG learned to write and wrote a book called “The BFG” by Roald Dahl — the very book we have just finished reading.
The questions below are mixed — not grouped by device. Decide which device each one is about.
1The giants are kept in a deep pit and fed only snozzcumbers. This fitting, deserved punishment is best called their —Ch.23
2True or False: Circular structure is when a story’s ending echoes or returns to its beginning.Ch.24
3Fill in the blanks with the correct words.Ch.24
Word choices:metafictionauthorrhymecirculartension- some words will not be used
A story that openly knows it is a story uses . In a final twist, the BFG himself becomes the of the book we have just read.
4How does the ending show circular structure?Ch.24
5True or False: Metafiction is writing that reminds the reader that what they are reading is itself a made-up story.Ch.24
6Fill in the blanks with the correct words.Ch.23
Word choices:comeuppancepitrhymetension- some words will not be used
A deserved punishment that fits the crime is called a . The giants spend the rest of their days trapped in a deep .
7Dahl reveals that the BFG wrote a book called “The BFG by Roald Dahl.” A story that draws attention to itself as a story is called —Ch.24
8True or False: A comeuppance is a deserved punishment that fits a character’s earlier bad behavior.Ch.23
9Fill in the blanks with the correct words.Ch.24
Word choices:circularbeginningrhymecomeuppance- some words will not be used
A story whose ending returns to where it started has a structure. Sophie’s safe, loved ending mirrors and answers her lonely .
10The novel ends by revealing its own author: the BFG wrote “The BFG by Roald Dahl.” How do METAFICTION and circular structure work together in this final page?Ch.24
Part 4
Think Deeper
Final reflection questions — these all have one correct answer. Think carefully!
Knowledge Bank · What Dahl’s Ending Rewards
Social-Emotional · Friendship & ValuesEndings reveal what a writer truly values, because the fates handed out work like a final scorecard. The cruel giants are imprisoned and fed foul snozzcumbers forever — a fitting comeuppance for those who once fed on the innocent. Meanwhile the BFG, once mocked and lonely, is given a cosy home, a whole nation’s gratitude, and above all a true friend in Sophie, who never leaves his side. Dahl could not say more clearly which qualities he loves: kindness, courage, loyalty, and the humble goodness that asks for nothing in return. The reward for the BFG is not treasure but belonging, the very thing his gentleness once cost him. Notice that Sophie, an orphan with no family, and the giant, an outcast with no equal, each find in the other the home they had always lacked. Their unlikely bond is the book’s warmest lesson: real friendship.
1Claim: “The gentle BFG is rewarded, while the cruel giants are punished.” — choose the two details that best prove it.Claim & Evidence
2The cruel giants’ fate, or the BFG and Sophie’s happy ending? Tap each item to send it left or right.Sort into two
◄ The giants’ fateThe happy ending ►
3Match each cause to its result. For each cause, pick its result.Cause & Effect
The giants can never be trusted→
The man-eaters must not escape→
The BFG saved the children→
The BFG and Sophie stay together→
4Fill both blanks to complete the reasoning.Build the Argument
The BFG’s happy ending feels just because , which shows the book’s belief that .
Part 5
Standardized Test · Synthesis & Mixed Practice Test
Part 8 is your mixed practice test: every question family from Parts 1–7 can appear — Vocabulary in Context, Factual Detail, Command of Evidence, Inference, Central Ideas and the TOEFL Prose Summary — in the styles the SAT and TOEFL use. Read the passage (the highlighted words are tested below), then choose the answer best supported by the text.
Knowledge Bank · The Mixed Practice Test
Test Skills · Part 8Real exams never label their sections “easy” or “hard” — the families arrive mixed, just like here. Your recap kit: vocabulary → cover the word and predict; detail → locate the exact line; evidence → match the claim to the sentence that proves it; inference → choose what the clues force, not what merely sounds nice; summary → keep the umbrella idea, drop the examples. Breathe, locate, choose.
Street signs, menus, medicine labels, letters from school — all locked. That is daily life for millions of adults worldwide who never learned to read, and their most common report is not inconvenience but hiding: the daily struggle to conceal the secret. Reading is the key that fits almost every lock in modern life. The hopeful truth: it is never too late. Adult learners routinely master reading in one to three years — and often faster, because they arrive with a lifetime of spoken vocabulary to match to letters.
Teachers report the same pattern: the hardest step is not the alphabet but the doorway — the courage to admit the secret and begin. After that, each small victory seems to unlock the next. And the rewards run deeper than convenience. New readers describe the change with startling consistency: not “now I can fill in forms,” but “now I can finally express what was always inside me.” More than a few begin, at last, to write their own stories. Literacy’s last gift is the largest: it turns a person from a reader of the world into one of its authors — someone whose story can transform from memory into a book that outlives its teller.
Original passage written for Garden Heights — not a quotation from the novel.
1As used in the passage, the word “struggle” most nearly means —SAT · Words in Context
2In the passage, the word “unlock” is closest in meaning to —TOEFL · Vocabulary
3According to the passage, what do adults who cannot read report most commonly?TOEFL · Factual Information
4According to the passage, why do adult learners often learn quickly?TOEFL · Factual Information
5According to the passage, what is the hardest step for adult learners?TOEFL · Factual Information
6In the passage, the word “express” is closest in meaning to —TOEFL · Vocabulary
7Prose Summary. Which detail is MOST important to include in a short summary of the passage?TOEFL · Prose Summary
8Which sentence from the passage best supports the idea that literacy’s rewards go beyond convenience?SAT · Command of Evidence
9The passage most strongly suggests that a new reader who begins writing his own book has —SAT · Inference
10Insert Text (TOEFL). Look at the four squares [1]–[4] in the excerpt below. They show where this sentence could be added:
“A parent, for the first time, can read a bedtime story to a waiting child.”
“A parent, for the first time, can read a bedtime story to a waiting child.”
Learning to read as an adult changes daily life. [1] Street signs and menus stop being a puzzle. [2] Medicine labels can finally be understood. [3] Best of all, reading opens up family life. [4]
Where would the sentence fit best?TOEFL · Insert TextPart 6 · Optional
Creative Writing
Your final creative writing challenge. Congratulations on reaching the end of The BFG!
About This Section
This writing task is optional and is not part of your auto-graded score. Feedback checks length, spelling, and grammar for practice. This section is meant for creative practice and classroom discussion.
Writing Task — Part 8 “Feeding Time and The Author”
Imagine you are the BFG sitting at his desk in his new house, writing the very first page of his book. What would he write? How would he describe meeting Sophie for the first time? Write the first paragraph of the BFG’s book in his voice — including his Gobblefunk words and unusual way of speaking. Write at least 40 words.
You can start with: “I is the BFG, which is standing for Big Friendly Giant. I is going to tell you about the most wondercrump night of my whole life, when a little girl named Sophie was looking out of her window at the witching hour and she is seeing me…”
0 / 40 words minimum
🗣 Teach It · Just for Fun (optional)
No right or wrong — close the screen and tell someone nearby what happened in this part. Can’t find anyone? Tell yourself out loud. The moment you teach it, you truly understand it.
🎉 You Finished The BFG!
You completed all 8 Parts of the BFG Study Guide!
Here are your final auto-graded results for Part 8:
-
points out of 100
A Note on Metafiction
You just finished a book that, according to Roald Dahl, was written by the BFG himself. That makes you not just a reader — but a reader inside the BFG’s story. The most wondercrump ending imaginable.
Independent study guide by Garden Heights Academy. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Roald Dahl or the Roald Dahl Story Company. Reference text: This workbook follows Roald Dahl’s classic text (the standard Puffin edition sold worldwide). Revised 2023 UK editions change some wording and may not match the vocabulary studied here.