The Twits · Garden Heights Academy
Part 1
for The Twits · Part 1 · Chapters 1–4
a story 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.
What Happens in Part 1
We meet Mr. Twit, a beastly man whose filthy beard is stuck full of old bits of food — cornflakes, sardines, and cheese that have been there for years. Then we meet Mrs. Twit, who was not born ugly but grew hideous on the outside because she had so many ugly thoughts on the inside. She has a glass eye and walks with a stick. These are two of the nastiest, dirtiest people in all of Roald Dahl’s books.
What We Will Learn
| Literary Element | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Characterization | How a writer shows what characters are like through their looks, actions, and words |
| Imagery | Words that paint a picture for the senses, so we can see, hear, and smell the story |
| Hyperbole (Exaggeration) | Stretching the truth on purpose to make something funnier or more shocking |
Chapter Summary
| Chapter | Title & Key Events |
|---|---|
| Ch.1 | Mr. Twit — we meet Mr. Twit, a hairy, dirty man whose disgusting beard is full of bits of old food |
| Ch.4 | Mrs. Twit — Mrs. Twit grew hideous from years of ugly thoughts; she has a glass eye and a walking stick |
💭 Before You Read · Warm-Up (not scored)
There are no wrong answers here — just think, guess, and talk:
- Roald Dahl loves truly horrible characters. Why do you think readers enjoy villains so much?
- Predict: a husband and wife who both love playing mean tricks — what could go wrong for them?
- Dahl says the thoughts you think can slowly change your face. Could there be any truth in that? What makes a face ‘lovely’ to you?
Copyright Notice
Independent study guide by Garden Heights Academy. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Roald Dahl or the Roald Dahl Story Company. No text from the novel is reproduced. Students should read the original book. 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.
Part 1
Vocabulary
Study 10 key words from Chapters 1–2, then answer each question.
Knowledge Bank · Food, Hair and Germs
Science · HygieneMr. Twit never washes, so scraps of food stay trapped in his hairy beard for years. Warm, damp places like that are perfect homes for bacteria, living things far too small to see. They feed on old food, multiply quickly, and can make a person ill. That is why we wash our hands, brush our teeth, and keep hair and skin clean. Before scientists discovered germs, even doctors rarely washed between patients, and plain soap has since saved millions of lives. Your queasy feeling around rotting food has a job too: scientists call it disgust, an ancient alarm that steers people away from anything spoiled.
ⓘ Vocabulary words are selected to help you understand and complete this workbook. Some may not appear verbatim in the novel.
fouladj.Ch.1
Very dirty, smelly, and unpleasant
“A foul smell drifted out of Mr. Twit’s beard.”
bristlyadj.Ch.1
Covered in short, stiff, scratchy hairs
“His bristly beard prickled like a scrubbing brush.”
revoltingadj.Ch.1
So horrible that it almost makes you feel sick
“Bits of revolting old food were tangled in his whiskers.”
beardn.Ch.1
The hair that grows on a man’s chin and cheeks
“Mr. Twit had never once washed his enormous beard.”
filthyadj.Ch.1
Extremely dirty
“His hands and clothes were utterly filthy.”
whiskersn.Ch.1
The hairs that grow on the face
“Old crumbs were hidden deep in his whiskers.”
hideousadj.Ch.4
Extremely ugly and unpleasant to look at
“Ugly thoughts had made Mrs. Twit’s face truly hideous.”
wrinkledadj.Ch.4
Covered in small lines and folds
“Her wrinkled face was screwed up in a scowl.”
scowln.Ch.4
An angry, bad-tempered frown
“A permanent scowl sat on Mrs. Twit’s lips.”
ghastlyadj.Ch.4
Shocking and horrible
“Year by year her face grew more ghastly.”
1Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.1–2
Word choices:neglectfilthyreflecthideous- some words will not be used
Because Mr. Twit s washing his beard,
it grows dark and with old food.
2Something “revolting” is —Ch.1–2
3Someone “hideous” is —Ch.1–2
4To “neglect” something means to take very good care of it.Ch.1–2
5A “bristly” beard is one that is —Ch.1–2
6When a mirror can “reflect” something, it —Ch.1–2
7Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.1–2
Word choices:permanentappearancegleefulbristly- some words will not be used
Mrs. Twit’s ugly thoughts made her ugliness ,
changing her whole forever.
8Something “permanent” lasts only a single moment.Ch.1–2
9To “beware” of something is to —Ch.1–2
10Someone “gleeful” is full of delight.Ch.1–2
Part 2
Comprehension
How well do you understand Chapters 1–2?
Knowledge Bank · Reading for Who and What
Reading Skill · Key DetailsWhen you start a new book, two questions help most: who is in the story, and what are they like? Good readers hunt for these details on every page. Dahl tells us right away that Mr. and Mrs. Twit are dirty, hairy, and mean. Each fact is a clue about the kind of people they are. As you read, picture them in your mind and collect the small details the author gives. Naming the main characters and noticing what they do helps everything else make sense. Careful readers always keep track of who is doing the action.
1Why does Mr. Twit’s beard collect old food?Ch.1–2
2Mr. Twit is proud of his revolting, food-filled beard.Ch.1–2
3What made Mrs. Twit ugly over the years?Ch.1–2
4Mrs. Twit was born hideously ugly.Ch.1–2
5Put these events in the correct order. Write 1–5 (1 = first).Ch.1–2
- The narrator reminds us that kind, good thoughts make any face look lovely.
- Old bits of food — cornflakes, sardines, cheese — get trapped in the hairs.
- The story turns to Mrs. Twit, who was not born ugly at all.
- Years of ugly thoughts slowly twist her face into something hideous.
- We meet Mr. Twit, a hairy-faced man who never washes his beard.
6According to the narrator, what makes a face look lovely?Ch.1–2
7What does Mr. Twit secretly do with the food in his beard?Ch.1–2
8The narrator wants us to admire the Twits as fine, tidy people.Ch.1–2
9What does Mrs. Twit have that shows she is old and odd?Ch.1–2
10How do Chapters 1–2 mainly introduce the Twits?Ch.1–2
Part 3
Literary Elements
Understanding HOW and WHY Dahl writes Chapters 1–2 the way he does.
Knowledge Bank · Laugh and Squirm
Literary Craft · ExaggerationRoald Dahl (1916–1990) built a career out of gloriously horrible grown-ups, and he wants you to laugh and say ‘yuck!’ at the same time. One of his best tools is exaggeration — making something bigger, uglier, or grosser than in real life. Mr. Twit’s beard is not just messy; bits of old food hide in it for years. That is far too much to be true, and that is exactly why it is funny. When a writer stretches a fact until it is silly, we call it hyperbole. Watch for it on every page. Dahl piles disgusting details higher and higher to make you giggle and cringe.
📚 Literary Devices in This Part · definitions & examples
Characterization is how a writer shows what a character is like — through their looks, actions, and words. Dahl shows the Twits are nasty by describing their filthy looks.Imagery is descriptive language that paints a picture for our senses. When Dahl lists the cornflakes, sardines, and cheese rotting in the beard, we can almost smell it.Hyperbole means stretching the truth on purpose to make something funnier or more dramatic. Saying you could find food from years ago in the beard is exaggeration that makes us laugh.
The questions below are mixed — not grouped by device. Decide which device each one is about.
1The vivid picture of food stuck in the beard mainly appeals to the reader’s sense of —Ch.1–2
2Imagery is language that appeals to the five senses.Ch.1–2
3Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.1–2
Word choices:characterizationimageryhyperboleplot- some words will not be used
Describing how the Twits look and act is ,
and the vivid food-in-beard picture is .
4Saying the beard hid the remains of hundreds of old meals is an example of —Ch.1–2
5Hyperbole is careful, exact, literal description with no exaggeration.Ch.1–2
6Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.1–2
Word choices:hyperboletonesettingrhyme- some words will not be used
Claiming the beard held whole meals is ,
and the mocking makes the disgust funny rather than frightening.
7We learn Mrs. Twit is nasty mostly through —Ch.1–2
8“Good thoughts shine out of your face like sunbeams” compares kind thoughts to sunbeams using “like,” making it a —Ch.1–2
9Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.1–2
Word choices:similethemeconflictclimax- some words will not be used
“Shine like sunbeams” is a ,
supporting the that kindness shows on the face.
10The deeper point of Mrs. Twit’s ugliness is that —Ch.1–2
Part 4
Think Deeper
Four deeper challenges — no single-word recall. Read, weigh the evidence, and reason it through.
Knowledge Bank · Ugly Thoughts, Ugly Faces
Ethics · Inside and OutDahl shares a gentle warning in this book: what is inside a person shows on the outside. He tells us that a person who thinks kind thoughts will always look lovely, but a person full of mean thoughts grows uglier and uglier. Mr. and Mrs. Twit are cruel, so Dahl draws them as horrible to look at. Of course, in real life a kind heart matters far more than a pretty face. But the idea teaches a simple truth: kindness makes a person shine, while cruel thoughts slowly spoil even the nicest smile.
1Claim: “The book suggests that ugly thoughts make a person ugly.” — choose the two details that best prove it.Claim & Evidence
2About Mr. Twit, or about Mrs. Twit? Tap each item to send it left or right.Sort into two
◄ About Mr. TwitAbout Mrs. Twit ►
3Match each cause to its result. For each cause, pick its result.Cause & Effect
Mr. Twit never washes his beard→
Mrs. Twit thinks ugly thoughts→
The Twits are cruel people→
Ugly thoughts show on the face→
4Fill both blanks to complete the reasoning.Build the Argument
Mrs. Twit becomes ugly because , which shows the book’s belief that .
Part 5
Standardized Test
Vocabulary in Context & Main Idea — SAT & TOEFL-style practice
🎯 You already have the skills from the sections above — this is just a fun way to meet real SAT & TOEFL-style questions. Read the passage (the highlighted words are tested below), then answer the questions below. Tap an answer to select it, then tap it again to confirm — you can change your choice until you confirm.
People have been making soap for more than four thousand years. The most ancient soap recipes we know of were pressed into clay tablets in Babylon, and they mixed animal fat with ashes from a fire. Soap works because it grabs onto grease and dirt, which plain water cannot remove on its own. For most of history, though, washing was not a daily habit: many people believed that bathing too often was actually bad for the body. That changed in the 1800s, when scientists proved that invisible germs cause disease, and that washing hands can stop those germs from spreading. Cities began teaching children to wash every day, and soap turned from a luxury into something every home needed. Today doctors still call hand-washing one of the cheapest and most powerful ways to protect your health. A simple bar of soap, it turns out, has saved more lives than many famous medicines.
Original passage written for Garden Heights — not a quotation from the novel.
1The most “ancient” soap recipes are ones that are —SAT · Words in Context
2According to the passage, the oldest soap recipes were recorded —TOEFL · Factual Information
3Soap grabs onto “grease,” which is —SAT · Words in Context
4Why can plain water alone not clean greasy dirt?TOEFL · Factual Information
5Germs “cause disease” — a disease is —SAT · Words in Context
6What changed people’s washing habits in the 1800s?TOEFL · Factual Information
7We can infer that before the 1800s, many people —SAT · Inference
8Which sentence best states the main idea?SAT · Central Ideas
9Doctors today describe hand-washing as —TOEFL · Factual Information
10The last line — soap has “saved more lives than many famous medicines” — is meant to —TOEFL · Rhetorical Purpose
Part 6 · Optional
Creative Writing
A bonus challenge to practice your English.
About This Section
This writing task is optional and not part of your auto-graded score. Feedback checks length, spelling, and grammar only.
Writing Task — Part 1 “The Disgusting Beard”
Use imagery to describe Mr. Twit’s beard. What can you see, smell, and feel in it? Try to make your reader want to hold their nose! Write at least 40 words.
You can start with: “If you looked closely at Mr. Twit’s bristly beard, the first thing you would notice was…”
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.
🏆
Part 1 Complete!
You finished Chapters 1–4 of The Twits.
Here are your auto-graded results:
-
points out of 100