The Twits · Garden Heights Academy
Part 3
for The Twits · Part 3 · Chapters 8–10
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 3
Mr. Twit dreams up his cleverest, cruellest trick of all. Every night, while Mrs. Twit is asleep, he secretly glues a thin disc of wood to the bottom of her walking stick and to the legs of her chair, so they grow a tiny bit taller each day. Mrs. Twit never notices the change in her stick — instead she begins to think that she is getting smaller! Mr. Twit tells her she has caught the dreaded “shrinks” and warns her she will soon shrink away to nothing. Poor Mrs. Twit is terrified. Then Mr. Twit offers a “cure”: a good stretching. He pegs her to the ground and ties a great bunch of balloons to her head to pull her the other way.
What We Will Learn
| Literary Element | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Conflict | The struggle between characters that drives the story forward |
| Dramatic Irony | When the reader knows something important that a character does not |
| Suspense | The nervous, excited feeling that makes us wonder what will happen next |
Chapter Summary
| Chapter | Title & Key Events |
|---|---|
| Ch.8 | The Funny Walking-Stick — Mr. Twit secretly glues a small disc to Mrs. Twit’s stick and chair legs each night so they grow taller |
| Ch.9 | Mrs. Twit Gets the Shrinks — Mr. Twit convinces Mrs. Twit she is shrinking and has caught the dreaded “shrinks” |
| Ch.10 | The Stretching — Mr. Twit offers a cure: he pegs Mrs. Twit to the ground and ties balloons to her to stretch her out |
💭 Before You Read · Warm-Up (not scored)
There are no wrong answers here — just think, guess, and talk:
- How do you actually know how tall you are? What do you compare yourself against every day?
- Predict: Mr. Twit wants Mrs. Twit to believe something impossible about her own body — without ever touching her. How could a trick like that work?
- Why are very slow changes — a plant growing, hair getting longer — so hard to notice?
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 5–7, then answer each question.
Knowledge Bank · Do People Really Shrink?
Science · The Human BodyMr. Twit plays a clever trick: he glues tiny bits onto Mrs. Twit’s walking stick, night after night, so it grows longer. She thinks the stick stays the same and that she must be shrinking. Can people really shrink? A little. Each morning you are a touch taller than at night, because your spine squashes down as the day goes on. Old people slowly grow shorter too. But nobody shrinks fast, the way Mrs. Twit fears. We judge size by comparison with nearby things, not with a ruler, so a slowly growing stick fools the eye. Her terror comes from a fooled measurement, not from real science. Careful measuring is the only way to tell the truth.
ⓘ Vocabulary words are selected to help you understand and complete this workbook. Some may not appear verbatim in the novel.
cunningadj.Ch.8
Clever in a sneaky, tricky way
“Mr. Twit thought up a cunning plan to fool his wife.”
gluen.Ch.8
A sticky substance used to join things together
“He dabbed a little glue on the bottom of her walking stick.”
graduallyadv.Ch.8
Slowly, little by little over time
“The stick grew gradually taller, so slowly that no one could see it.”
fibn.Ch.9
A small lie
“Mr. Twit told a wicked fib, saying she was shrinking away.”
shrinkv.Ch.9
To become smaller in size
“Mrs. Twit was sure she could feel herself beginning to shrink.”
dreadedadj.Ch.9
Greatly feared
“He told her she had caught the dreaded shrinks.”
terrifiedadj.Ch.9
Extremely frightened
“Mrs. Twit was terrified that she would vanish completely.”
curen.Ch.10
Something that makes an illness or problem better
“Mr. Twit promised there was one cure for the shrinks: a stretching.”
stretchv.Ch.10
To pull something so that it becomes longer
“He said he would stretch her back to her proper size.”
pegv.Ch.10
To fix something down with pins or stakes
“He pegged her firmly to the ground before tying on the balloons.”
1Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.8–7
Word choices:cunninggradualdreadvanish- some words will not be used
Mr. Twit’s plan works because each change is so
that Mrs. Twit never notices it.
2To feel “dread” is to feel —Ch.8–7
3To “convince” someone is to —Ch.8–7
4Someone who is “gullible” is very hard to fool.Ch.8–7
5To “vanish” is to —Ch.8–7
6Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.8–7
Word choices:deceivevictimsturdyremedy- some words will not be used
Night after night he s his
, gluing a disc to her stick.
7A “remedy” is —Ch.8–7
8To “deceive” someone is to trick them into believing something false.Ch.8–7
9Something “sturdy” is —Ch.8–7
10A “gradual” change happens slowly, little by little.Ch.8–7
Part 2
Comprehension
How well do you understand Chapters 5–7?
Knowledge Bank · One Step at a Time
Reading Skill · SequencingSome tricks are built one step at a time, so good readers must follow the order of events. Mr. Twit does not fool his wife all at once. Night after night he adds a sliver to her stick and a sliver to her chair legs. Each small step adds up until she is sure she is shrinking. To understand a plan like this, put the events in the right sequence: first this, then that, then the last surprise. Reading in order helps you see how many quiet steps a big trick really needs.
1What does Mr. Twit secretly glue to the bottom of Mrs. Twit’s walking stick?Ch.8–7
2Mr. Twit adds one big, obvious piece so Mrs. Twit will notice the change.Ch.8–7
3Why does Mrs. Twit come to believe she is shrinking?Ch.8–7
4Mr. Twit tells Mrs. Twit that she has caught “the shrinks.”Ch.8–7
5Put these events in the correct order. Write 1–5 (1 = first).Ch.8–7
- Mrs. Twit decides she must be shrinking — she has caught “the shrinks.”
- Mr. Twit dreams up a cruel trick using Mrs. Twit’s own walking stick.
- Mr. Twit says the only cure is stretching, and ties her to balloons and heavy weights.
- Little by little the stick and chair grow taller, too slowly to notice.
- Each night he secretly glues a tiny disc to the bottom of her stick and her chair legs.
6What does Mr. Twit say will happen if the shrinks are not cured?Ch.8–7
7What “cure” does Mr. Twit invent for the shrinks?Ch.8–7
8Mrs. Twit quickly realizes the stick is being made taller on purpose.Ch.8–7
9What does Mr. Twit tie to Mrs. Twit to “stretch” her?Ch.8–7
10Why does the walking-stick trick fool Mrs. Twit so completely?Ch.8–7
Part 3
Literary Elements
Understanding HOW and WHY Dahl writes Chapters 5–7 the way he does.
Knowledge Bank · How Dahl Builds the Trick
Literary Craft · SuspenseDahl does not tell us everything at once. He lets the trick grow slowly, and that waiting feeling is called suspense. We watch Mr. Twit sneak out each night while Mrs. Twit sleeps, and we wonder how far he will go. Because we know a little more than she does, we lean in, eager to see the result. A writer builds suspense by adding one small hint at a time and holding back the ending. Each secret step tightens the tension. Dahl keeps us turning pages, hungry to learn how the mean plan will finish.
📚 Literary Devices in This Part · definitions & examples
Conflict is a struggle between characters that pushes a story forward. In The Twits, the conflict is the endless war of nasty tricks: each Twit tries to pay the other one back with something even worse.Dramatic irony is when the reader knows something important that a character does not. We know the walking stick is secretly growing, but Mrs. Twit has no idea — so we are “in on the joke” while she is fooled.Suspense is the nervous, excited feeling that makes us want to keep reading to find out what happens. When Mrs. Twit is pegged to the ground with balloons tugging at her, Dahl makes us wonder anxiously what will happen next.
The questions below are mixed — not grouped by device. Decide which device each one is about.
1The reader knows the stick is secretly growing, but Mrs. Twit does not. This is —Ch.8–7
2Dramatic irony is when the reader knows something a character does not.Ch.8–7
3Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.8–7
Word choices:ironysuspensesettingrhyme- some words will not be used
The gap between what we know and what Mrs. Twit knows is dramatic ,
which keeps us in .
4Calling a cruel trick a “cure” is an example of irony because —Ch.8–7
5Suspense is the feeling of not caring at all what happens next.Ch.8–7
6Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.8–7
Word choices:deceptiontoneplotclimax- some words will not be used
Mr. Twit’s whole plan is built on ,
told in Dahl’s gleeful, mocking .
7What mainly keeps readers turning the pages in these chapters?Ch.8–7
8Why is the walking-stick trick a strong example of dramatic irony?Ch.8–7
9Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.8–7
Word choices:motivecharacterizationsimilesetting- some words will not be used
Mr. Twit’s cruel and sneaky methods are strong
of a nasty, cunning man.
10Dahl builds the comedy of these chapters mainly on —Ch.8–7
Part 4
Think Deeper
Four deeper challenges — no single-word recall. Read, weigh the evidence, and reason it through.
Knowledge Bank · Tricks of the Mind
Ethics · DeceptionMr. Twit’s cruelest trick is not about a stick at all — it is about the mind. By changing tiny things she cannot see, he makes Mrs. Twit doubt her own body. This is a kind of deception: fooling someone into believing something false. It is a mean thing to do, because trust is broken and fear takes its place. When you make a person doubt what is real, you take away their sense of safety. Dahl shows how a bully can hurt not just with hands but with clever, sneaky lies.
1Claim: “Mr. Twit tricks Mrs. Twit into believing she is shrinking.” — choose the two details that best prove it.Claim & Evidence
2How Mr. Twit fools her, or how Mrs. Twit reacts? Tap each item to send it left or right.Sort into two
◄ How he fools herHow she reacts ►
3Match each cause to its result. For each cause, pick its result.Cause & Effect
Mr. Twit adds bits to her stick→
He tells her it is ‘the shrinks’→
Mrs. Twit begs for a cure→
The trick works cruelly→
4Fill both blanks to complete the reasoning.Build the Argument
Mrs. Twit believes she is shrinking because , which shows that .
Part 5
Standardized Test
Factual Details & EXCEPT Questions — 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.
Your eyes collect light, but it is your brain that decides what you are actually seeing. To tell how big something is, the brain does not measure the way a ruler does; it compares each object with the things standing near it. A circle drawn beside tiny dots looks large, while the very same circle beside huge dots looks small — a famous illusion that fools almost everyone. Scientists say we judge size, speed, and even color by using nearby objects as reference points. This clever shortcut works well most of the time, because the world around us usually stays steady. But when a reference point is changed secretly, the brain can reach a very wrong answer. Stage magicians — and one or two tricksters in books — earn their living from exactly this weakness. The next time your eyes feel certain, remember: certainty is not the same as truth.
Original passage written for Garden Heights — not a quotation from the novel.
1When the brain “compares” one thing to another, it —SAT · Words in Context
2According to the passage, what actually decides what you see?TOEFL · Factual Information
3An “illusion” is —SAT · Words in Context
4How does the brain judge how big something is?TOEFL · Factual Information
5The brain must “judge” size — to judge is to —SAT · Words in Context
6The same object can look bigger or smaller depending on —TOEFL · Factual Information
7We can infer that a person can be fooled about size when —SAT · Inference
8The main idea of the passage is that —SAT · Central Ideas
9The passage mentions artists and film-makers in order to —TOEFL · Rhetorical Purpose
10This passage helps explain Mrs. Twit’s trick because she —SAT · Inference
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 3 “The Shrinks”
Imagine you are Mrs. Twit on the morning you first think you are shrinking. What do you notice, and how do you feel? Write at least 40 words.
You can start with: “When I reached for my walking stick this morning, a horrible cold feeling crept over me, because…”
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 3 Complete!
You finished Chapters 8–10 of The Twits.
Here are your auto-graded results:
-
points out of 100