The Twits · Garden Heights Academy
Part 6
for The Twits · Part 6 · Chapters 18–21
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 6
The Twits’ cruel plan fails. Thanks to the Roly-Poly Bird’s warning, no birds land on the glued tree, so the Twits get no bird pie. Furious, they storm off to buy guns to shoot the birds. While they are out, the clever monkey leader Muggle-Wump thinks up a brilliant scheme: to glue every bit of furniture upside down on the ceiling, so the Twits will be fooled when they get home.
What We Will Learn
| Literary Element | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Conflict | The struggle between the kind animals and the cruel Twits |
| Foreshadowing | Clues that hint at what will happen later in the story |
| Suspense | The tense, excited feeling that makes us want to read on |
Chapter Summary
| Chapter | Title & Key Events |
|---|---|
| Ch.18 | No Bird Pie — the Roly-Poly Bird has warned the birds, so none land on the sticky tree; the Twits get no pie and storm off to buy guns |
| Ch.21 | Muggle-Wump’s Scheme — while the Twits are out, the monkey leader Muggle-Wump plans to glue all the furniture upside down to the ceiling |
💭 Before You Read · Warm-Up (not scored)
There are no wrong answers here — just think, guess, and talk:
- The animals finally have the house to themselves. If you could set ONE trap for the Twits, what would it be?
- Why is the most satisfying revenge one that uses the villain’s own tricks against them?
- The Twits have gone shopping — for guns. What race against time begins the moment they leave?
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 14–15, then answer each question.
Knowledge Bank · Hanging Upside-Down
Science · Balance & BodiesDeep inside each ear sit tiny curved tubes filled with liquid. When your head tips, the liquid shifts and tells the brain which way is up, which is why you feel dizzy after spinning. Monkeys hang head-down happily, because strong hands, feet, and tails grip a branch tightly and their sense of balance is built for the treetops. People are different. Flip us over and blood rushes to the head while the room looks all wrong. Builders even open novelty houses with the furniture fixed to the ceiling, just so visitors can feel that dizzy, upside-down confusion.
ⓘ Vocabulary words are selected to help you understand and complete this workbook. Some may not appear verbatim in the novel.
pien.Ch.18
A baked dish with a pastry crust
“The Twits longed for a juicy bird pie.”
flockn.Ch.18
A group of birds
“A whole flock of birds circled high above the tree.”
peckv.Ch.18
To strike or pick at something with the beak
“The birds would normally peck at seeds on the branches.”
furiousadj.Ch.18
Extremely angry
“The Twits were furious that no birds were caught.”
disappointedadj.Ch.18
Sad because something hoped-for did not happen
“They were disappointed to find the tree empty.”
schemen.Ch.21
A clever secret plan
“Muggle-Wump dreamed up a daring scheme.”
ceilingn.Ch.21
The inside top surface of a room
“He would stick everything to the ceiling.”
slyadj.Ch.21
Clever in a sneaky, cunning way
“A sly grin crossed the monkey’s face.”
revengen.Ch.21
Paying someone back for cruelty
“The animals planned a clever revenge.”
upside-downadj.Ch.21
Turned so the top is at the bottom
“Every chair would hang upside-down from above.”
1A baked dish with a pastry crust is a —Ch.18
2A “flock” is a group of birds.Ch.18
3Birds use their beaks to — at food.Ch.18
4Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.18
Word choices:furiousdisappointedpieflock- some words will not be used
When no birds came, the Twits were to get no
5A “scheme” is a clever secret plan.Ch.21
6The inside top surface of a room is called the —Ch.21
7Muggle-Wump is clever in a sneaky way. Which word describes him?Ch.21
8If you are “furious,” you are only a little bit annoyed.Ch.18
9Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.21
Word choices:schemeceilingslyrevenge- some words will not be used
Muggle-Wump’s secret is to glue everything to the
10Turned so the top is now at the bottom means —Ch.21
Part 2
Comprehension
How well do you understand Chapters 14–15?
Knowledge Bank · Reading for the Turning Point
Reading Skill · Turning PointEvery story has a big moment when things change for good. Readers call it the turning point. Before it, the Twits seem to be winning; after it, the animals take charge. Spotting the turning point helps you understand the whole shape of a story. Ask yourself, ‘Where does the luck flip from one side to the other?’ Here it comes as a bold new plan the creatures dare to try. Once you find that moment, the ending starts to make sense. A clear turning point is the hinge a story turns on, so spotting it brings the whole shape into focus.
1Why do the Twits get no bird pie in Part 6?Ch.18
2The Roly-Poly Bird had warned the birds to keep away from the sticky tree.Ch.18
3What do the angry Twits go off to buy?Ch.18
4Muggle-Wump makes his plan while the Twits are safely at home watching.Ch.21
5Put the events of Part 6 in the correct order. Write 1–4 (1 = first).Ch.18–15
- Furious, the Twits storm off to buy guns.
- He plans to glue every bit of furniture upside down on the ceiling.
- No birds land on the glued tree, so the Twits get no pie.
- While they are out, Muggle-Wump thinks up a clever scheme.
6What is Muggle-Wump’s clever scheme?Ch.21
7The monkeys must finish the plan before the Twits come back.Ch.21
8What does the upside-down room aim to make the Twits believe?Ch.21
9The animals decide to fight the Twits’ cruelty with a clever plan, not with guns.Ch.18–15
10Who is the leader of the monkeys with the clever scheme?Ch.21
Part 3
Literary Elements
Understanding HOW and WHY Dahl writes Chapters 14–15 the way he does.
Knowledge Bank · Building to the Climax
Literary Craft · Rising ActionAs a story nears its end, the excitement climbs higher and higher. This build-up is called the rising action, and it leads to the biggest moment, the climax. Dahl stacks the animals’ plan piece by piece: glue here, furniture there, everything getting ready. With each step our hearts beat faster, waiting for the great trick to spring. A writer arranges events so tension keeps growing until it bursts. The climax is the exciting payoff that all this careful build-up has quietly promised. Notice how every small action pushes the story upward toward one huge, thrilling peak.
📚 Literary Devices in This Part · definitions & examples
Conflict is a struggle between opposing sides. Here it is the kind, caged animals against the cruel Twits.Foreshadowing is when a writer drops clues that hint at what will happen later. The scheme hints that the Twits are heading for trouble.Suspense is the tense, excited feeling that makes us want to keep reading. We wonder whether the animals can finish in time.
The questions below are mixed — not grouped by device. Decide which device each one is about.
1The caged animals against the cruel Twits is the main — of the story.Ch.18–15
2Foreshadowing gives the reader hints about what may happen later in the story.Ch.21
3Fill in the blanks with the correct words.Ch.21
Word choices:suspenseriskyrhymesenses- some words will not be used
The tense feeling that makes us read on is called . We feel it because the plan is so .
4Muggle-Wump’s scheme gives the reader a clue that the Twits are heading for trouble. A hint about what is coming is called —Ch.21
5Suspense is the tense, excited feeling that makes a reader want to keep going.Ch.21
6Fill in the blanks with the correct words.Ch.18–15
Word choices:conflictstrugglerhymeceiling- some words will not be used
The struggle between the animals and the Twits is the main . A conflict is a between two sides.
7We wonder whether the monkeys can finish before the Twits return. This tense feeling is called —Ch.21
8The struggle between the animals and the Twits is an example of conflict.Ch.18–15
9Fill in the blanks with the correct words.Ch.21
Word choices:foreshadowingcluerhymebeard- some words will not be used
A clue that hints at what will happen later is called . Muggle-Wump’s scheme is a about the Twits’ downfall.
10By ending this part with the animals’ scheme only half-finished as the Twits head home, Dahl mainly creates —Ch.21
Part 4
Think Deeper
Four deeper challenges — no single-word recall. Read, weigh the evidence, and reason it through.
Knowledge Bank · Cleverness Beats Cruelty
Ethics · Wit vs. ForceThe Twits use strength and meanness to rule. The animals have no such power, so they use something better: their brains. Instead of fighting fist to fist, they think up a clever plan and let the Twits fool themselves. This is a favorite idea in old stories — the small and gentle beat the big and cruel by being smart. Cleverness, teamwork, and patience win where muscles cannot. Real animals team up like this too, calling warnings to one another when danger comes. Dahl cheers for the underdog and shows young readers that a sharp mind is a mightier tool than a mean fist.
1Claim: “The Twits’ failure drives them to even greater cruelty.” — choose the two details that best prove it.Claim & Evidence
2The Twits’ rising cruelty, or the chance it creates for the animals? Tap each item to send it left or right.Sort into two
◄ Rising crueltyA chance for the animals ►
3Match each cause to its result. For each cause, pick its result.Cause & Effect
The warning saved the birds→
The Twits are furious→
The Twits leave the house→
The house stands empty→
4Fill both blanks to complete the reasoning.Build the Argument
The Twits leaving to buy guns matters because , which shows that .
Part 5
Standardized Test
Reference & Sentence Simplification — 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.
Close your eyes and tip your head, and you will still know which way is up. That quiet skill comes from your sense of balance, and it lives deep inside your ears. In each ear, tiny tubes filled with liquid detect every turn and tilt of your head; when the liquid moves, it presses on microscopic hairs, and they send the news to your brain. The brain compares this report with what your eyes see and what your feet feel. When the reports agree, you stand upright without a single thought. When they disagree — on a spinning ride, or in a ship’s rolling cabin — you may feel dizzy and confused, because the brain cannot decide which report to trust. Astronauts feel this most of all, since in space no direction presses on the liquid at all, and their brains need several days to adjust. Yours does the same job every second of your life — silently, and for free.
Original passage written for Garden Heights — not a quotation from the novel.
1In the passage, your sense of “balance” is the sense that tells you —SAT · Words in Context
2In “they send the news to your brain,” the word “they” refers to —TOEFL · Reference
3To “detect” something is to —SAT · Words in Context
4Which sentence best keeps the essential meaning of: “When they disagree — on a spinning ride, or in a ship’s rolling cabin — you may feel dizzy and confused, because the brain cannot decide which report to trust”?TOEFL · Sentence Simplification
5To stand “upright” is to stand —SAT · Words in Context
6According to the passage, the brain compares the ears’ report with —TOEFL · Factual Information
7The author calls balance a skill you use “silently, and for free” mainly to stress that it —TOEFL · Rhetorical Purpose
8Why do astronauts feel dizziness most of all?SAT · Inference
9According to the passage, how long do astronauts’ brains need to adjust to space?TOEFL · Factual Information
10Prose Summary (TOEFL). A hidden system inside your ears constantly tells your body which way is up. This TOEFL task lists six sentences; choose the THREE that best capture the passage’s main ideas. The other three do not belong — they state minor details or ideas the passage does not present.TOEFL · Prose Summary
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 6 “The Secret Plan”
Imagine you are one of the Muggle-Wump monkeys. Describe how you feel as you begin Muggle-Wump’s secret plan while the Twits are away. Write at least 40 words.
You can start with: “My heart was pounding as we began the secret plan, because if the Twits came home early…”
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 6 Complete!
You finished Chapters 18–21 of The Twits.
Here are your auto-graded results:
-
points out of 100