The Twits · Garden Heights Academy

Part 7

for The Twits · Part 7 · Chapters 22–26

a story by Roald Dahl

30 min5 Parts

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 7

The plan comes together. Working as a team, the monkeys and birds use Mr. Twit’s own Hugtight glue to stick the carpet and all the furniture upside down on the ceiling. It takes tremendous effort, and the animals are gleeful. When the Twits come home, they are bewildered and dizzy — and instead of guessing the trick, they decide that they themselves must be upside down.

What We Will Learn

Literary Element	What It Means
Imagery	Describing language that helps us picture the strange upside-down room
Dramatic Irony	When the reader knows something the characters do not
Rising Action	The build-up of events that leads toward the most exciting moment

Chapter Summary

Chapter	Title & Key Events
Ch.22	The Furniture Goes Up — the monkeys and birds cooperate, using Mr. Twit’s own Hugtight glue to stick the carpet and furniture upside down on the ceiling
Ch.25	The Twits Come Home — the Twits see the furniture on the ceiling and wrongly decide that they themselves must be standing upside down

💭 Before You Read · Warm-Up (not scored)

There are no wrong answers here — just think, guess, and talk:

One monkey could never lift a sofa — but a team can. When has working together let you do something impossible alone?
The Twits believe the ROOM is fine and THEY are upside down. Why is it sometimes easier to doubt yourself than to doubt what you see?
Predict: if the Twits already think they are upside down, what do you think they will try to do next?

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 16–17, then answer each question.

🧠Knowledge Bank · How Strong Glue Holds

Science · AdhesivesThe animals stick the Twits’ furniture to the ceiling with strong glue. How does glue hold so tightly? Wet glue creeps into the tiny bumps and holes on a surface, filling every gap. Then it dries and hardens, gripping both sides at once so they cannot pull apart. The stronger the glue, the heavier the load it can hold — some glues can even lift a car. In the story the powerful Hugtight glue grabs anything it touches. Holding furniture against a ceiling also means beating gravity, so every join must be pressed tight while the glue dries. Real adhesives work by this very same clever grip.

A row of metal and plastic clamps in orange, green and red squeezing a long strip of wood along the bottom edge of a door lying on a workbench — Photograph taken in May 2014 of a row of clamps squeezing a strip of wood onto the bottom edge of a door while the glue between them dries. The *Knowledge Bank* explains how strong glue holds: wet glue creeps into the tiny bumps and holes of a surface, then dries and hardens so that both sides are gripped at once, and that every join must be pressed tight while the glue sets. The clamps here are doing exactly that pressing. This is an ordinary repair in a home workshop, and nothing is being glued to a ceiling. Notice how many clamps are used for one strip — the pressure has to be even along the whole join.
Clamps holding a glued strip on the bottom of a door, May 2014; photograph by Tomwsulcer, released under CC0. Source: Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

ⓘ Vocabulary words are selected to help you understand and complete this workbook. Some may not appear verbatim in the novel.

furnituren.Ch.22

Tables, chairs, and other large objects in a room

“Every piece of furniture was stuck to the ceiling.”

tremendousadj.Ch.22

Extremely large or great

“Lifting the sofa took a tremendous effort.”

fastenv.Ch.22

To fix or attach something firmly

“They fastened each chair with sticky glue.”

heavev.Ch.22

To lift or pull something heavy with great effort

“Together they heaved the table upwards.”

gleefuladj.Ch.22

Full of joyful delight

“The gleeful monkeys could hardly stop giggling.”

cooperatev.Ch.22

To work together toward a goal

“The animals had to cooperate to lift it all.”

bewilderedadj.Ch.25

Very confused and puzzled

“The Twits stood bewildered in the doorway.”

astonishedadj.Ch.25

Greatly surprised

“They were astonished to see the carpet above them.”

dizzyadj.Ch.25

Feeling as if everything is spinning around

“Staring upward made the Twits feel dizzy.”

concludev.Ch.25

To decide something after thinking

“They wrongly concluded that they were upside down.”

🧠Knowledge Bank question

1According to the Knowledge Bank, wet glue holds because it ___.Ch.22

2If a job is “tremendous,” it is extremely large or great.Ch.22

3To fix or attach something firmly is to — it.Ch.22

4Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.22

Word choices:heavegleefulfurniturefasten- some words will not be used

The animals had to the heavy

up to the ceiling

5To “cooperate” means to work together.Ch.22

6The monkeys are full of joyful delight at their plan. Which word describes them?Ch.22

7Walking in, the Twits cannot understand what they see. They are —Ch.25

8If you are “astonished,” you are greatly surprised.Ch.25

9Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.25

Word choices:dizzyconcludeastonishedfasten- some words will not be used

Staring up at the ceiling made the Twits feel .

They wrongly that they are upside down

10To lift something heavy with great effort is to —Ch.22

Part 2

Comprehension

How well do you understand Chapters 16–17?

🧠Knowledge Bank · Reading What Characters Believe

Reading Skill · InferenceCharacters act on what they believe, even when their belief is wrong. Good readers watch for this. The animals glue everything to the ceiling and turn the room over, so the Twits believe the whole world has flipped upside-down. Because they trust their own eyes, they do exactly the silly thing the plan needs. To understand a character, ask, ‘What do they think is true right now?’ Their belief, true or false, explains their next move. Tracking what a character believes lets you predict their actions and enjoy every clever trap.

🧠Knowledge Bank question

1The Knowledge Bank says the Twits do the silly thing the plan needs because they ___.Ch.22

2The animals use Mr. Twit’s own Hugtight glue to carry out the plan.Ch.22

3How are the animals able to lift the heavy furniture?Ch.22

4The animals feel gleeful and excited as they finish gluing the room.Ch.22

5Put the events of Part 7 in the correct order. Write 1–4 (1 = first).Ch.22–26

The Twits come home and stare up at the ceiling.
The dizzy Twits decide that THEY must be upside down.
They fasten everything firmly with Hugtight glue.
The animals heave the carpet and furniture up to the ceiling.

6What do the Twits see when they first come home?Ch.25

7The Twits quickly work out that the furniture has been glued to the ceiling as a trick.Ch.25

8What do the Twits wrongly decide about themselves?Ch.25

9The plan works because the animals are clever and the Twits are foolish.Ch.22–26

10Why does staring up at the ceiling make the Twits feel dizzy?Ch.25

Part 3

Literary Elements

Understanding HOW and WHY Dahl writes Chapters 16–17 the way he does.

🧠Knowledge Bank · We Know, They Don’t

Literary Craft · Dramatic IronyHere Dahl uses a delicious trick called dramatic irony. That is when the reader knows something a character does not. We watched the animals glue the furniture up high, so we know the room is normal and only looks upside-down. But the Twits have no idea, and their confusion makes us laugh. This gap between what we know and what they know pulls us into the story. We almost want to shout a warning. Dramatic irony turns readers into happy insiders, sharing a secret the poor Twits will never guess.

Visual AidWe know, they don’t

Diagram for the Knowledge Bank on dramatic irony. The left card is what the reader knows, that the furniture is glued up and the room only looks upside-down, the right card is what the Twits believe, and the small red mark between them is the gap the Knowledge Bank says the trick lives in; the red card beneath gives the name and the effect. It does not retell the scene. Notice that both cards describe the same room — only the knowledge differs, and that difference is what makes us laugh.

What the reader knows, what the Twits believe, and the gap between them, as described in the Knowledge Bank. Drawn for Garden Heights Academy.

📚 Literary Devices in This Part · definitions & examples

Imagery is descriptive language for the senses. Dahl describes the carpet and chairs stuck overhead so we can picture the whole strange room.

Dramatic irony is when the reader knows something a character does not. We know the room is a trick; the Twits believe they are upside down.

Rising action is the build-up of events that leads toward the most exciting moment. The upside-down room and the Twits’ confusion build the tension.

The questions below are mixed — not grouped by device. Decide which device each one is about.

🧠Knowledge Bank question

1According to the Knowledge Bank, dramatic irony is when ___.Ch.22

2Dramatic irony is when the reader knows something that the characters do not.Ch.25

3Fill in the blanks with the correct words.Ch.22–26

Word choices:actiontensionrhymesenses- some words will not be used

The build-up of events toward the ending is called the rising . It slowly builds .

4We know the room is a trick, but the Twits think they are upside down. When the reader knows more than the character, it is called —Ch.25

5Rising action is the build-up of events that leads toward the story’s most exciting moment.Ch.22–26

6Fill in the blanks with the correct words.Ch.22

Word choices:imagerysensesrhymeceiling- some words will not be used

Describing language that helps us picture the room is called . It appeals to our .

7The upside-down room and the Twits’ confusion build tension toward the ending. This build-up of events is called the —Ch.22–26

8Imagery helps the reader picture the strange upside-down room.Ch.22

9Fill in the blanks with the correct words.Ch.25

Word choices:ironytrickrhymeglue- some words will not be used

When the reader knows more than the characters, it is dramatic . We know the room is a , but the Twits do not.

10Because we know the room is a trick while the Twits do not, the scene mostly makes the reader feel —Ch.25

Part 4

Think Deeper

Four deeper challenges — no single-word recall. Read, weigh the evidence, and reason it through.

🧠Knowledge Bank · Their Own Glue Against Them

Ethics · Poetic JusticeSomething satisfying happens here: the Twits are caught by the same glue and tricks they used on others. When bad deeds bounce back on the wrongdoer, we call it poetic justice. It feels fair, because the cruel are punished by their own cruelty. Storytellers have loved this idea for thousands of years. The bully digs a pit and then tumbles into it himself. Watch how often a story hands the villain their own weapon. Readers cheer, not because we enjoy pain, but because we long to see fairness win. The Twits’ own meanness is quickly becoming their downfall.

1Claim: “The animals turn Mr. Twit’s own glue against the Twits.” — choose the two details that best prove it.Claim & Evidence

2Part of the animals’ clever plan, or just a detail of it? Tap each item to sort it — tap again to switch sides. You can keep tapping to change your answer.Sort into two

◄ Part of the planJust a detail ►

3Match each cause to its result. For each cause, pick its result.Cause & Effect

The animals want revenge→

They find Mr. Twit’s Hugtight glue→

They glue the carpet and furniture up→

The trap is set→

🧠Knowledge Bank question

4Fill both blanks to complete the reasoning.Build the Argument

The Knowledge Bank says that when bad deeds bounce back on the wrongdoer, we call it , and readers cheer because .

Part 5

Standardized Test

Cohesion & TOEFL Insert Text — SAT & TOEFL-style practice

Moving a Three Hundred Ton Boulder

In 2012, engineers in Los Angeles faced an unusual task: moving a boulder the size of a house. [1] The rock weighed nearly 300 tonnes, a tremendous load, far too heavy for any single crane to lift. So the team did what a lone machine never could: they made hundreds of wheels cooperate to share the load. The boulder was strapped to a giant frame carried by many wheels, and the whole contraption crept through the streets at walking pace. [2] It traveled only at night, when traffic was light, and took eleven days to cross about a hundred city blocks. [3] Thousands of people came out to watch the strange, slow parade. Today that same boulder rests in an art museum, where visitors walk beneath it. [4] The engineers liked to point out a simple truth: no crane on Earth could raise the rock, yet by dividing the weight among hundreds of wheels, an ordinary road could carry it with ease. What defeats one giant effort can be solved by many small ones working together.

Original passage written for Garden Heights — not a quotation from the novel.

1In the passage, to “lift” the boulder means to —SAT · Words in Context

2Why could no single crane move the boulder?TOEFL · Factual Information

3When wheels cooperate, they ___.SAT · Words in Context

4A tremendous load is ___.SAT · Words in Context

5Where would this sentence best fit in the passage? “Careful planners had spent months mapping a route with no low bridges and no sharp turns.”TOEFL · Insert Text

6According to the passage, how long did the journey take?TOEFL · Factual Information

7The engineers point to the moved boulder mainly to show that —TOEFL · Rhetorical Purpose

8According to the passage, where does the boulder rest today?TOEFL · Factual Information

9What can the reader infer about why the boulder traveled at night?SAT · Inference

10Which sentence best states the main idea of the passage?SAT · Central Ideas

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 7 “The Upside-Down Room”

Use imagery to describe the moment the Twits walk in and see their furniture stuck to the ceiling. What do they see, and how do they feel? Write at least 40 words.

You can start with: “When the Twits opened the door, they could not believe their eyes, because high above their heads…”

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 7 Complete!

You finished Chapters 22–26 of The Twits.

Here are your auto-graded results:

-

points out of 100

Teach it to someone

The best last step is to teach it. In your own words, explain what happened — retell a favorite scene, teach a character’s big choice, or sum up the main idea for a parent, friend, or classmate. When you can teach it clearly, you truly own it.

Move on to Part 8 →⌂ Back to Twits Home 🏠 Library