54 pages • 1 hour read
Roald DahlThe Twits
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1980A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
During Reading
Reading Questions & Paired Texts
Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.
CHAPTERS 1-14
Reading Check
1. What would a person find if they looked closely into Mr. Twit’s beard?
2. What facial feature does Mrs. Twit use to play tricks on people?
3. What does Mr. Twit see staring at him from the bottom of his beer glass?
4. What does Mrs. Twit feed her husband with his spaghetti?
5. Which clothing item of Mrs. Twit “billowed out like a parachute” in Chapter 12?
6. What drink does Mr. Twit “celebrate” with while sitting in the garden in Chapter 13?
7. What does the narrator compare the Twits’ house to?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Who is Mr. Twit? How does he feel about his appearance?
2. How does the narrator describe Mrs. Twit? What made her appearance change over time?
3. What trick does Mr. Twit play on his wife? What does it reveal about their relationship?
4. What does Mr. Twit do to his wife’s walking stick, and why?
5. What is “the shrinks”? According to Mr. Twit, what is the only cure?
6. What is Mr. Twit’s bright idea, and what does Mrs. Twit need to do to save herself?
Paired Resources
“My Favourite Book as a Kid: The Twits by Roald Dahl”
- This article from The Guardian explores the author’s love of Dahl’s book.
- This connects with the themes Actions Have Consequences, Teamwork Brings Us Together, and The Benefits of Quick Thinking.
- What does the author of the article love most about The Twits? Do you agree or disagree with her preferences? Why?
- The New York Times critically reviews Dahl’s novel.
- This connects with the themes Actions Have Consequences, Teamwork Brings Us Together, and The Benefits of Quick Thinking.
- Do you agree with this 1981 review of Dahl’s novel? Why or why not? Why might Dahl’s book be both criticized and well received?
“Roald Dahl's The Twits: How do you make a book that smells?”
- This article from The Guardian discusses a special edition of Dahl’s novel.
- This connects with the themes Actions Have Consequences, Teamwork Brings Us Together, and The Benefits of Quick Thinking.
- Why do you think that this special edition of Dahl’s novel was made? What audience does it appeal to?
“Netflix’s Animated Adaptation Of Roald Dahl’s The Twits To Hit In 2025”
- Empire provides an overview of the Netflix series based on Dahl’s novel.
- This connects with the themes Actions Have Consequences, Teamwork Brings Us Together, and The Benefits of Quick Thinking.
- What elements is Netflix’s animated adaptation changing of Dahl’s The Twits? Which elements will remain the same?
CHAPTERS 15-29
Reading Check
1. What do Mr. and Mrs. Twit eat on Wednesdays?
2. What is Mr. Twit’s dream?
3. Where is the second place that Mr. Twit smears glue?
4. Where does Muggle-Wump want to spread the glue?
5. Which animal stands guard to watch the Twits returning?
6. What do the ravens do as the Twits re-enter the house?
7. What does the Roly-Poly Bird offer to do for the monkeys when the weather gets cold?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What unexpected visitors do the Twits have on their property? How does Mr. Twit react, and what do the visitors do to escape?
2. What work did Mr. and Mrs. Twit do before they retired? How does this explain the presence of certain types of animals on the property?
3. What do Muggle-Wump and the Roly-Poly Bird discuss, and how are they able to communicate?
4. What do Mr. and Mrs. Twit decide to buy in order to catch the birds? What happens after they leave the house?
5. What outlandish plan does Muggle-Wump have? How is he able to complete it?
6. What happens when the Twits walk back into their house? What do they decide to do in order to rectify the problem?
7. What does Fred discover has happened to the Twits? How do people respond to this news?
Recommended Next Reads
Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
- Dahl’s 1970 novel follows the protagonist Mr. Fox as he outwits three greedy farmers, Boggis, Bunce, and Bean.
- Shared themes include Actions Have Consequences, Teamwork Brings Us Together, and The Benefits of Quick Thinking.
- Shared topics include animals outsmarting humans, mid-20th century children’s literature, and the anthropomorphism of animal characters.
- Fantastic Mr. Fox on SuperSummary
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
- Silverstein’s 1964 novel focuses on the changing friendship between a tree and a boy as he matures.
- Shared themes include Actions Have Consequences.
- Shared topics include anthropomorphism of nature and mid-20th century children’s literature.
- The Giving Tree on SuperSummary
Reading Questions Answer Key
CHAPTERS 1-14
Reading Check
1. Pieces of old food (Chapter 3)
2. Her glass eye (Chapter 5)
3. Mrs. Twit’s glass eye (Chapter 5)
4. Worms (Chapter 7)
5. Mrs. Twit’s petticoat (Chapter 12)
6. A “mug of beer” (Chapter 13)
7. A “prison” (Chapter 14)
Short Answer
1. Mr. Twit is a “hairy-faced” man who never washes his hair. The narrator clarifies that although Mr. Twit believes his facial hair makes him look wiser, in reality, he “was a twit.” (Chapter 2)
2. Mrs. Twit is the wife of Mr. Twit, whom the narrator describes as “ugly.” This ugliness “had grown upon her year by year as she got older” as the result of “ugly thoughts.” (Chapter 4)
3. To get revenge on Mrs. Twit for putting the glass eye in his beer, Mr. Twit leaves a frog in his wife’s bed. When she starts to scream, he provokes her instead of helping her. After she faints, he douses her with a jug of cold water to wake her up. This situation reveals the couple’s cruelty toward one another. (Chapter 6)
4. In order to seek revenge for the spaghetti prank, Mr. Twit gradually starts to lengthen Mrs. Twit’s walking stick in order to convince her that she is shrinking. She is now concerned and exasperated that she has “the shrinks.” (Chapter 8)
5. Mr. Twit convinces his wife she has “the shrinks,” which is a “disease” where people eventually shrink until they disappear. Mr. Twit informs his wife that the only way to combat this “disease” is to participate in “stretching,” an exercise that consists of balloons that pull her up while her ankles are tied to the ground. (Chapters 8-9)
6. After his wife expresses concern about floating away, Mr. Twit realizes that he can be rid of his wife once and for all by cutting the strings. He is pleased with his plan; however, Mrs. Twit cuts the ties to the balloons, which allows her to descend back into the yard, much to Mr. Twit’s chagrin. (Chapters 11-13)
CHAPTERS 15-29
Reading Check
1. Bird pie (Chapter 15)
2. To “own the first GREAT UPSIDE DOWN MONKEY CIRCUS in the world” (Chapter 17)
3. On the monkey cage (Chapter 20)
4. On the ceiling of the Twits’ house (Chapter 23)
5. The Roly-Poly Bird (Chapter 25)
6. “[T]hey brushed a streak of sticky glue on to the tops of Mr and Mrs Twit’s heads.” (Chapter 26)
7. To “fly home to Africa with [him]” (Chapter 28)
Short Answer
1. One night, four boys sneak onto the Twits’ property to see the monkeys. The next morning, Mr. Twit finds them stuck to the tree where the birds usually are, but there are no birds. When Mr. Twit announces that “Boy Pie might be better than Bird Pie,” the boys unbutton their pants and flee the scene before Mr. Twit can catch them. (Chapter 16)
2. Before they retired, Mr. and Mrs. Twit worked as monkey trainers in the circus. Now, as a result, they keep monkeys on their property that they train to perform tricks upside down. (Chapter 17)
3. Muggle-Wump, the name of the monkey that the Twits abuse, speaks an “African language” and therefore cannot communicate with the birds who speak English. One day, Muggle-Wump encounters the Roly-Poly Bird, an African bird who speaks the same language as Muggle-Wump. The monkey is able to tell the Roly-Poly Bird of Mr. Twit’s plan to cover the tree in glue to catch birds, allowing the Roly-Poly Bird to warn the birds in English. (Chapter 18)
4. In order to catch the birds, Mr. and Mrs. Twit decide to go into town to buy guns. After they leave, the monkeys are able to free themselves with the help of the Roly-Poly Bird. They decide to seek revenge before escaping the Twits’ house forever. (Chapters 21-22)
5. Muggle-Wump plans to spread glue on the ceiling and then move the Twits’ carpet and furniture on the ceiling. At first, the other birds are skeptical, but they assist Muggle-Wump with completing his plan before the Twits return. (Chapters 23-25)
6. Seeing all the furniture glued to the ceiling, the Twits believe they are upside down, so they decide to stand on their heads to be right-side up. Because the ravens put glue on their heads, their heads are now glued to the floor. (Chapter 27)
7. While checking the gas meter, Fred discovers that Mr. and Mrs. Twit got the “dreaded shrinks” from standing on their heads too long, resulting in their disappearance. Realizing that “[t]here was nothing more left in this world of Mr and Mrs Twit [...] everyone, including Fred, shouted...‘HOORAY!’” (Chapter 29)
Related Titles
By Roald Dahl
