Matilda Is a Prodigy
- from Matilda
by Roald Dahl (Roots)
Start Here
If you could have any special power what would you wish for? Why? Write about it in one or two sentences.
= If I could have any special power I would wish for the power to learn things by reading only one time.
I want to learn many things. I want to learn everything about this world. I want to go for a world tour.
Comprehension
Read and answer
1. Arrange these sentences in the correct order.
a. Miss Honey asked if any student knew the two-times table. [3]
b. Miss Honey handed out a new exercise book to every child. [2]
c. Miss Honey was very impressed by Matilda. [5]
d. It was Matilda's first mathematics lesson with Miss Honey. [1]
e. Matilda knew the two-times table and even harder multiplication tables. [4]
2. Some of the words/phrases in the table were used to describe Matilda in the story. Circle the correct words/phrases.
=
Reference to context
3. "Stop! Miss Honey said. She had been listening slightly spellbound to this smooth recital, and now she said, "How far can you go?"
a. What was being recited? Why does the author call it a 'smooth recital'?
= Two-times table was being recited by Matilda.
The author calls it a 'smooth recital' because Matilda was continuing at twice sixteen. She did not stop at twice ten.
b. Why was Miss Honey spellbound?
= Miss Honey spellbound because Matilda not only reciting the twice table without hesitation but also she was continuing the table beyond twice ten.
c. What did Miss Honey mean when she said, "How far can you go?"
= Miss Honey meant that how much two times can Matilda say instantly.
4. "The class was silent, all listening."
a. Why was everyone silent?
= Everyone was silent because they were listening.
b. Who were they listening to?
= They were listening to the the conversation between Matilda and Miss Honey.
c. What was being said?
= It was being said that Matilda did not find it difficult to multiply one number by another.
5. "I...I...I simply put the fourteen down in my head and multiply it by nineteen," Matilda said.
a. Who is the speaker? Why does the speaker say 'I...I...I'?
= Matilda is the speaker.
The speaker says 'I...I...I' because she was hesitating as it was her first class with Miss Honey. Matilda was scared if Miss Honey gets offended after listening her reply.
b. What question is the speaker answering? Who had asked that question?
= The speaker is answering how she does the multiplication between any two numbers almost instantly.
Miss Honey had asked that question.
c. Do you think Miss Honey believes Matilda? How can you tell?
= I think Miss Honey believes Matilda because she had no doubt in her mind that Matilda had an extraordinary mathematical brain.
Reflect and answer
6. What do you think Miss Honey was thinking, after the class ended?
= I think Miss Honey was thinking about the merit of Matilda after class. Miss Honey might be astonished about the talent of Matilda and may have tell others about it.
7. How do you think Matilda's classmates felt during the lesson? Why?
= I think Matilda's classmates felt very surprised during the lesson. They might have seen and listened to Matilda telling the multiplication tables with astonishment and dismay.
They are just around five years of age. Most of them could not properly say the two-times table till ten. They can never think of answering the product of two numbers instantly.
8. What kind of a girl do you think Matilda is?
= I think Matilda is a meritorious girl who loved to read and learn a lot. She enjoyed learning new things and memorise them.
Roald Dahl (1916-1990) was a famous children's author born in the UK. He was also a fighter pilot during World War II, a chocolate historian and an inventor. His years in a boarding school gave him the inspiration for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Many of his stories have been made into movies, including Matilda.