Vocabulary 1
"Weston is a seaside resort with a vastly sandy beach, along pier, and an esplanade running a long the seafront with a clutter of hotels and little shops." What is an esplanade?
A boardwalk or walkway
'I've got their names, Mrs. Pratchett,' Mr. Coombes told her. 'I'm much obliged to you.'
'And I'm much obliged to you, Headmaster,' said Mrs. Pratchett."
What does obliged mean?
Grateful, owing that person
What is the "mouse trick"? That is, what do the boys actually do with the mouse?
The boys place a dead mouse into a jar of candy at Mrs. Pratchett's shop.
Who is Mr. Coombes?
Dahl's principal/Headmaster at school
"I felt like a hero. I was a hero. It was marvelous to be so popular." What emotion do you think Dahl is feeling here?
Pride, joy, excitement
"It suited the Headmaster to give the boys as little food as possible himself and to encourage the parents in various ways to feed their offspring by mail from home." What does the word offspring likely mean?
Children, kids
"By far the most loathsome thing about Mrs. Pratchett was the filthy that clung around her...The other thing we hated Mrs. Pratchett for was her meanness.." What does loathsome likely mean?
Hateable, despised
Who is Thwaites?
A classmate and friend of Dahl's.
What happens after Dahl is accused of the mouse trick by Mrs. Pratchett?
He is hit by Mr. Coombes.
"Mrs. Pratchett was alive! The relief was tremendous." What emotion does Dahl feel here?
Relief, happiness
"A tuck-box is a small pinewood trunk which is very strongly made, and no boy has ever gone as a boarder to an English prep school without one." What is a trunk?
A box to keep belongings in
"We were grinning and slapping each other on the back. We cheered and danced around. We were still strutting a little as we entered the shop."
What does strutting mean?
Walking with confidence, arrogance
What causes the boys to assume Mrs. Pratchett had a heart attack?
Thwaites says so after they notice broken glass on the floor and the shop door closed.
What does Dahl's mother decide to do after his punishment at school?
She speaks to Mr. Coombes and decides to spend Dahl to boarding school.
"I'm afraid you've killed her,' Thwaites pointed a finger and said darkly.
'Me?' I cried. 'Why just me?'
All of a sudden, I was a murderer."
Fear, anxiety, shock
"A tuck-box is a small pinewood trunk which is very strongly made, and no boy has ever gone as a boarder to an English prep school without one." What does the word boarder most likely mean?
someone who stays overnight or lives at the school
"The sweet shop was the center of our lives. Without it, there would be little to live for. But it had one terrible drawback, this sweet shop. The woman who owned it was a horror. We hated her."
What does drawback likely mean?
Problem, negative
What happens to you if you get "ratitis?"
Your teeth grow long and you grow a tail!
What is the narrator's first name?
Roald!
"At the same time, he took his hands off the handlebars and folded them casually across his chest. I stopped and stared after him. How wonderful he was!"
What emotion does Dahl feel here?
Wonder, impressed, awe
Package
What does jaunty maybe mean?
playful, fun
What do the children dislike about Mrs. Pratchett?
Her filthy hands, her meanness and suspicion
Who tells Dahl's mother about what happened to him at school?
Dahl does after she sees his bruises.
"So we simply watched in sullen silence while this disgusting old woman stirred around inside the jars with her filthy fingers." What emotion does Dahl feel here?
Disgust, resentment, anger