WHO
Who does Mr. Wormwood try to teach about the used car business?
His son, Michael.
What does Mr. Wormwood do to used cars to make them look less worn out?
He fills the gearboxes with sawdust and winds back the mileage clocks.
When does Mr. Wormwood put the special hair tonic on his head?
Every single morning after he gets dressed for work.
Why does Mr. Wormwood want Michael to listen to his advice?
He wants Michael to learn how to run the family car business when he grows up.
How does Matilda find out the correct answer to her father's math problem?
She calculates the big multiplication problem instantly in her head.
Who screams out loud when she first sees Mr. Wormwood's new hair color?
Mrs. Wormwood.
What does Matilda use to replace her father's hair oil in the bottle?
She uses her mother's platinum blonde hair dye (peroxide).
When does Matilda decide that it is time to play another trick on her father?
Right after her father calls her a liar and a cheat for solving his math problem.
Why does Mrs. Wormwood scream when she looks at her husband?
She is shocked and horrified by his bright, ugly new hair color.
How does Matilda sneakily switch her father's hair tonic?
She goes into the bathroom, pours out half his hair tonic, and fills the rest with her mother's peroxide dye.
Who acts like a bully because they feel threatened by a young girl's intelligence?
Mr. Wormwood.
What does Mr. Wormwood think Matilda did to get the math answer so quickly?
He thinks she looked at the piece of paper where he wrote down his notes.
When does Mr. Wormwood show that he cares more about money than his daughter's amazing brain?
When he ignores her brilliant math skills and only boasts about how much money he made by cheating people.
Why does Mr. Wormwood agree to go to the hairdresser right away?
His wife frightens him by saying that blonde hair makes him look cheap and silly.
How do these two chapters show the difference between Matilda and her brother Michael?
Michael quietly accepts his father's dishonest lessons, while Matilda uses her powerful brain to challenge her father's bullying.
Who shows that being small and quiet does not mean you are powerless?
Matilda.
What does Mr. Wormwood's reaction to the math problem show about his own insecurities?
It shows he is afraid of looking stupid and cannot handle being outperformed by a little girl.
When does the reader realize that Matilda's pranks are working to keep her parents quiet for a little while?
At the very end of Chapter 6, when the book says the prank gave Matilda a period of peace and quiet.
Why does Roald Dahl include the math scene right before the hair prank scene?
To show how unfair the parents are to Matilda, which explains why she feels forced to punish them again.
How do Matilda's pranks change the way her parents treat her for a little while?
The pranks keep her parents quiet and humble for a few days because they are too shocked by their own bad luck to bother her.
Who believes that cheating other people is a smart way to make a living?
Mr. Wormwood.
What does Chapter 6 tell us about how Mrs. Wormwood values looks over honesty?
She does not care about her husband's dishonest car sales, but she panics completely when his hair looks bad.
When does Mrs. Wormwood care more about what other people think than about being honest?
When she panics because a blonde husband looks cheap, even though she is perfectly fine with him selling broken cars.
Why does Mr. Wormwood value money and looks more than honesty and intelligence?
He is a shallow, greedy man who thinks success means tricking people and looking important, rather than being a good person.
How does Roald Dahl use humor to make us feel good about Matilda punishing her parents?
He makes the parents look silly and ridiculous, so we laugh at their funny punishments instead of feeling bad for them.