Chapters 1-3
How do Lloyd and Harvey react to Dinah? Does each boy treat her the same way?
Lloyd and Harvey treat Dinah very differently. Harvey is friendly, but Lloyd is hostile. Harvey is welcoming and is kind and thoughtful but Lloyd is arrogant and quite aggressive.
What is unusual about the dining hall?
The dining hall is strange because it is almost silent even though it’s full of children.
1.Name the four prefects who, at the start of Chapter Seven, decide that Lloyd, Harvey and Dinah should be punished for playing in the snow.
1.The four prefects are Rose, Jeff, Sarah and Simon.
1.How do SPLAT members communicate secretly?
1.SPLAT members communicate secretly by mouthing words silently to each other.
1.What does the Headmaster command the hypnotised children to do?
1.The Headmaster tells the hypnotised children that the members of SPLAT are six straw dolls which must be destroyed.
Why is Harvey worried when they arrive at school?
Harvey is worried when they arrive at school because he is late and he’s supposed to take the registers round.
1.How are Lloyd, Harvey, Ian, Ingrid and Mandy different to the rest of the school children?
1.Lloyd, Harvey, Ian, Ingrid and Mandy are different to the rest of the school children because at lunch they chat to each other and don’t act in a strange robotic fashion like the others. They are separated from the rest of the children in the dining area and unlike the rest of the pupils, they don’t attend the Headmaster’s assembly.
1.Why do you think the Headmaster set these questions for Harvey?
1.What has Lloyd persuaded the members of SPLAT to do to keep up with the other children at school?
1.Lloyd persuaded the members of SPLAT to copy extracts from encyclopaedias to keep up with the other children at school.
1.Why does Dinah finally agree to take part in the quiz and win?
1.Dinah finally agrees to take part in the quiz and win as the children attack them. She knows that the Headmaster isn’t bluffing and that they will all be killed if she doesn’t agree.
What is strange about the Headmaster?
His appearance and the way he speaks
1.What happens when Dinah is asked what she thinks about the Headmaster and the school?
1.When Dinah is asked what she thinks about the Headmaster she wants to say that he’s creepy and peculiar but instead she says, “He is a marvellous man and this is the best school I’ve ever been to.”
What does Dinah threaten the Headmaster with?
Dinah threatens to report the Headmaster so that he will be prosecuted for cruelty to children
1.Why does the plan with the tape recorder fail?
1.The plan with the tape recorder fails because Dinah is hypnotised while she has her hand in her pocket holding the tape recorder. When the Headmaster tells her to take her hands out of her pocket she pulls out the tape recorder and the Headmaster sees it and takes it off her.
1.What is the name of the opposition school in the quiz?
1.The opposition school in the quiz is Manor Road.
Why doesn’t Mrs Hunter take Dinah to school on her first day? Do you think this is the right thing to do?
Mrs Hunter doesn’t take Dinah to school on her first day because she is waiting for the ‘gas man’ who is coming to fix the central heating. I think Mrs Hunter should take Dinah to school for her first day if possible but I understand why she doesn’t. It’s winter and with no heating the house will be freezing, so getting that fixed for the family is a priority.
1.What is Jeff doing behind the bookcase? Why is he doing it?
1.Jeff is hiding behind the bookcase. He is watching Harvey, spying on him. He may have been asked to do this by the Headmaster.
Why does Lloyd call Dinah ‘a filthy foul traitor’
Lloyd calls Dinah ‘a filthy foul traitor’ near the end of the chapter because he is angry and upset with her
1.What does the Headmaster of the winning team do at the end of each episode of the Eddy Hair Show?
6.At the end of each episode of the Eddy Hair Show the Headmaster of the winning team speaks directly to camera, addressing the audience at home for about a minute.
1.If Dinah hadn’t come to the school, how would the Headmaster have made sure that his team won?
1.If Dinah hadn’t come to the school, the Headmaster would have made sure that his team won by hypnotising the opposition.
Does Dinah like talking about her past and her parents? How do you know?
It’s clear that Dinah doesn’t like talking about her past or her parents as she says very little about them and her ‘mouth snapped shut’ after the little bit of information she does give.
1.Why do you think Lloyd, Harvey, Ian, Ingrid and Mandy don’t go to assembly like everyone else?
1.Lloyd, Harvey, Ian, Ingrid and Mandy don’t go to assembly like everyone else because they appear to be immune to the Headteacher’s attempts to hypnotise them.
1.Why doesn’t Dinah tell Mrs Hunter the truth?
6.Dinah doesn’t tell Mrs Hunter the truth because she has been hypnotised by the Headteacher and programmed to say what he wants her to say.
1.Why do you think the Headmaster wants to control a large portion of the population?
6.I think the Headmaster wants to control a large portion of the population so that he can take over the country and rule the nation like he rules the school – with absolute power and control.
1.How does Eddy Hair fight off the giant plateful of spaghetti?
1.Eddy Hair fights off the giant plateful of spaghetti with giant pepperpots