Roald Dahl Stories Trivia Quiz

Answer: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" was published in the US in 1964. It was about a young, poor boy named Charlie Bucket who found some money and bought a chocolate bar that had a Golden Ticket inside. The ticket was one of five that were released by a chocolate factory that was run by Willy Wonka. The ticket gave the person who owned it a tour of the factory that had been closed for a number of years. Charlie and his grandfather went to the factory and met all kinds of interesting characters as they were led along by Mr. Wonka. The book has been made into movies, including "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" (1971) and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005).

Of the other options in this question, "Midnight for Charlie Bone" was written by Jenny Nimmo, "Charlie Cook's Favourite Book" was written by Julia Donaldson, and "Charlie & the Cat Flap" was written by Hilary McKay.

Answer: Peach

"James and the Giant Peach" was published in 1961. It is the story of James, who lives quite happily with his parents until a rhinoceros escapes from a zoo nearby and eats them both. He is sent to live with his two mean aunts, who don't treat him very well.

A giant peach grows in their yard when James spills some magical crystals near the peach tree. James finds his way inside the peach, where he makes friends with a number of garden creatures. They help him escape the aunts and make his way to New York City.

Answer: Danny

"Danny, Champion of the World" was published in 1975. It is about a young boy named Danny who lives in a caravan behind a gas station with his father. They are not well off, but get by with the money they get from Danny's father's gas station. Danny also finds out that his dad poaches pheasants from a nearby mean old rich man's estate. Just before a pheasant hunt at the estate, Danny and his father drug 120 pheasants with sleeping pills, then steal the birds and hide them.

The mean old guy arrives at the gas station, angry that his pheasants were stolen. About that time, the pheasants wake up and fly away. Danny is claimed to be "Champion of the World" by his dad and some of the residents in the town.

Answer: Big Friendly Giant

"The BFG" was published in 1982. It tells the story of a giant who captures an orphan. Sophie, the orphan, believes that all giants are to be feared because they eat humans. The BFG assures her that he won't eat her. He only captures dreams, then gives the good ones to good children and destroys the bad ones.

He and Sophie devise a plan to have all of the man-eating giants captured and imprisoned. Once this happens, they are rewarded with a castle (for him) next door to a cottage (for her). This book was made into an animated film (1989), a live-action film (2016), a comic strip (1986-98), and a stage play (premiere in 1991).

Answer: Enormous

"The Enormous Crocodile" was published in 1978. Most of Dahl's books are novels for young readers, but this book is a picture book designed for even younger children. It tells the story of an enormous crocodile that wants to eat children for lunch. He tells his plan to various creatures that he meets on his way to the village, but this turns out to be a bad idea.

At each place where he sits in disguise waiting to ambush his lunch, one of the jungle creatures warns the children away. Finally, Trunky the Elephant gets fed up with the crocodile's actions, so the elephant grabs the crocodile by its tail, swings it around and around, and tosses it into space where it lands with a bang on the sun.

This results in him being "sizzled up, like a sausage".

Answer: Girl

"The Magic Finger" was published in 1966. It is the story of a girl who has a magic finger. Readers never learn her name, but they learn about her magic finger. It lights up and shoots a beam of energy at anyone who makes the girl angry, but the results of that are unpredictable.

She lives next door to the Gregg family. They are hunters, and she meets them one day when they are returning with a deer from their hunt. The girl gets very angry and turns the magic finger on the whole family. The next morning, they wake to find that they have been turned into birds the size of ducks. Ducks that are the size of humans then threaten them with their own guns. Mr. Gregg promises never to hunt again.

The family is returned to normal the next day, but change their name to the Mr. and Mrs. Egg.

Answer: The Witches

"The Witches" was published in 1983. It tells the story of a boy who goes to live with his Norwegian grandmother when his parents are killed in a traffic accident. The boy's grandmother tells him stories of witches, and how they try to capture and eat children. The boy and his grandmother move to England where he was originally from.

The boy and his grandmother end up on vacation in a hotel where the English witches have gathered for a conference. The Grand High Witch reveals a special potion that she has developed that will turn all children to mice, allowing them to be caught. The boy is captured by the witches, given a dose, and turned into a mouse, but is still able to talk to his grandmother. They decide to pour the potion into soup that is served to the witches, turning them all to mice. The boy and his grandmother then develop a plan to rid the entire world of witches using the potion. The book was adapted into films in 1990 and in 2020, a radio program in 2008, and an opera that premiered in 2008.

Answer: Wormwood

"Matilda" was published in 1988. It tells the story of a young girl named Matilda who is very smart. When she starts school, her teacher, Miss Honey, recognizes her intelligence and suggests that she be advanced in her grades. Her parents and the mean headmistress refuse. Matilda develops telekinesis, likely from boredom at school. She comes to know Miss Honey very well. She finds out that Miss Honey was raised by her mean aunt, who is also the headmistress. The headmistress has been withholding Miss Honey's pay and inheritance, so Matilda uses her telekinetic powers during a lesson being taught by the headmistress. She makes a piece of chalk float in the air and write a note on the blackboard telling the headmistress to return the pay and inheritance to Miss Honey.

After seeing the message, the headmistress flees, leaving the inherited house for Miss Honey. Matilda's father, Mr. Wormwood, is caught selling stolen cars, so her family flees as well. This leaves Matilda in the care of Miss Honey, who advances her to an appropriate grade, where Matilda's telekinetic power disappears when she is challenged in school. "Matilda" was made into a musical in 1990, a movie in 1996, and an audiobook in 2014.

Answer: It is extendable

"The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me" was published in 1985. It tells the story of a boy names Billy who wants to open a candy shop. He finds a building for his shop, but soon after finds that it has been redesigned as a head office for The Ladderless Window-Cleaning Company. The company has three employees: the Giraffe with an extendible neck, the Pelican (known as "Pelly") with a flexible upper beak, and a dancing Monkey. Billy makes friends with the group, but they are all hungry because of their dietary needs. The Giraffe needs pink and purple tinkle-tinkle tree flowers, Pelly needs fish (especially salmon), and the Monkey needs walnuts.

The Duke of Hampshire hires the group to clean all 677 windows on his estate. While doing the job, they spot a burglar trying to steal the Duchess' jewels, so capture him and hold him in Polly's beak until the police arrive. They are rewarded by the Duke with accommodations on his property. This works out very well because he has a pink and purple tinkle-tinkle tree flower orchard, a walnut grove, and a salmon stream, so the characters are no longer hungry. When they move, Billy also gets to open his candy shop in their old headquarters and he makes the best candy in the land.

Answer: "The Minpins" and "The Vicar of Nibbleswicke"

Roal Dahl passed away in November, 1990. He had written "The Minpins" and "The Vicar of Nibbleswicke" before his passing, but they were both published in 1991.

"The Minpins" tells the story of a boy who goes to explore a forest that his mother has told him not to enter. Once there, he is chased by a monster. He escapes by climbing up a tree where he meets a colony of miniature people called Minpins. They live high in the treetops and are tormented by the monster. They also have a good relationship with birds, so the boy asks a swan to fly him over the lake. The monster follows his scent into the water where it drowns and no longer bothers the Minpins or the boy.

"The Vicar of Nibbleswicke" is the story of a church vicar who has a condition called "Back-to-Front Dyslexia" which is not an actual disorder but is one made up by Dahl. It caused the vicar to say words backwards. So, rather than say "god", he says "dog" and rather than "knits", he says "stink". He also makes Mrs. Prewt, one of his parishioners, angry when he refers to her as "Mrs. Twerp". A doctor finally finds a cure for him, telling him that he will be fine if he walks backward everywhere for the rest of his life.