The BFG
About
Kidsnatched from her orphange by a BFG (Big Friendly Giant), who spends his life blowing happy dreams to children, Sophie concocts a plan with him to save the world from nine other man-gobbling cannybull giants.
Read one section at a time, then discuss the questions to review understanding. These questions are a starting place for conversation, not a complete test of the chapter.
Chapter 1
Comprehension questions
Describe Sophie.
Page 9 — She’s an orphan; isn’t supposed to get out of bed but she did to close the curtain; couldn’t sleep; curious and looked out the window
9
Chapter 2
Comprehension questions
Describe the thing Sophie saw.
Page 14 — Very tall human like person that walked in the shadows, peeking in the second story windows; pale wrinkly face with huge ears, fierce and devilish eyes, wearing a black cloak and carried a thin trumpet
14
Chapter 3
Comprehension questions
Predict what will happen to Sophie.
Page 21 — Listen to your child’s answer
21
Chapter 4
Comprehension questions
Describe the cave.
Page 22 — The giant’s home; a gigantic rock blocks the opening; pitch black until the giant lit a light; gigantic with a high rocky roof; shelves on the walls filled with glass jars; a 12 foot table and chairs to match
22
Chapter 5
Comprehension questions
What good news did Sophie hear in this chapter?
Page 34 — The giant who captured her doesn’t eat humans
34
Chapter 6
Comprehension questions
What did Sophie learn about giants in this chapter?
Page 40 — They travel every night and eat humans
40
Chapter 7
Comprehension questions
What can the BFG hear with his marvelous ears?
Page 50 — Dreams; plants, trees, spiders, butterflies, etc.
50
Chapter 8
Comprehension questions
Summarize this chapter.
Page 54 — The BFG pulled out some food that he and Sophie thought was disgusting; giants aren’t born, they just appear and are only men; Sophie complimented the BFG and how he talks; he said he wouldn’t steal vegetables from gardens
54
Chapter 9
Comprehension questions
How is Sophie clever in this chapter?
Page 65 — She hid from the Bloodbottler in the snozzcumber
65
Chapter 10
Comprehension questions
Describe frobscottle.
Page 72 — A green fizzy drink; the bubbles go down instead of up; delicious; causes whizzpoppers (flatulence)
72
Chapter 11
Comprehension questions
Did the BFG have a good argument on page 91? Why, or why not?
Listen to your child’s answer
Chapter 12
Comprehension questions
Describe how the BFG captures dreams?
Page 94 — He uses his net like a butterfly net, puts them in jars with lids
94
Why is the BFG so excited and then so upset in this chapter?
Page 96 — He’d caught a wonderful dream, but then he caught a nightmare
96
Chapter 13
Comprehension questions
How did the BFG put the nightmare to good use?
Page 107 — He gave it to Fleshlumpeater; he dreamt of Jack the Giant Killer
107
Why did Sophie smile that Fleshlumpeater thought the beanstalk killed giants?
Page 108 — Jack used the beanstalk to climb up to the world of giants, not as a weapon to kill them
108
Chapter 14
Comprehension questions
Summarize one of the dreams the BFG has captured.
P.120-131
How has the BFG learned to write?
Page 131 — He borrowed a human’s book
131
Predict how Sophie and the BFG will stop the other giants from eating children in England.
Page 133 — Listen to your child’s answer
133
Chapter 15
Comprehension questions
Were you correct in your prediction?
Listen to your child’s answer
Describe Sophie’s plan.
Page 141 — The BFG will mix a dream for the Queen of England; Sophie will be on her windowsill and when she wakes up, she’ll tell her giants are real; Sophie’s hoping the queen will send her army to defeat the giants
141
Chapter 16
Comprehension questions
Why did the dream given to the queen need to be a nightmare?
Page 151 — Giants eating children is nightmarish
151
Chapter 17
Comprehension questions
Summarize this chapter.
Page 157 — Sophie rode in the BFG’s ear to London; they saw the giants as they ran home from their feast and Sophie was resolved to go forward with the plan; Sophie guided the BFG to the palace
157
Chapter 18
Comprehension questions
How did Sophie and the BFG find the queen’s room?
Page 168 — The BFG can hear the difference between men and women breathing; when they looked in the room, it looked stately and Sophie recognized the queen
168
Chapter 19
Comprehension questions
Did Sophie’s plan go as she hoped? Explain.
Page 174 — Yes; there was an article in the paper about the children disappearing and bones below the windows that supported her and the BFG
174
Chapter 20
Comprehension questions
What did the queen do to verify Sophie’s and the BFG’s story?
Page 202 — Called the countries the giants had visited recently
202
Chapter 21
Comprehension questions
How did the BFG help solve the issue of finding the giants?
Page 211 — He said the soldiers in the helicopters could follow him
211
Chapter 22
Comprehension questions
Summarize this chapter.
Page 213 — The BFG led the helicopters to the giants’ land; they drove to the sleeping giants and tied them up only waking up one; Sophie stabbed him with her brooch from the queen and the BFG pretended the giant has been bit by a snake and tied him up; they loaded up all the dreams and the helicopters came to pick up the giants
213
Chapter 23
Comprehension questions
What did the queen prepare for the giants when the helicopters arrived in London?
A large pit they couldn’t climb out of
How did the BFG solve what would be fed the giants?
Page 237 — He brought snozzcumbers and snozzcumbers plants to be planted
237
Chapter 24
Comprehension questions
What did you like about the conclusion of this story?
Page 239 — Listen to your child’s answer
239
Downloads
All the book’s resources, or just the ones you need, ready to read or print.
Worksheets
Practice sheets with space to write your answers.
Download one reading section
A small printout with all the resources for the selected section.
