Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
52 pages • 1-hour read
Roald DahlCharlie and the Chocolate Factory
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During Reading
Reading Questions & Paired Texts
Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.
CHAPTERS 1-10
Reading Check
1. Who lives in the Bucket household?
2. What does Mr. Bucket do for work?
3. What is one example of a Wonka creation?
4. How many Golden Tickets are there?
5. Who is the first to find a Golden Ticket?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does Charlie respond when he sees his classmates eating chocolate bars?
2. What happened to Prince Pondicherry’s palace?
3. Why did Willy Wonka initially close his factory?
4. How was Veruca Salt able to find a Golden Ticket?
5. How is Charlie able to purchase a second chocolate bar?
Paired Resource
- This poem by Edward Hirsch evokes the memory of eating cotton candy.
- Shared themes include Magic and Wonder.
- How does Hirsch’s description of cotton candy compare to Charlie’s experiences with chocolate?
CHAPTERS 11-20
Reading Check
1. Who accompanies Charlie to the chocolate factory?
2. What else does the Golden Ticket say that Charlie will receive?
3. What is the river made of?
4. What is one example of a room in the chocolate factory?
5. What is the grey strip of candy that Violet identifies?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Where does Charlie find his Golden Ticket?
2. What happens to Augustus Gloop?
3. What happens as the families go through the Dark Tunnel?
4. Why is the Inventing Room the most important room to Wonka?
5. What is special about the Everlasting Gobstopper?
Paired Resource
“The Cultural History of Candy”
- This article discusses the history of candy in the United States, from its early medicinal uses to its more modern significance in holidays like Halloween.
- Shared themes include Magic and Wonder and Greed and Gluttony Will Be Punished.
- What connections do you see between the meaning, benefits, and drawbacks of candy as it is discussed in this interview and the world of Wonka?
- In this song from a musical adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka introduces himself to the audience.
- Shared themes include Magic and Wonder and Kindness and Patience Will Be Rewarded.
- How does this version of Willy Wonka compare with the Willy Wonka in Roald Dahl’s novel? How does the song add to his characterization?
CHAPTERS 21-30
Reading Check
1. Who sorts the nuts into good walnuts and bad walnuts?
2. Which room does Mike choose in the elevator?
3. What is Wonka trying to send through the television?
4. Who can Charlie, Wonka, and Grandpa Joe see from the glass elevator?
5. What prize does Charlie win?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What is special about the gum Wonka has made?
2. What happens to Violet?
3. What excuse does Wonka give as he rushes the visitors through the factory?
4. What happens to Mike when he tries to be sent through the television?
5. Where does Charlie tell his family they are going after the glass elevator collides with their home?
Paired Resource
“Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory Official Trailer”
- The is the original 1971 trailer for the film based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
- Shared themes include Greed and Gluttony Will Be Punished, Kindness and Patience Will Be Rewarded, and Magic and Wonder.
- How does this trailer compare to the book? What might the movie studio have wanted to market about this story?
Recommended Next Reads
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl
- The sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory shows what happens after Charlie wins his grand prize.
- Shared themes include Greed and Gluttony Will Be Punished and Magic and Wonder.
- Shared topics include candy making, greed, and kindness.
- Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator on SuperSummary
Something Close to Magic by Emma Mills
- In this young adult novel, a 17-year-old baker’s apprentice named Aurelie embarks on a magical adventure after a stranger gives her a set of Seeking stones.
- Shared themes include Magic and Wonder and Kindness and Patience Will Be Rewarded.
- Shared topics include sweets, adventure, and living one’s dream.
Reading Questions Answer Key
CHAPTERS 1-10
Reading Check
1. Charlie, his parents, and both sets of his grandparents (Chapter 1)
2. He screws toothpaste lids on. (Chapter 1)
3. Unmeltable ice cream, candies that change color, or one of Wonka’s other candies (Chapter 2)
4. Five (Chapter 5)
5. Augustus Gloop (Chapter 6)
Short Answer
1. Charlie is jealous because he has to ration the one chocolate bar his family can afford each year. (Chapter 1)
2. The prince ate his palace too quickly, and it melted. (Chapter 3)
3. Wonka initially closed his factory because spies were stealing his recipes. (Chapter 4).
4. Veruca found a ticket because her father commissioned the workers of his peanut factory to unwrap thousands of chocolate bars. (Chapter 6)
5. Charlie is able to purchase a second chocolate bar because his grandfather saved some money and set it aside for him. (Chapter 9)
CHAPTERS 11-20
Reading Check
1. Grandpa Joe (Chapter 12)
2. A lifetime supply of chocolate (Chapter 12)
3. Chocolate (Chapter 15)
4. The Inventing Room, the Fudge Room, the Cream Room, the Whip Room, the Juicing Room, the Chocolate Room, or another room listed in the factory (Chapters 17-19)
5. Chewing gum (Chapter 20)
Short Answer
1. After Charlie finds a dollar bill in the snow, he uses it to buy two more chocolate bars; his Golden Ticket is in the second bar. (Chapter 11)
2. He falls into the chocolate river and gets sucked into a pipe. (Chapter 17)
3. The families scream aboard the pink boat as they go through the Dark Tunnel. (Chapter 18)
4. It is where new chocolates are invented. (Chapter 19)
5. The Everlasting Gobstopper changes colors but never gets smaller. (Chapter 19)
CHAPTERS 21-30
Reading Check
1. Squirrels (Chapter 24)
2. The Television-Chocolate Room (Chapter 25)
3. Chocolate bars (Chapter 26)
4. The other four children (Chapter 28)
5. The chocolate factory (Chapter 30)
Short Answer
1. The gum is a three-course meal. (Chapter 21)
2. She turns into a large blue ball. (Chapter 21)
3. He says that they have no time to slow down. (Chapters 22-23)
4. He gets smaller. (Chapter 26)
5. He says that they are going to the “most wonderful place in the world.” (Chapter 30, Page 155)
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