In honor of Roald Dahl’s birthday (September 13), I decided to host a Dahl trivia contest. Participants were asked to send me their answers to the seventeen questions below. Congratulations to Marvin Winitz, who was the only person to get all seventeen answers correct! He’ll receive a copy of Mel Stuart’s new book Pure Imagination: The Making of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Read on to see the correct answers…
1. What was the title and who was the real author of the book the BFG used to teach himself to read? “Nicholas Nickleby” by Charles Dickens
2. How many witches were living in England before their last annual general meeting? 85
3. What’s the Norwegian name of the burnt toffee ice cream Roald loved to eat as a boy on holiday? krokan
4. What did Miss Arabella Prewt generously donate to the Nibbleswicke church? 100 new hassocks
5. In which factory storeroom does Willy Wonka store his hair cream? store room #54
6. Which day did the Twits have Bird Pie for supper? Wednesday
7. What was the name of the Chief Hotel Manager for Space Hotel U.S.A.? Mr. Walter W. Wall
8. The path to Miss Honey’s cottage always reminds her of a poem by which poet? Dylan Thomas
9. What was the full name of the nurse whose voice Roald fell in love with during his recuperation in Alexandria? Mary Welland
10. Which teacher ended up with long black whiskers and a bushy cat’s tail? Mrs. Winter
11. How many pheasants did Danny’s grandfather poach on his most successful attempt? 15
12. How many glowing green crystals did the Centipede swallow? 3
13. Which little girl chose to ride on the Enormous Crocodile when he hid on the merry-go-round? Jill
14. Which great river runs across the Duke of Hampshire’s estate and is full of salmon? River Hamp
15. Who taught Mr. Hoppy the secret of backwards tortoise language? Bedoin tribesman
16. What color is sheepdip (“for sheep with sheep rot and getting rid of ticks and fleas”)? red
17. What is the name of Mr. Bean’s rather large maid? Mabel