The BFG GCSE Quiz (With Answers)

Q1 of 15

The BFG speaks in a unique, muddled way ('human beans', 'whizzpopping'). What does this use of language suggest about his character?

• His language is comic, and
• His language reveals he is self-educated, creative and endearing
• He is uneducated and inferior
• He is stupid stupid

Q2 of 15

How does Dahl use the difference between the BFG and the other giants to explore ideas about what it means to be 'civilised'?

• The BFG's refusal to eat humans and his love of dreams suggest civilisation is defined by empathy and kindness, not size or strength
• The BFG is nicer, and
• All giants are equal
• The other giants are monsters, and

Q3 of 15

What might Sophie represent in the novel — and what does her relationship with the BFG suggest about unlikely friendships?

• She is just a child character
• Sophie represents courage, intelligence and openness
• She is a plot device
• Sophie represents orphans

Q4 of 15

Why is it significant that the BFG is an outcast among his own kind because he refuses to eat humans? What theme does this explore?

• Giant society is cruel
• It makes him seem weak
• It makes the story funny
• It explores moral courage

Q5 of 15

How does Dahl's description of Giant Country create atmosphere, and what does its bleakness represent?

• The barren, colourless landscape mirrors the moral emptiness of the other giants
• Giants like bare landscapes
• It is realistic geography
• It is just a setting

Q6 of 15

The BFG is described as 'the runt' among giants. How does Dahl use this status to develop themes of being different?

• Being smallest makes the BFG vulnerable but also morally exceptional
• The other giants are jealous
• It is just a physical detail
• He is not particularly small

Q7 of 15

The scene with the Queen is comic but also subversive. What is Dahl suggesting about authority and power?

• The Queen is brilliant
• The Queen is the hero
• Dahl playfully deflates the mystique of monarchy
• Authority is always reliable

Q8 of 15

Dreams are central to The BFG. What might Dahl be suggesting about the importance of imagination and dreams for children?

• Dreams are literal plot devices
• Dreams represent the inner life, imagination and hope
• Dreams are sleep events, and
• Dreams cause problems

Q9 of 15

How does Sophie's background as an orphan shape her bravery and adaptability in the story?

• Her background is irrelevant, a reading that locates the novel's meaning in its historical and personal context rather than in its literary structure
• Having survived without family protection, Sophie has learnt self-reliance and resourcefulness, making her better equipped for the adventure
• Orphans are always brave
• Dahl needed a lonely character, and

Q10 of 15

The other giants are named for their appetite for humans. What does this naming convention suggest about Dahl's view of moral character?

• Dahl liked unusual names, and
• Character is revealed through what one consumes and desires
• Names are symbolic in fairy tales, and
• Names are random

Q11 of 15

What is the effect of having a child (Sophie) be the one to devise the plan to stop the giants, rather than an adult?

• It was a lazy plot device
• Children are cleverer
• Adults are all incompetent
• It empowers the reader

Q12 of 15

At the end, the BFG writes a book. Why might Dahl have chosen this as the BFG's gift — and what does it say about literacy and self-expression?

• The BFG was always clever
• It was a practical choice
• Writing allows the BFG to fully express himself in his own voice
• Books are useful, and

Q13 of 15

How does the BFG's treatment of Sophie contrast with how adult authority figures in Dahl's work typically treat children?

• Most adults in Dahl are kind
• Unlike most Dahl adults who neglect or oppress children, the BFG listens, protects and treats Sophie as an equal
• There is no contrast
• The BFG is gentle, and

Q14 of 15

Frobscottle bubbles go downwards rather than upwards. What does this inversion of the normal suggest about the world of the story?

• It is purely silly
• Inversion is a central comic and thematic device
• It is a scientific fact
• The bubbles are magic

Q15 of 15

The BFG has enormous ears and a highly developed sense of smell. How does Dahl use sensory perception to develop his character and the story's magic?

• The BFG's heightened senses make him a listener and observer
• His ears are funny, and
• He is like a dog
• It is just physical description