The house wasn’t nearly large enough for so many people, and life was extremely uncomfortable for them all. There were only two rooms in the place altogether, and there was only one bed.
The bed was given to the four old grandparents because they were so old and tired. They were so tired, they never got out of it.

Mr Bucket was the only person in the family with a job. He worked in a toothpaste factory, where he sat all day long at a bench and screwed the little caps onto the tops of the tubes of toothpaste after the tubes had been filled. But a toothpaste cap screwer is never paid very much money, and poor Mr Bucket, however hard he worked, and however fast he screwed on the caps, was never able to make enough money to buy one half of the things that so large a family needed. There wasn’t even enough money to buy proper food for them all. The only meals they could afford were bread and margarine for breakfast, boiled potatoes and cabbage for lunch, and cabbage soup for supper. Sundays were a bit better. They all looked forward to Sundays because then, although they had exactly the same, everyone was allowed a second helping.

Answer these questions:

1. How do you know the family is poor? Describe the house in your own words.
2. Why was Mr Bucket’s job so boring?
3. What meals were the family able to eat?
4. Who slept in the bed?
5. Describe the family members in your own words.
6. Why did the family look forward to a Sunday?
7. What do you think the author (Roald Dahl) wants us to feel at this point in the story?