Chapter 7: The Invention of Vita-Wonk

NCERT Textbook Questions & Answers

Working With The Text

1. What is Wonka-Vit? What is its effect?

   Wonka-Vit is Mr. Willy Wonka's previous invention. Its effect is to make people younger. However, it was too potent; it made some people so young that they became infants, or even went into "minus ages," meaning they vanished or had to wait years to be born.

2. What is Mr. Wonka looking for?

   Mr. Wonka is looking for the oldest living things on Earth. He wants to extract the "essence" of their extreme old age to create a new invention called Vita-Wonk, which will make people older, thereby reversing the effects of Wonka-Vit.

3. Name some of the things Mr. Wonka collects.

   Mr. Wonka collects a variety of bizarre and ancient things, including: sap from a 4000-year-old Bristlecone pine, toe-nail clippings from a 168-year-old Russian farmer, a quart of quokkas, the tail of a 51-year-old horse, whiskers of a 36-year-old cat, an old flea from the cat, the tail of a 207-year-old giant Grizzel Wump, a 700-year-old tortoise's egg, and the black teeth of a 99-year-old Oompa Loompa, among others.

4. What happens to the Oompa Loompa who drinks Vita-Wonk?

   The Oompa Loompa who drinks Vita-Wonk immediately begins to shrivel and wrinkle. His hair falls out, his teeth drop out, and his skin becomes like a prune. Within seconds, he transforms from a twenty-year-old into a seventy-five-year-old Oompa Loompa.

5. Think as a detective.
   1. (i) What do you think Mr. Wonka is? (Choose the correct option.)
      • (a) a chef
      • (b) a cook
      • (c) an inventor
      • (d) a manager

      The correct option is (c) **an inventor**.

   2. (ii) Why is he making people older?

      He is making people older to counteract the effects of his previous invention, Wonka-Vit, which made people too young, sometimes even causing them to vanish or go into minus ages. He needs Vita-Wonk to bring them back to their correct age.

   3. (iii) Give an example of his being a good detective.

      Mr. Wonka is a good detective because he meticulously researches and travels across the globe to find the oldest living things. He understands that to invent a powerful aging formula, he must gather ingredients that inherently possess extreme longevity, showing his keen investigative skills in pursuit of a solution.

Extra Questions & Answers

Short Answer Questions (30-40 words)

1. What was the most alarming side effect of Wonka-Vit?

   The most alarming side effect of Wonka-Vit was that it made some people so young that they went into "minus ages," meaning they effectively disappeared from existence or had to wait decades to be born again, such as the man who turned minus eighty-seven.

2. How did Mr. Wonka plan to find the ingredients for Vita-Wonk?

   Mr. Wonka planned to find the ingredients for Vita-Wonk by travelling the world in his Great Glass Elevator. He intended to collect small pieces or essences from the oldest living things on Earth, believing their longevity would provide the key to his new formula.

3. Name two real things and two imaginary things from Wonka's ingredient list.

   Two real things Mr. Wonka collected are: sap from a Bristlecone pine tree and toe-nail clippings from a Russian farmer. Two imaginary things are: the tail of a giant Grizzel Wump and the knucklebones of a Gizzardpil.

4. What was the Oompa Loompa's age before he took Vita-Wonk? What was his age after?

   The Oompa Loompa's age before he took Vita-Wonk was twenty years old. After taking the four drops of Vita-Wonk, he instantly transformed into a seventy-five-year-old Oompa Loompa.

5. What does Mr. Wonka's reaction to his invention's success tell you about him?

   Mr. Wonka's ecstatic reaction ("It's Vita-Wonk! It's Wonk-Vit! It's the greatest invention!") tells us he is highly passionate, dramatic, and proud of his inventions. His enthusiasm is boundless, and he sees his creations as triumphs of ingenuity, even when they have absurd or drastic effects.

Long Answer Questions (80-100 words)

1. Describe the process Mr. Wonka followed to create Vita-Wonk.

   To create Vita-Wonk, Mr. Wonka first identified the problem: reversing extreme youth caused by Wonka-Vit. His solution involved collecting essences from the oldest living things globally. He travelled in his Great Glass Elevator, gathering diverse and peculiar ingredients, from the sap of ancient trees to the tail of fictional creatures, and even parts of extremely old animals and humans. These collected items were then brought to his inventing room, where he boiled and bubbled them in a gigantic pot, meticulously mixing and experimenting until the dark, oily liquid known as Vita-Wonk was finally produced.

2. How does Roald Dahl's writing style make "The Invention of Vita-Wonk" an engaging read?

   Roald Dahl's writing style makes "The Invention of Vita-Wonk" highly engaging through his use of vivid imagery, outlandish concepts, and a conversational, humorous tone. He employs hyperbole, such as a man turning "minus eighty-seven," to create comedic effect and emphasize the extremity of Wonka-Vit's power. The list of bizarre ingredients is a testament to his fertile imagination, sparking curiosity and amusement. His straightforward yet energetic narration, coupled with Mr. Wonka's eccentric dialogue and dramatic actions, ensures that the reader is constantly entertained and drawn into the fantastical world of Wonka's inventions.

3. What does this chapter tell us about Mr. Wonka's personality as an inventor?

   This chapter reveals Mr. Wonka as an exceptionally brilliant, imaginative, and highly eccentric inventor. He is a problem-solver who thinks big and unconventionally, willing to undertake a global quest for unusual ingredients. He is undeterred by the outlandish nature of his methods or the potential dangers of his experiments. Wonka displays immense passion and enthusiasm for his work, celebrating his success dramatically. His self-confidence borders on arrogance, yet it is backed by his remarkable ability to create potent and unique inventions. He is a visionary driven by curiosity and the thrill of creation, rather than conventional logic or safety precautions.