Question

Read the excerpt from Matilda by Roald Dahl.

"I . . . I . . . I simply put the fourteen down in my head and multiply it by nineteen," Matilda said. "I'm afraid I don't know how else to explain it. I've always said to myself that if a little pocket calculator can do it why shouldn't I?"

Matilda's words in this excerpt reveal that she

is able to do a lot more than multiplication tables.
is uncomfortable and ashamed of her unusual talents.
has no idea why she has such a special talent.
has a dislike for technology such as the pocket calculator.

Answer 1

has no idea why she has such a special talent.

She says, "I'm afraid I don't know how else to explain it," and compares herself to a calculator—showing she can't explain or understand why she can do it, not that she's ashamed or dislikes technology.