Holes
Answer Key Novel Study Guide
Louis Sachar
Answer all questions in sentence form.
Part One--You Are Entering Camp Green Lake
Chapters One & Two
1. Explain the irony in the name Camp Green Lake.
Camp Green Lake is a dried up lake and as well it is a juvenile correctional facility rather than a real camp.Furthermore, the name is a complete misnomer as hardly anything is green.
2. Why will campers sometimes permit themselves to be bitten by a rattlesnake or a scorpion?
The campers (prisoners) know the bites are usually not fatal so they will sometimes allow themselves to be bitten so that they can spend time recuperating in their tents and not be forced to dig holes in the sweltering heat.
3. What is the significance of the phrase, "The Warden owns the shade"?
It suggests that the Warden is omnipotent controlling everything in the camp and that she doesn't willingly share them with the inmates.
4. Why does the narrator suggest that if someone is bitten by a yellow-spotted lizard they might as well lie in the hammock.
The lizard possesses a fatal venom and so even if the person bitten lies in the hammock, there is very little the Warden can do to punish the victim further.
5. Why did Camp Green Lake always manage to find campers despite the appalling conditions?
Camp Green Lake wasn't a real camp, it was a camp for bad boys.
6. What choices did the judge give Stanley?
He informed Stanley that he could go to jail or to Camp Green Lake.
Vocabulary:wasteland, shriveled, hammock, warden, recovering
Enrichment:Design a title page for your novel.
Write a short biography on the author and examine some of his other novels.
Chapters Three & Four
1. Why did Stanley have a box of stationery?
Stanley's mother had given him the stationery so that he could write her a letter once a week.
2. How do we know that Stanley was very unhappy at home?
Stanley has no friends and his classmates tease him incessantly about his size.
3. How did Mrs. Bell inadvertently embarrass Stanley?
Mrs. Bell embarrassed Stanley by using his size as an example for teaching ratios in math class.
4. Briefly explain the curse of the one-legged Gypsy.
Stanley's great-great-grandfather had allegedly stolen a pig from the Gypsy who in turn placed a curse on Stanley's grandfather and all his descendants.
5. Why did Stanley's apartment smell of burning rubber and foot odor?
The apartment had the strange odor because Stanley's father was trying to invent a way to recycle old sneakers.
6. What did everyone in the family like about Stanley Yelnat's name?
Everyone enjoyed the fact that it was a palindrome--the name when spelled in its entirety was the same frontwards or backwards.There are many examples of palindromes that have been created including: "a man, a plan, a canal, Panama!"Some of the students will use them every day.These include mom, dad, and wow.
7. Explain the abundance of sunflower seeds on the floor by the desk.
The man at the desk had quit smoking and was chewing on sunflower seeds instead.
8. How did the guard wish to be addressed by Stanley?
He insisted that Stanley was to call him Mr. Sir.
9. Explain how the laundry was done.
Each inmate was given two sets of clothes.One set was used for working and the other for leisure until the third day.On the third day the leisure clothes became the work clothes so that the other set of clothes could be washed.
10. What instructions did the guard give to Stanley concerning digging?
Mr. Sir, the counselor (guard), told Stanley that he was to be up at 4:30am for breakfast and that he was to dig a hole every day of the week including Saturday and Sunday.The hole was to measure five feet in every direction including down (depth).He was to use the shovel to measure and furthermore, if he discovered anything interesting he was to report it to one of the counselors.
11. According to Mr. Sir why did none of the campers attempt to escape despite the fact that there were no fences or guard towers?
Mr. Sir told Stanley that there was no water for a hundred miles and that anyone attempting to escape would become buzzard food.
Vocabulary:stationery, obstacle, ratios, convicted, gypsy, curse, descendants, perseverance, neglected, barren, desolate, violation, premises
Enrichment:What is a palindrome?Try and find some palindromes on the internet.With a group of your classmates try and create some of your own.Some students may even wish to work on this project with their parents at home.Be careful!It can be addictive.See who can create the longest palindrome.
Chapters Five & Six
1. Why was Mr. Sir in such a bad mood?
He had been in a bad mood since quitting smoking.
2. According to Counselor Pendanski, what one rule should Stanley always remember?
The one rule to remember at Camp Green Lake was, "Don't upset the Warden."
3. Why was Stanley reluctant to tell Mr. Pendanski that he was innocent?
Stanley realized that his counselor probably wouldn't believe him and furthermore that he would think Stanley had a bad attitude.
4. What nickname did the boys in Stanley's tent use for Mr. Pendanski?
They often referred to him as "Mom".Students may wish to discuss the significance of this and other nicknames mentioned in the chapter.For example, "Mom" suggests someone caring and maternal.Later the reader will see another and darker side of Pendanski's character.Students might also suggest some alternate nicknames for Stanley.
5. Why was Stanley surprised that Theodore insisted on being called Armpit?
He couldn't imagine anybody wanting to be called such a name.
6. For what crime was Stanley sent to Camp Green Lake?
He was accused of stealing a used pair of sneakers formerly owned by a famous baseball player named Clyde (Sweet Feet) Livingston.The sneakers were to be auctioned off to raise money for the homeless.
7. Briefly describe Stanley's version of the theft.
According to Stanley the sneakers fell from the sky although they actually fell from an overpass.Stanley's father was working on an invention to recycle old sneakers and Stanley viewed this as divine intervention.
8. What did the judge think?
The judge did not believe Stanley and sentenced him to eighteen months for what he called a despicable crime.
Vocabulary:spigot, scarcity, prospect, donated, torment, coincidence, mere, humiliating, auctioned, destiny, despicable, vacancies
Enrichment:Draw a cartoon strip representing some aspect of the story.
Pretend you are the judge in Stanley's case.Write out a short sentencing report (maximum two paragraphs) explaining the reasons behind your judgement in the case.Some students may wish to conduct a mock trial.
Chapter Seven & Eight
1. How do we know that Stanley is not accustomed to hard physical work?
His hands are soft and fleshy rather than calloused as one might expect.
2. Why might X-Ray have preferred a shorter shovel?
If in fact his shovel was shorter, which Stanley doubted, it would mean that his hole would not have to be as large since their shovels were used to measure.
3. How did Stanley's weight help him for once in his life?
It helped him dig because when he jumped onto the back of the shovel blade with both feet, it sank a few inches into the earth.
4. Why did the digging get easier for Stanley as the hole got deeper?
The surface of the ground was the hardest having been baked by the hot sun.
5. Who was Elya Yelnats?
He was Stanley's great-great-grandfather who had been born in Latvia.Some students may wish to locate Latvia on an atlas.
6. Describe Madame Zeroni.
She was an old Egytian woman (often considered the origin of the word Gypsy) who loved dispensing advice and telling stories to anyone who would listen.She used a homemade wheelchair as she had no left foot.
7. What advice did Madame Zeroni offer Elya about Myra Menke?
She told Elya that he should forget about Myra as she was a poor choice for a wife.Instead he should go to America where his future lay.
8. Why did Madame Zeroni give Elya a piglet?
It was to help Elya win Myra's hand in marriage.Each day he was to carry the pig to the top of the mountain allowing it to drink from a special stream that ran uphill.As the piglet grew in size so would Elya's strength.On Myra's fifteenth birthday Stanley was to present the pig to Myra's father.Madame Zeroni assured Stanley that it would be larger than Igor's.
9. Explain Madame Zeroni's curse.
Madame Zeroni explained to Elya that he must, as with the piglet, carry her to the top of the mountain stream and sing to her.If not his descendants would be cursed for an eternity.
10. Why did Elya refuse to choose a number in order to win Myra's hand in marriage?
Elya finally realized that Myra was in fact an empty-headed girl and quite unsuited as a potential bride.Instead he simply gave her the pig as a wedding gift.
11. How might the counsellors have punished Stanley if he had refused to finish digging the hole?
Students will have fun discussing a variety of punishments in small groups and then sharing with classmates.Students may suggest anything from digging extra holes (a contradiction really) to spending an extra month or two at the camp.
12. What warning did Magnet give Stanley as he headed off to select a bathroom?
Magnet warned Stanley that whatever hole he chose to use as a latrine should be checked first for anything that might be living in it.
13. What did Elya remember as his ship was clearing the harbor?
Elya recalled his promise to carry Madame Zeroni up the side of the mountain.Although he felt badly that he had forgotten to fulfil his promise to her he didn't appear to worried about her curse as he believed it to be nonsense.
14. What did Zero do after he had finished digging his hole?
He climbed out, spat back into the hole and headed back to the camp compound.
15. How was Sarah Miller different from Myra Menke?
She was in fact a complete contrast but most importantly she could think for herself.
16. What does Stanley discover upon completing his first hole?
He realizes that he doesn't have the strength to climb out of the hole.
17. What would probably happen if you were ever close enough to see the yellow dots on a yellow-spotted lizard?
You would probably die.
Vocabulary:dent, defective, Latvia, confessed, shallow, forlorn, sow, litter, runt, suckle, piglet, assured, descendants, doomed, eternity, deftly, raw, convince, compacted, preposterous, expelling, dawdle, gesture, expanse, staggered, foul, grimaced, footholds
Enrichment:How much is a stone in pounds?Which country still uses this form for measuring a person's weight?Describe the advantages and disadvantages of using this type of measurement system.
The author begins to use a new structure in this chapter.What is this new structure and why might the author have decided to utilize it in his novel?
The author has begun to incorporate another parallel story into the novel--the story of Stanley's grandfather.
Chapter Nine & Ten
1. Explain why the sign on the rec room said wreck room.
Everything in the room looked wrecked including their bodies.
2. Why in X-Ray's opinion was the second hole the hardest to dig?
X-Ray told Stanley that you were tired and worn out before you even started the second hole.
3. Why is Stanley's letter home so comical?
Stanley's letter is comical because he describes everything through rose colored glasses pretending that it is a real honest to goodness summer camp.He even tells his mother that he hopes to go water skiing after he passes the swimming test.
4. Give proof that Stanley has learned from his previous day of digging.
Stanley realizes he must dump the dirt farther from the hole when he begins digging and save the area of ground around the hole for when he digs deeper thus making his task easier.
5. Why did Stanley refer to the fossil as his miracle?
Stanley believed that the fish fossil would be of interest to the Warden and that as a reward he would be given the rest of the day off, just the respite he was looking for from his arduous task.
Vocabulary:sprawled, sofas, dude, radiated, scowled, intensity, vinyl, awesome, arced, bulge
Enrichment:Pretend that you are Stanley and keep a journal making an entry at the end of each chapter.
Chapter Eleven & Twelve
1. What did X-Ray ask Stanley to do the next time he found something interesting?
X-Ray asked Stanley to give him the next interesting thing he found claiming that he was too blind to find anything himself and that it was only fair that he get a day off before Stanley as he had been there much longer.
2. How did X-Ray get his nickname?