Study Guide/ Portfolio

Holes - Louis Sachar

Student Name:

Teacher Name:

Unit title: ​Novel Study

Key concept:​ Perspective
Related concepts: ​Character, Theme, Setting, Context
Statement of Inquiry:​ Authors communicate social and political themes in works of fiction
which enables readers to make connections with human experiences, histories and explore
rights and responsibilities through the study of the context, themes, characters and setting.

DIRECTIONS:
The following questions and activities are of your student portfolio and will be assessed
using the MYP assessment criteria for grade 8. Use your book to find these answers and
make sure that you CITE page numbers. You will be tested on this book and have a follow
up 2-3 major online assessments. All questions must be answered according to your
teacher’s published due dates in google classrooms.

1
Elements of the Novel
SETTING
The novel takes place at a boys’ juvenile detention center situated in the dried up bed of a
fictional lake in Texas. Most of the story is set in contemporary time, around the end of the
1990’s. There are flashbacks to the town of Green Lake, which existed one hundred ten
years earlier before the lake dried up. (Note: There is an actual Green Lake, one of the
largest lakes in Texas, southwest of Port Lavaca, but the real town of Green Lake was all but
abandoned after the Civil War.) There are also flashbacks to a village in Latvia in the
mid-1800’s.

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CHARACTER LIST
Major Characters
Stanley Yelnats

He is the fifteen-year-old main character, the protagonist of the novel. His family has a
history of bad luck, and accordingly, Stanley is wrongfully convicted of stealing, and is sent
to the detention center, Camp Green Lake. He arrives there an overweight boy with low
self-esteem, but after befriending Zero and surviving the ordeals in and around Camp Green
Lake, he leaves with tremendous physical and emotional strength.

Zero (Hector Zeroni)

He is a quiet, strong willed boy who is at the detention center with Stanley. He is good at
digging. The other campers and the counselors think he is too stupid to do anything else. In
reality, Zero is smart and very quick with numbers, but he is uneducated due to
homelessness. Stanley teaches Zero to read and the two boys become best friends. It is this
friendship that enables them to survive.

Minor Characters
Mr. Sir

He is the mean, antagonistic counselor at Camp Green Lake. He is cruel and sarcastic,
always reminding the boys that they are not at a “Girl Scout Camp.”

Mr. Pendanski

He seems the nicer of the counselors at first, but he turns out to be mean spirited. He
regularly taunts and berates Zero, and jokes that the holes could be graves for Stanley and
Zero.

The Warden

She is the embodiment of cruel authority. She runs Camp Green Lake with rewards and
threats, showing no concern for the suffering of others. She is the granddaughter of Charles
and Linda Walker, and though she says the boys are digging to “build character”, they are
really digging for the treasure that her ancestors never found.

X-Ray, Squid, Magnet, Armpit, Zigzag

These are the other boys at the camp. They have established an arbitrary hierarchy for the
boys in Group D, with X-Ray at the top, and Zero at the bottom. Like the Warden, they use
rewards and threats as their system of control.

3
Elya Yelnats

He is Stanley’s “no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather”. The story flashes

back to his village in Latvia where, at the age of fifteen, Elya accidentally breaks a promise
to the gypsy, Madame Zeroni. This brings bad luck to the Yelnats family for generations to
come.

Madame Zeroni

She is the one-footed gypsy who gave Elya Yelnats a pig with which to win the hand of his
love. When Elya broke his promise to carry her up the mountain to drink where the “water
runs uphill”, Madame Zeroni cursed the Yelnats family. The curse is broken because of the
friendship between Stanley and Madame Zeroni’s descendant, Hector Zeroni (Zero).

Katherine Barlow

She was the schoolteacher in the town of Green Lake one hundred ten years ago. She was
a kind woman, famous for her spiced peaches. She kissed Sam, a black man, causing the
townspeople to burn down the school and murder her love. She then became the outlaw,
Kissin’ Kate Barlow, who robbed Stanley’s great-grandfather. Her preserved peaches lasted
until Zero found them under the remains of Sam’s boat.

Sam, the onion man

He grew and sold onions and medicines made from onions in the town of Green Lake. He
repaired the schoolhouse for Katherine, who fell in love with this kind, strong man. However,
since he was black, it was against the law for him to be with Katherine. When they kissed it
caused a riot in the town and he was murdered. His onions were still growing one hundred
ten years later on the far side of the lake, where Stanley and Zero would find them.

Charles “Trout” Walker

He was an arrogant, stupid man in Green Lake who thought he could have anything
because of his money. He could not have Katherine Barlow and this angered him. He led the
riot into the schoolhouse and murdered Sam.

Stanley Yelnats I

He was Elya Yelnats’ son,

Stanley’s great-grandfather.
After being robbed in the
desert by Kissin’ Kate
Barlow, he climbed “God’s
thumb” and survived there
until his rescue.

4
CONFLICT
Protagonist

The protagonist is Stanley, around whose ordeals the story centers. ​Holes ​is about how he
overcomes his problems, both those created inside of him and the ones imposed upon him
at Camp Green Lake. He grows stronger, physically and emotionally, and emerges a happy,
confident young man.

Antagonist

The antagonist is not an individual person, but the severe conditions and people at Camp
Green Lake. Stanley struggles at first to survive then eventually to prevail over the injustice
there. Ultimately, he fulfills his destiny and breaks the family curse through his friendship
with Zero and their experiences together at Camp Green Lake.

Climax

When the other boys see that Zero is digging part of Stanley’s holes the stress level
increases. The resulting fight causes Zero to run away and forces Stanley to take a stand.
The climax occurs when Stanley attempts to steal the water truck and ends up running away
to find Zero.

Outcome

Stanley finds Zero and their friendship is proven as they survive together on “God’s thumb”.
They return to Camp Green Lake intent on finding Kissin’ Kate Barlow’s treasure and
escaping. There the friendship endures one last test as Stanley refuses to leave Camp
Green Lake without Zero.

THEMES
The predominant theme is how fate and history impact everyday life. From the moment
“destiny’s shoes” land on Stanley we are shown that situations and events have been falling
into place for over one hundred years, ultimately putting Stanley in the right place at the right
time. Another strong theme is the value of friendship. The system of threats and rewards at
Camp Green Lake accomplishes nothing, but the bond between Stanley and Zero earns
them freedom and fortune. The third theme evokes compassion for victims of social injustice
who have been misjudged. Characters who are at first presented as bad people seem not so
bad once the reader knows their stories.

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MOOD
There is a mood of hardship and confusion in ​Holes. ​The characters are often struggling with
issues of which they do not have full knowledge. Stanley does not know where the sneakers
came from or what will happen to him at Camp Green Lake, but he must endure that
miscarriage of justice. Zero submits to taunting and cruelty from people who do not know
how smart he is or why he is so quiet. Elya Yelnats does not realize how empty headed the
girl he fell for is and it devastates him. Katherine Barlow does not know how severely the
townspeople will react to the kiss, but the results are disastrous. In each instance, the way
other people behave is a source of bewilderment and then suffering. The shifting of time
frames used by the author intensifies this mood, as the reader always has more information
than the characters.

6
Character Tracking
Complete the following table, adding characters and updating their descriptions as we read
the novel.

Characters Nickname Description

7
Vocabulary Section
Chapters 1-10
Word Meaning Using the word in a sentence

perseverance

desolate

seemingly

excavated

reluctantly

Chapters 11-22
Word Meaning Using the word in a sentence

intently

presumably

callused

writhed

agony

defiance

Chapters 23-33
Word Meaning Using the word in a sentence

sparingly

Vile

Barren

feeble

Cautious

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Chapters 33-43
Word Meaning Using the word in a sentence

Parched

contritely

delirious

coincidence

inexplicable

Distinctive

Chapters 43-50
Word Meaning Using the word in a sentence

precarious

suppress

strenuous

Indefinitely

justification

Neutralizes

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Chapter Questions
Part One--You Are Entering Camp Green Lake

Chapters One & Two

1. Explain the irony in the name Camp Green Lake.

A.
2. Why will campers sometimes permit themselves to be bitten by a rattlesnake or a
scorpion?
A.
3. What is the significance of the phrase, "The Warden owns the shade"?
A.
4. Why does the narrator suggest that if someone is bitten by a yellow-spotted lizard they
might as well lie in the hammock.
A.
5. Why did Camp Green Lake always manage to find campers despite the appalling
conditions?
A.
6. What choices did the judge give Stanley?
A.

Chapters Three & Four

1. Why did Stanley have a box of stationery?

A.
2. How do we know that Stanley was very unhappy at home?
A.
3. How did Mrs. Bell inadvertently embarrass Stanley?
A.
4. Briefly explain the curse of the one-legged Gypsy.
A.
5. Why did Stanley's apartment smell of burning rubber and foot odor?
A.
6. What did everyone in the family like about Stanley Yelnat's name?
A.
7. Explain the abundance of sunflower seeds on the floor by the desk.
A.
8. How did the guard wish to be addressed by Stanley?
A.
9. Explain how the laundry was done.
A.
10. What instructions did the guard give to Stanley concerning digging?
A.

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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?
A.

Chapters Five & Six

1. Why was Mr. Sir in such a bad mood?

A.
2. According to Counselor Pendanski, what one rule should Stanley always remember?
A.
3. Why was Stanley reluctant to tell Mr. Pendanski that he was innocent?
A.
4. What nickname did the boys in Stanley's tent use for Mr. Pendanski?
A.
5. Why was Stanley surprised that Theodore insisted on being called Armpit?
A.
6. For what crime was Stanley sent to Camp Green Lake?
A.
7. Briefly describe Stanley's version of the theft.
A.
8. What did the judge think?
A.

Chapter Seven & Eight

1. How do we know that Stanley is not accustomed to hard physical work?

A.
2. Why might X-Ray have preferred a shorter shovel?
A.
3. How did Stanley's weight help him for once in his life?
A.
4. Why did the digging get easier for Stanley as the hole got deeper?
A.
5. Who was Elya Yelnats?
A.
6. Describe Madame Zeroni.
A.
7. What advice did Madame Zeroni offer Elya about Myra Menke?
A.
8. Why did Madame Zeroni give Elya a piglet?
A.
9. Explain Madame Zeroni's curse.
A.
10. Why did Elya refuse to choose a number in order to win Myra's hand in marriage?
A.

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11. How might the counsellors have punished Stanley if he had refused to finish digging the
hole?
A.
12. What warning did Magnet give Stanley as he headed off to select a bathroom?
A.
13. What did Elya remember as his ship was clearing the harbor?
A.
14. What did Zero do after he had finished digging his hole?
A.
15. How was Sarah Miller different from Myra Menke?
A.
16. What does Stanley discover upon completing his first hole?
A.
17. What would probably happen if you were ever close enough to see the yellow dots on a
yellow-spotted lizard?
A.

Chapter Nine & Ten

1. Explain why the sign on the rec room said wreck room.
A.
2. Why in X-Ray's opinion was the second hole the hardest to dig?
A.
3. Why is Stanley's letter home so comical?
A.
4. Give proof that Stanley has learned from his previous day of digging.
A.
5. Why did Stanley refer to the fossil as his miracle?
A.

Chapter Eleven & Twelve

1. What did X-Ray ask Stanley to do the next time he found something interesting?
A.
2. How did X-Ray get his nickname?
A.
3. Why was Stanley surprised that X-Ray was the leader of the group?
A.
4. Why was Stanley glad to be called Caveman?
A.
5. What was Mr. Pendanski doing when Stanley finally dragged himself back to the
compound?
A.
6. What caused the smile to disappear from Zero's face?
A.

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Chapter Thirteen & Fourteen

1. Why was Stanley reluctant at first to retrieve the glistening object from the pile of dirt?
A.
2. Describe the object that Stanley had found.
A.
3. How did Stanley respond when ZigZag asked to examine the gold tube?
A.
4. What advice did Stanley offer X-Ray about showing the tube to the Warden?
A.
5. What occurs when the water truck arrives that indicates Stanley's status in the group of
boys is improving?
A.
6. Describe the Warden.
A.
7. Why was Stanley surprised when the Warden addressed him as Caveman?
A.
8. What instructions did the Warden give to Mr. Pendanski?
A.
9. X-Ray had waited until the next day to reveal the discovery of the gold tube. Why is this
time lag significant?
A.

Chapter Fifteen & Sixteen

1. Why was the Warden treating the campers so well?

A.
2. Why was Stanley so sure he wouldn't find anything despite his careful search through the
dirt dug up by Zero?
A.
3. According to ZigZag how did the Warden know all their names?
A.
4. Why did Stanley decide against digging at night?
A.
5. Why did Zero not get the joke about the old lady who lived in a shoe?
A.

Chapter Seventeen & Eighteen

1. What indications are there that the Warden is growing impatient?

A.
2. Explain Stanley's sudden collapse.
A.
3. Why was Stanley relieved when the boys returned to their regular spot to dig?
A.

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4. Why did Stanley not have to worry about Zero reading over
his shoulder?
A.
5. How do we know that more than just Stanley's hands had
become callused during his stay at the camp?
A.

Chapter Nineteen & Twenty

1. Why was Stanley having difficulty sleeping?

A.
2. Describe the racial makeup of Stanley's work crew.
A.
3. How did Magnet get his nickname?
A.
4. Why did Stanley get blamed for stealing from Mr. Sir?
A.
5. Predict the consequences for Stanley's misdeed.
A.
6. What is the secret ingredient of the Warden's nail polish?
A.
7. Explain the unusual turn of events in the Warden's cabin.
A.

Chapter Twenty-One & Twenty-Two

1. What did the Warden mean when she said that unfortunately for Stanley, Mr. Sir would
live?
A.
2. Why would the snakes be dangerous without a rattle?
A.
3. Why was Stanley surprised when he returned to his hole?
A.
4. How was Stanley able to determine who had helped him?
A.
5. Explain what Stanley meant by Zero having X-Ray vision.
A.
6. What did Stanley offer to do for Zero?
A.
7. What did Stanley discover as he attempted to teach Zero the alphabet?
A.
8. What insight did Stanley suddenly have about the gold tube in the Warden's office?
A.

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Chapter Twenty-Three & Twenty-Four

1. Describe Green Lake as it was one hundred and ten years ago.
A.
2. Who was Katherine Barlow?
A.
3. Why was Charlie Walker called Trout Walker?
A.
4. Explain why Katherine Barlow may have refused Trout's offer to take her for a ride on his
new boat.
A.
5. Why did Stanley keep his eyes down as Mr. Sir ladled oatmeal into his bowl?
A.
6. How did Mr. Sir respond to the young boy's question about his swollen face?
A.
7. How did Mr. Sir punish Stanley?
A.

Chapter Twenty-Five & Twenty-Six

1. According to Sam what could onions cure?

A.
2. Explain why Doc Hawthorn didn't resent Sam.
A.
3. Why did Doc Hawthorn's head often smell like onions in the morning?
A.
4. Why wasn't Sam allowed to attend classes?
A.
5. What did Hattie Parker mean when she said, "God will punish you"?
A.
6. Why did the student not show up to school the next day?
A.
7. Describe what happened to Sam.
A.
8. Explain how Katherine Barlow acquired the reputation as "Kissin' Kate Barlow".
A.

Chapter Twenty-Seven & Twenty-Eight

1. Explain what X-Ray meant when he told Armpit, "It's the same old story".
A.
2. Explain why Stanley emptied his canteen onto the ground despite being extremely thirsty.
A.
3. What is Zero's real name and why is it significant?
A.
4. Who returned to Green Lake after a twenty year absence?

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 A.
5. What had happened to Trout Walker during this twenty year period?
A.
6. Why were Linda and Trout terrorizing Katherine Barlow?
A.
7. Explain how Kate died.
A.

Part Two--The Last Hole

Chapter Twenty-Nine & Thirty

1. What did Stanley believe he had seen for a split second during a flash of lightning?
A.
2. What had Stanley's great grandfather allegedly said after being robbed by Kate Barlow?
A.
3. Why did Mr. Pendanski fire his pistol into the air?
A.
4. How did the Warden react when she discovered that Zero was digging Stanley's holes?
A.
5. How did Zero react when when Mr. Pendanski handed Zero the shovel and told him it was
all he would ever be good for?
A.
6. Explain what the Warden meant when she said it was almost time to paint her nails again.
A.

Chapter Thirty-One & Thirty-Two

1. Where did Stanley think that Zero might have taken refuge?
A.
2. Why does the Warden repeatedly ask Mr. Pendanski if Zero (Hector Zeroni) had any
family or social worker who might have taken an interest in him?
A.
3. Why was the new boy given the nickname Twitch?
A.
4. What was the new boy's claim to fame?
A.
5. Why did Stanley steal Mr. Sir's truck?
A.
6. Explain what happened when Stanley stole the truck?
A.

Chapter Thirty-Three & Thirty-Four

1. Why did Stanley think that he might have to return to the camp?
A.
2. Why did Stanley's heart stop when he peered into the bottom of one of the holes?

16
 A.
3. What did Stanley have for lunch?
A.
4. Explain why the pool of water kept moving away from Stanley.
A.
5. Describe what Stanley found while walking across the dry and barren wasteland.
A.

Chapter Thirty-Five & Thirty-Six

1. Who was under the boat?

A.
2. Explain what you think the sploosh might be.
A.
3. What evidence is there that Barf Bag may have purposely stepped on a rattlesnake?
A.
4. Why did the boys make frequent stops as they walked across the lake?
A.
5. According to Zero how did the boat probably get its name?
A.
6. What did the boys see when they finally reached the western edge of the lake?
A.

Chapter Thirty-Seven & Thirty-Eight

1. Why was Stanley reluctant to stop and rest?

A.
2. What conclusion did Stanley make after seeing all the weeds and bugs?
A.
3. How does Zero make it up the final portion of the climb to the top?
A.
4. What two important discoveries does Stanley make after tumbling into the gully?
A.

Chapter Thirty-Nine & Forty

1. Why did the insides of Stanley's mouth and throat feel like they were coated with sand?
2. What does Zero say that causes Stanley to believe that his friend is delirious?
3. Explain why Mrs. Tennyson was wearing only a nightgown and a robe as she ran down
the street after Sam.
4. Why did Hattie Parker blush when Gladys Tennyson mentioned that her daughter, Becca,
had almost died from eating some bad meat?
5. What surprised Stanley when he headed down the mountain looking for the shovel?

Chapter Forty-One & Forty-Two

17
1. Why was Stanley so surprised that he hadn't gotten sick despite the drinking the sploosh
and dirty water or from living on onions?
2. Why did Zero avoid the homeless shelters?
3. Why did Zero steal when he was young?
4. What did Zero do with Clyde Livingston's shoes when everyone started making a fuss
about them being stolen?
5. Why did Zero fill the bottom of the hole with rocks?
6. Explain the bitter smell that Stanley had first detected upon reaching the top of the hill.
7. Explain how the sneakers had managed to fall on Stanley's head at the beginning of the
story (Chapter Six).
8. What was Stanley alluding to when he asked Zero if he wanted to dig one more hole?

Chapter Forty-Three & Forty-Four

1. Explain the significance of Zero mentioning that his mother had sung a lullaby similar to
the one Stanley's mother had sung to him.
2. Outline what the two boys had planned.
3. Where did Zero get breakfast?
4. What did Stanley uncover in the hole?

18
Chapter Forty-Five & Forty-Six

1. Who was shining the bright light in Stanley's eyes?

2. How do we know that the Warden and Mr. Sir were not expecting the two boys?
3. What terrifying event begins to unfold almost immediately?
4. Explain the Warden's statement, "It won't be very long."
5. Why did Stanley start to think about his mother?
6. Why did the Warden ask the counsellors to relay the message that the "campers" would
no longer have to dig any holes?

Chapter Forty-Seven & Forty-Eight

1. What does Zero do to keep his mind off the lizards during the night?
2. What small but important piece of information do we glean about the Warden in this
chapter?
3. Whose name was on the suitcase and how can it be used to describe Zero's behavior
during the night?
4. What did Ms Morengo advise Stanley to do when the Warden ordered him to open the
suitcase?
5. Do you think she gave him good advice? Explain your answer.
6. Why did Mr. Pendanski hesitate (stared at her) when the Warden ordered him to get
Hector Zeroni's file?

Chapter Forty-Nine

1. Why does the author relate the story of the rattlesnake hunters at the beginning of this
chapter?
2. Ms Morengo advises Zero not to admit that he has stolen Clyde (Sweet Feet) Johnson's
sneakers. Do you agree with her advice? Explain your answer.
3. Describe the new product that Stanley's father has just invented.
4. What happens at Green Lake for the first time in over a hundred years?

Part Three--Filling in the Holes

Chapter Fifty

1. Explain the curse and how it was resolved

2. What did they find in the suitcase that proved to be very valuable?
3. What was the new foot odor product called?
4. Describe the woman who is singing the lullaby to Hector (Zero) at the end of the story.

19
Plot Diagram:
Create/ Complete your own plot diagram like the one below:

20
Sploosh Advert:
In the space below or using programs such as canva.com, you will create a
poster advert for the new product invented by Stanley's dad called “Sploosh”.
It must include:
- What is it used for?
- The price
- What is it made of?
- Who uses it?

21
Word Search
Complete the following Word Search
You can complete it on: ​https://thewordsearch.com/puzzle/217947/holes-word-search/
Screenshot it and upload it to the assignment.

22
 Assessment Criteria for Student’s
Portfolio
1: Comprehension Questions Criterion A:
i. identify and explain the content, context,
Criterion A: Analysing language, structure, technique and style
of text(s) and the relationships among texts

2: Vocabulary Section i. use appropriate and varied

Criterion D: Using Language vocabulary, sentence
structures and forms of
expression

3: Sploosh Advert Poster Criterion B:

i. employ organizational
Criterion B: Organizing structures that serve the
Criterion C: Producing text context and intention

Criterion C:
ii. make stylistic choices
in terms of linguistic,
literary and visual devices,
demonstrating awareness
of impact on an audience

23
Academic Honesty Form

Student declaration

I confirm that this work is my own and this is the final version. I have acknowledged, in the
body of my work, each use of the words, work or ideas of another person, whether written,
oral or visual (hard copy and/or electronic materials).

Student’s signature (digital):

Date

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