Holes Vocabulary | 10 Essential Words | Louis Sachar

Holes - Essential Vocabulary | CramBookNotes
CRAMBOOKNOTES Vocab Series

Essential Vocabulary

Holes by Louis Sachar

Middle School Grades 5-8 10 Key Words Adventure / Mystery - 1998
Need a full summary? Check out our Holes - 5-Minute Cram Notes
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Word List

Word Part of Speech Definition Example from the Book
Destiny noun The events that will happen to a person in the future; a predetermined course of events "The Yelnats family believed they were cursed by destiny - bad luck that followed every generation."
Perseverance noun Continued effort to achieve something despite difficulty; not giving up "Stanley's perseverance in the brutal heat - digging hole after hole - ultimately leads to the discovery that saves him."
Injustice noun Lack of fairness; a situation where people are treated unfairly or denied their rights "The injustice of Stanley's conviction - sent to a detention center for a crime he did not commit - is the novel's starting point."
Curse noun A supernatural cause of ongoing misfortune; a solemn call for harm to befall someone "The Yelnats family curse - traced back to Elya's broken promise to Madame Zeroni - followed every generation."
Redemption noun The action of saving or being saved; making amends; recovering something lost "Stanley carrying Zero up the mountain recreates Elya's unfulfilled promise, breaking the curse and bringing redemption."
Coincidence noun Events happening by apparent chance with no obvious connection; remarkable concurrence "Sachar fills the novel with apparent coincidences - but suggests fate, not chance, is at work."
Arid adjective Having little or no rain; extremely dry "Camp Green Lake was perfectly named in reverse - the arid lakebed was a scorched and lifeless place."
Friendship noun A close relationship built on mutual trust, affection, and support "The friendship between Stanley and Zero is the novel's emotional core and the key to both their survivals."
Consequence noun A result or effect of an action or condition; something that follows from a previous event "Every event in Holes has a consequence that ripples across time - connecting past injustices to present suffering."
Innocence noun The state of not being guilty of a crime; freedom from moral wrongdoing "Stanley's innocence is never in doubt - Sachar makes clear from page one that he did not steal the sneakers."

Vocabulary Video

Watch - Essential Vocabulary from Holes

Practice Quiz

Holes - Vocabulary Quiz

Question 1 of 10

The Yelnats family believed they were cursed by __________ - the bad luck traced back to Elya's broken promise seemed to follow every generation.

Question 2 of 10

Stanley's __________ is tested daily at Camp Green Lake - the heat, the labor, and the injustice would break most people, but he keeps digging.

Question 3 of 10

Sachar uses __________ at every level - Stanley is convicted for a theft he did not commit, Zero is denied education, and the Warden exploits boys as free labor.

Question 4 of 10

The Yelnats family __________ - traced back to Elya's broken promise to Madame Zeroni - is presented as the real explanation for every piece of bad luck.

Question 5 of 10

Stanley carrying Zero up God's Thumb fulfills the promise Elya Yelnats broke generations ago - completing the act of __________ that breaks the family curse.

Question 6 of 10

Sachar uses apparent __________ throughout Holes - but the novel suggests that nothing is truly accidental and every event connects to the family curse.

Question 7 of 10

Camp Green Lake was perfectly named in reverse - the __________ lakebed was scorched and lifeless, a place that was once beautiful and full of water.

Question 8 of 10

Stanley's __________ with Zero is the novel's heart - Stanley teaches Zero to read, Zero saves Stanley on the mountain, and together they break the curse.

Question 9 of 10

Sachar structures the entire novel around __________ - every action across three timelines has effects that ripple forward, connecting past injustices to present suffering.

Question 10 of 10

Stanley's __________ makes his conviction a sharp critique of a justice system that fails the poor - he is guilty of nothing but bad luck and the wrong last name.

out of 10 correct

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