Chapter 1 · Holes

Copywork

Here’s a good rule to remember about rattlesnakes and scorpions: If you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you. Usually.

Read the passage aloud. How does the last word change the sentence before it?

Narration Tell back what the narrator says about Camp Green Lake: the lake, the heat, the shade and the three animals to watch out for.

Two lines on their own say “Usually.” A third says “Always.” Why might the author give each of those words a line to itself? Author's choice
The narrator lists a scorpion bite, a rattlesnake bite and then a yellow-spotted lizard. Why might the narrator tell us about them in that order? Inference
Sometimes a camper tries to get bitten by a scorpion so he can rest in his tent. Is that clever, desperate, or both? Character
The chapter ends with “There is nothing anyone can do to you anymore.” What do you hear in that sentence? Tone

Make a Connection Tell about a time someone told you something scary in a calm voice. How did the calm voice change how you felt?

rattlesnakes: Here’s a good rule to remember about rattlesnakes and scorpions Snakes with a rattle on the tail that can give a poisonous bite.
bother: If you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you. To disturb or annoy on purpose.
wasteland: Now it is just a dry, flat wasteland. Land where almost nothing can live or grow.
shriveled: The town shriveled and dried up along with the lake, and the people who lived there. Dried up and shrank.
hovers: During the summer the daytime temperature hovers around ninety-five degrees in the shade Stays near one level without moving away.
forbidden: The campers are forbidden to lie in the hammock. Not allowed.
hammock: A hammock is stretched between the two trees, and a log cabin stands behind that. A hanging bed made of cloth or net.
recovering: Then he will get to spend a day or two recovering in his tent Getting well again after being hurt or sick.
painful: You will die a slow and painful death. Full of hurt.

The narrator offers “a good rule”: if you don’t bother the snakes and scorpions, they won’t bother you. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how good that rule is for a camper.
The narrator says there is no lake at Camp Green Lake, and puts “lake” in quotation marks. Using two pieces of evidence, explain why the place still has this name.
Using two pieces of evidence, explain who has more power over the campers at Camp Green Lake: the Warden, or the heat and the animals.