Chapter 17 · Holes

Copywork

He scooped up some dirt, and was raising it up to the surface when Zigzag’s shovel caught him in the side of the head. He collapsed.

Read the passage aloud. What does the one-word sentence do after the long one?

Discussion

Narration Tell back what happens in the chapter, in order: the one big hole, the Warden's mornings, what happens to Armpit, and what happens to Stanley.

Squid says “Nothing,” and the author adds, “It was the wrong thing to say.” Why might the author comment on Squid's answer in such a short sentence? Author's choice
The Warden tells Mr. Pendanski, “You’re giving these boys too much water.” Why might she blame the water for a bathroom break and a small hole? Inference
Mr. Sir bandages Stanley's wound with a piece of his sunflower sack, then says, “It isn’t nap time.” Is that kind, hard, or both? Character
Zigzag says the dirt on Stanley's shovel is Stanley's to dig up. Does he have a point? Moral reasoning
The chapter ends with Zigzag digging beneath where “Stanley’s dirt” had been. What do you hear in those quotation marks? Tone

Make a Connection Tell about a time a group became short-tempered with one another because someone in charge was impatient.

Vocabulary

scooped: He scooped up some dirt Lifted up with a shovel or hand.
surface: was raising it up to the surface The top layer of the ground.
collapsed: He collapsed. Fell down suddenly.
supposedly: where X-Ray had supposedly found the gold tube Said to be so, but not proved.
patient: the Warden became less and less patient Able to wait calmly without getting angry.
jabbed: The Warden jabbed at Armpit with her pitchfork Poked or stabbed quickly.
gash: a pretty big gash just below his ear A long, deep cut.
bandage: Mr. Sir made a bandage out of a piece of his sack A strip of cloth that covers a wound.
dizzy: Stanley felt a little dizzy. Unsteady, as if the room were spinning.

Critical thinking

The Warden jabs Armpit with her pitchfork after he returns from a bathroom break. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what the jab shows about her.
The three holes join into one big hole, and the boys dig later and later. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how the work gets harder for them.
Stanley says nothing to Zigzag and scoops up the dirt. Using two pieces of evidence, explain why he might stay quiet.