Chapter 34

Holes

Trailblazers · 4th–6th

Copywork

He hurried toward it. The pool hurried away from him, moving as he moved, stopping when he stopped.

Read the passage aloud. What does the repeated word "hurried" do in these two lines?

Discussion

Narration Tell back what Stanley sees and does in this chapter, from the pool of water to the hand coming out of the tunnel.

1. Stanley closes his eyes and opens them to make sure the pool is real. What does that tell us about the state he is in?Inference

2. Stanley keeps walking toward Big Thumb “although he didn’t know why.” Why might he keep going toward it?Character

3. Stanley decides to make the boat his halfway point, but he also hopes he has not gone too far. Is that sensible?Moral reasoning

4. Stanley thinks someone may have drowned at the spot where he could die of thirst. Why might the author put that thought here?Author's choice

5. The chapter ends with a dark hand and an orange sleeve coming out of the tunnel. Why might the author stop there?Plot structure

Make a Connection Tell about a time something you could see or hear turned out to be different from what you thought.

Vocabulary

Crossword

1

2		3

	4			5




			6


		7

Across

Across 1. Moved quickly.
Across 2. Coming to a halt.
Across 4. A false sight, like water, made by hot air.
Across 6. Empty, with nothing growing.
Across 7. Hard to explain or understand.

Down

Down 2. Shining with a faint, wavering light.
Down 3. Having no use or purpose.
Down 5. To give someone hope or courage.

The words in the chapter

hurried The pool hurried away from him, moving as he moved, stopping when he stopped.
stopping stopping when he stopped
pointless It seemed pointless.
mirage It was a mirage caused by the shimmering waves of heat rising off the dry ground.
shimmering the shimmering waves of heat rising off the dry ground

encourage it seemed to encourage him
mysterious But he could make it to the mysterious object.
barren this dry and barren wasteland
grimly he thought grimly

Define These Words

grimly: In a serious, gloomy way.

Critical thinking

1. Stanley sees what looks like a fist with its thumb up. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how sure he is that it is real.

2. Stanley still carries the empty sack of sunflower seeds. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what this small detail shows about how he is thinking.

3. The boat's name is painted upside down on its back. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how the author describes the boat and where it lies.