Chapter 50 · Holes

Copywork

But those changes are subtle and hard to measure. There is no simple answer.

Read the passage aloud. What does the second sentence do after the first?

Narration Tell back what happens in this chapter, from the closing of the camp to the song at the party.

The narrator calls the details tedious and then skips them. Why might the author speak to the reader this way? Author's choice
Stanley’s mother says there was never a curse, and the narrator then points to a matter of timing. What do you make of that? Inference
At the party, Stanley shrugs one shoulder, looks uncertain and blushes. What does that show about how he has, or has not, changed? Character
The people at Stanley’s house cheer, as if the run in the commercial really counted. What mood do you hear in that cheering? Tone
Stanley spends his share on a house with a laboratory, and Hector on private investigators. Which choice tells us more about the boy who made it? Theme

Make a Connection Tell about a story you know that ended and left you wondering what came next.

subtle: those changes are subtle Small and delicate; hard to notice.
measure: hard to measure To find the size or amount of something.
tedious: the answers tend to be long and tedious Long and boring.
gasped: everyone gasped at the sparkling jewels Took in a quick breath in surprise.
quality: the jewels were of poor quality How good or bad something is.
valuable: a lot more valuable than the jewels Worth a lot of money.
weathered: her skin had a weathered look to it Worn rough by sun and wind.
weary: Her eyes seemed weary Very tired.
uncertainly: Stanley looked uncertainly at his hand Not sure what to do.

At first everyone gasps at the jewels in the suitcase. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how the suitcase turns out to be both less and more than they hoped.
A woman in the chair is fluffing Hector’s hair. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what the chapter shows about her, and what it does not say.
The Attorney General closes Camp Green Lake. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what happens to the place and to Ms. Walker.