Holes: Chapters 1–7

by Louis Sachar
In this comic adventure, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a juvenile detention center where the inmates spend their days digging mysterious holes. But what on earth are they looking for?

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–16, Chapters 17–24, Chapters 25–35, Chapters 36–43, Chapters 44–50

Here is a link to our lists for Small Steps by Louis Sachar.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. stifling
    causing one to feel inhibited or oppressed
    The bus wasn't air-conditioned, and the hot, heavy air was almost as stifling as the handcuffs.
  2. descendant
    a person considered as coming from some ancestor or race
    Supposedly, he had a great-great-grandfather who had stolen a pig from a one-legged Gypsy, and she put a curse on him and all his descendants.
  3. perseverance
    persistent determination
    To be a successful inventor you need three things: intelligence, perseverance, and just a little bit of luck.
  4. stranded
    cut off or left behind
    Instead, she robbed him and left him stranded in the middle of the desert.
  5. premises
    land and the buildings on it
    Next to it was another sign which declared that it was a violation of the Texas Penal Code to bring guns, explosives, weapons, drugs, or alcohol onto the premises.
  6. sanitary
    free from filth and pathogens
    Theodore spit a thin line of saliva between his teeth, causing some of the other boys to complain about the need to keep their "home" sanitary.
  7. scarcity
    a small and inadequate amount
    Because of the scarcity of water, each camper was only allowed a four-minute shower.
  8. testify
    give a solemn statement in a court of law
    Clyde Livingston testified that they were his sneakers and that he had donated them to help raise money for the homeless shelter.
  9. destiny
    the ultimate agency predetermining the course of events
    Stanley had felt like he was holding destiny's shoes.
    This word is important to the book's theme, as Stanley's destiny seems tied to the curse placed on his great-great-grandfather over a hundred years before.
  10. despicable
    morally reprehensible
    The judge called Stanley's crime despicable.
  11. unearth
    recover through digging
    He unearthed several shovelfuls of dirt in this manner, before it occurred to him that he was dumping his dirt within the perimeter of his hole.
    Compare this word, unearth, with another vocabulary word in this list, excavate. The two words are synonymous with respect to the physical act of digging, but here, the second, more figurative meaning of unearth, "bring to light," is also suggested in the phrase "it occurred to him." What else might his digging of actual holes "bring to light" during the course of the story?
  12. forlorn
    marked by or showing hopelessness
    Madame Zeroni hated to see Elya so forlorn.
  13. excavate
    recover through digging
    It expanded when it was excavated.
  14. preposterous
    inviting ridicule
    "That's preposterous!" exclaimed Igor, expelling saliva as he spoke.
  15. grimace
    contort the face to indicate a certain mental state
    He grimaced as he sliced off a chunk of dirt, then raised it up and flung it onto a pile.
Created on Sat Aug 31 13:44:01 EDT 2013 (updated Thu Jun 12 17:31:42 EDT 2025)

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