LOUIS SACHAR: HOLES SPM 2008 TRIAL I want you to carry me up the mountain.

I want to drink from the stream, and I want you to sing the song to me. Elya promised he would. Madame Zeroni warned that if he failed to do this, he and his descendants would be doomed for all the eternity.

(a) From the extract above state what has happened to the descendants of Elya Yelnats? [5 marks] (b) Why do you think the boys have nicknames for each other? Explain with reference to the text. [8 marks] (c) Satire present in literature is in purpose to critique societys follies and to instigate change. Show how this element is used in the story. [12 marks] (a) The descendants of Elya Yelnats had a curse placed on them by Madam Zeroni because Elya Yelnats failed to keep his promise to carry Madam Zeroni up the mountain, let her drink from the stream on the mountain and sing the pig lullaby to her. (b) Society has judged that the boys have committed a crime and needs to be rehabilitated. Their names are what society will recognize them by and rejecting those names and adopting nicknames is a way for the boys to express their displeasure with society and their punishment and cutting themselves off from their lives outside the camp. When they enter the camp, the boys lose their freedom and come under the control of the Warden and the guards. They are told what to wear, when to wake up, what to eat, and forced to dig holes. Adopting a nickname is a way for the boys to claim some control over their own identities your name, after all, is usually one of the first things people learn about you, and calling yourself Armpit as opposed to Theodore definitely give us a more causal identity. It enables them to differentiate themselves from every other boy who wears the same orange jumpsuit and digs the same holes every single day. X-ray is the one who assigns the nicknames and the use of nicknames is a nod to X-Rays power over the boys in Group D.

The nicknames also reflect each boys physical characteristics and is an easy way for the boys to remember each other. Stanley is called Caveman as he is tall and big. Brian is called Twitch because he is always fidgeting. Jose is nicknamed Magnet as he has sticky fingers and steals objects, like Mr. Sirs bag of sunflower seeds. (c) Definition of satire: satire is a genre of literature in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement; the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc. Justice: critique of the unfair criminal justice system Stanley is convicted of a crime he did not commit and he does not get off easy either event though he is still so young. Stanley tells the truth, but perhaps it would have been better if he had lied a little. His family is too poor to engage a lawyer to defend him as illustrated at the end of the story, Ms Morengo with just a little investigating is able to prove that Stanley could not possibly have committed the crime. Stanleys trial was delayed several months because of the baseball schedule justice seems to take second place behind sports. Cruel and mean people run the camp. There is no system of checks and balances the Warden can eliminate the records of Zero and not be concerned about his safety or well-being. The boys are subjected to really inhumane conditions A system of justice where there are two different sets of law, one for the whites and one for the blacks is abhorrent. Even nature finds this revolting and she punishes Green Lake with a drought lasting more than one hundred years.

LOUIS SACHAR: HOLES SPM 2010

Were going to keep our story simple, said the Warden. That womans going to ask a lot of questions. The A.G. will most likely initiate an investigation. So this is what happened: Stanley tried to run away in the night, fell in a hole, and the lizards got him. Thats it. Were not even going to give Zeros body. As far as anybody knows, Zero doesnt exit. Like Mom said, we got plenty of graves to choose from.

Based on the extract above, what does the Warden intend to tell the A.G. about Stanley? (5m) (b) How important are the onions to the people in the story? Explain with close reference to the text. (8m) (c) Cruelty to others is a great injustice. Discuss this statement with close reference to the text. (12 m) (a) Stanley tried to run away in the night, accidentally falls into a hole and was killed by the yellow-spotted lizards. (b) Onions symbolize a positive and healing factor in the novel People of Green Lake it is natures magic vegetables. Sam, the onion man, recommended it for all sort of diseases. He had many different ointments, lotions, syrups and pastes made out of onion juice and different parts of the onion plants. The people of Green Lake would get regular medicine from their local doctor, Doctor Hawthorn and onion concoctions from Sam at the same time. Doc Hawthorn even used an ointment made from onions which Sam claimed could cure baldness. Rebecca, Gladys Tennysons daughter was done with high fever, and Gladys believed that Sams onion tonic cured her. The rattlesnake hunters would take pure onion juice to protect them from the yellow-spotted lizards as the lizards dont like onion blood. Stanley and Zero source of food for them at Gods Thumb so that they can regain their health before they head back to Camp Green Lake. Also save them from being bitten by the yellow-spotted lizards. (c) Cruelty of the residents of Green Lake to Sam: Sam wasnt allowed to attend classes because he was a Negro, but they let him fix the building

Sam was killed for kissing Miss Katherine this pushed Kate, a sweet school teacher to become an outlaw which killed and robbed people.

Cruelty at Camp Green Lake: The cruel and inhumane treatment of the kids at Camp Green Lake is grossly disproportionate to the crimes they committed Zero stole a pair of sneakers while Stanley is not even guilty of the crime he is accused of. This is a grave injustice. The cruelty of the Warden to Mr. Sir by scratching her with rattlesnake venom laced finger nails causes him to suffer terribly all Mr. Sir does is to bring Stanley to her and disturb her with the news that Stanley has stolen his sunflower seeds. The end result of this cruelty is greater injustice to Stanley as Stanley is punished by Mr. Sir who deprives him of water. The constant taunting and humiliation of Zero by Mr. Pendanski is a grave injustice and causes Zero, a normally quiet and withdraw kid, to ultimately react with violence and slam his shovel into Mr. Pendanskis face. The pervasive cruelty at Camp Green Lake has a detrimental effect on the boys. Instead of rehabilitating them, the boys become dangerous and unpredictable. Theodore attacks Stanley for calling him by his name, not his nickname Armpit. The Lump wants to pick a fight with Stanley for tripping over him. Squid threatens to break Stanleys jaw when Stanley asks him whether he is feeling better. Even Stanley, who is at first kind and considerate, refuses to teach Zero how to read as his heart had hardened as well.

LOUIS SACHAR: HOLES SPM 2011 The Walker boat smashed into Sams boat. Sam was shot and killed in the water. Katherine Barlow was rescued against her wishes. When they returned to the shore, she saw Mary Lous body on the ground. The donkey had been shot in the head. That all happened one hundred and ten years ago. Since then, not one drop of rain had fallen on Green Lake.

Based on the above extract, what happened one hundred and ten years ago? (5 marks) (b) How does the Warden treat the others at the camp? Explain with close reference to the text. (8 m) (c) One of the themes in the novel is how people establish and maintain power. Discuss this theme with close reference to the text. (12 m) (a) Trout Walker rammed his boat into Sams boat. Both Sam and his donkey, Mary Lou, were shot. Katherine Barlow was saved against her wishes. And it never rained at Green Lake after that. (b) The Warden is the villain of the story. She is the one who calls the shots at Camp Green Lake, the one whose cruelty sets the tone for the camps horrible treatment of the boys. As Mr. Pendanski tells Stanley early on, The person youve got to worry about is the Warden. Theres really only one rule at Camp Green Lake: Dont upset the Warden. She demands complete, unquestioning obedience from Mr. Sir and Pendanski. When she asks Mr. Pendanski to fill the boys canteen and he hesitates, the Warden threatens to make him dig a hole too. She is unpredictable and is willing to hurt anyone without a second thought you can never really know what she is going to do. In fact, her soft Excuse me? is more menacing than any direct attack could be, because you never know what is behind it or where it is going to lead. When Mr. Sir brings Stanley to her for stealing a sack of sunflower seeds, she attacks Mr. Sir by scratching him with her rattlesnake venom laced finger nails for disturbing her I dont especially care about your sunflower seeds. She is the ultimate symbol of cruel authority at Camp Green Lake. She rewards only those who do what she wants and uses her power to threaten everyone else. When X-Ray finds the gold tube, he is rewarded with a day off, a double shower and clean clothes and

the boys are all given extra water. She can be nice and encouraging when she thinks the boys are helping her but viciously attacks Armpit with a pitchfork when she is annoyed. Even though she is the Warden of a juvenile detention camp and is responsible for rehabilitating and preparing them to join the rest of society, she shows no concern about the welfare of the boys. She uses them as free labour to dig for Kate Barlows treasure. She attacks Armpit with a pitchfork when she is annoyed. She makes no effort to look for Zero and Stanley when they run off into the desert. She makes no attempt to rescue them when they are surrounded by a swarm of yellow-spotted lizards. Instead, she wonders why Zero is still not dead and hatches a plan of what to tell Ms Morengo and the A.G. to explain Stanleys death.

(c) There are two power structures in Holes: the authority of the Warden and her power over the counsellors and the boys, and the hierarchy among the boys in Group D. Both these structures are based on a system of punishment and rewards. X-Ray becomes the groups leader because he has a system of rewards for those who support him. Once Stanley has done X-Ray a favour by giving him the gold tube, X-Ray rewards him by moving him ahead in the water line, asking Squid to make room for Stanley on the couch and coming to his defence when Squid taunts him about receiving a letter from his mother. However, when Stanley befriends Zero and Zero helps Stanley to dig his holes in return for reading lessons, X-Rays authority and power is threatened and he becomes nasty and sarcastic towards Stanley The white boy sits around while the black boy does all the work. The Warden uses a similar system of rewards and punishments to maintain her authority. She rewards X-Ray when he claims to have found the gold tube and the other boys, who must continue working without a reward, understand the full effect of being in the Wardens good graces. She is nicer to all the boys when she believes that they are working for her and getting her what she wants. As soon as she begins to feel her goals will not be reached, she stops treating the boys well, and it is clear to them that they are no longer in her favour. When Mr. Pendanski threatens her system of absolute control even in a minute way when he hesitates in giving the boys extra water, the Warden retaliates with a threat to lower his rank. She has the power to place him on the level of the boys if she wants, and it seems that this threat keeps him absolutely loyal to her. This even demonstrates that even though Mr. Pendanski seems to be in charge, he is always under the absolute control of the Warden.

LOUIS SACHAR: HOLES SPM 2012

Zero held the shovel out in front of him, as if he were going to try to bat away the bullets. I hate digging holes, he said. Then he slowly backed away. Dont shoot him, said the Warden. He cant go anywhere. The last thing we need is an investigation. Zero kept backing up, out past the cluster of holes the boys had been digging, then farther and farther out onto the lake. Hes going to have to come back for water, the Warden said. Stanley noticed Zeros canteen lying on the ground near his hole.

Based on the extract above, why does the Warden give the order not to shoot Zero? (5 m) (b) Give one example of a flashback and explain how it is related to the present. Support your answer with close reference to the text. (8 m) (c) A true friend will always be there for you in times of need. Discuss this statement with close reference to the novel. (12 m) (a) Shooting Zero will result in an investigation. She also thinks that Zero will have to return to the Camp for water as she thinks there is no other water sources for a hundred miles. (b) Flashbacks: The initial chapters introduce Stanley and his family and describe how unlucky they have been his father is an inventor but never has any luck; Stanley has been convicted of a crime he does not commit. The family blames the bad luck on his no-good-dirty-rottenpig-stealing-great-great-grandfather, Elya Yelnats who supposedly stole a pig from a onelegged Gypsy and the Gypsy had put a curse on him and all his descendants. The flashback is to the story of Elya Yelnats when he was in Latvia and how in his pursuit of the village beauty, Myra Menke, enlisted the help of the Gypsy, Madam Zeroni but subsequently broke his promise to Madam Zeroni and thus incurred a curse. After Stanley finds the gold tube with the letters K B etched into the flat bottom of the tube, he subsequently realises the K B could be the initials of Kate Barlow. Stanley knows the story of his great grandfather, Stanley Yelnats I who had been robbed by the outlaw Kissin Kate Barlow and left stranded in the middle of the desert.

The flashback is to a time one hundred and ten years ago and to the town of Green Lake. Green Lake was heaven on earth then and Miss Katherine Barlow was the local school teacher. The flashback relates how Miss Katherine Barlow fell in love with Sam, the Onion Man and how the towns cruelty turned her into one of the most feared outlaws in all the West. When Stanley and Zero reach Gods Thumb, Zero is very sick with recurring stomach cramps. Stanley gives Zero some onions to eat. The flashback is to Green Lake one hundred and ten years ago when Mrs Gladys Tennyson rushed out one morning to thank Sam, the Onion Man her daughter, Rebecca became very sick after eating some bad meat but with the onion tonic from Sam, the daughter is recovering. This alludes to the medicinal qualities of the onions and foreshadows the recovery of Zero. When Stanley and Zero return to Camp Green Lake to look for Kissin Kate Barlow hidden treasure in the middle of the night, they find that they are among a nest of deadly yellow-spotted lizards. The lizards are crawling all over them but for some reason, they are not bitten. The flashback to Green Lake explains why this is so. A group of rattlesnake hunters looked for Sam to buy some lizard juice. It turns out that the lizard juice is actually pure onion juice and if the rattlesnake hunters took them, they would be safe from the lizards as the lizards dont like onion blood. (c) There are two types of friends that Stanley have at Camp Green Lake: Superficial friends Stanley never had any friends in school. When he arrives at Camp Green Lake, he does appear to have made friends with the boys in Group D they accept him into the group and give him a nickname, Caveman. They stand by him when the Lump tries to pick a fight with Stanley. He imagines his new friends going to his school and beating up Derrick Dunne, the bully. But something is not quite right with this friendship. They seem to be nice and willing to be Stanleys friend when it benefits them or when there is no threat to them, but when something good happens to Stanley, these superficial friends becomes jealous and hostile at times, even threatening Stanley until he complies with what they want. Once Stanley has done X-Ray a favour by giving him the gold tube, X-Ray asks Stanley to move ahead of Zero in the water line, asks Squid to make room for Stanley on the couch and comes to his defence when Squid taunts him about receiving a letter from his mother. The boys, however, become jealous when Zero helps Stanley dig his holes in return for reading lessons. They start to taunt him X-Ray sarcastically says

that The white boy sits around while the black boy does all the work and Zigzag purposely picks a fight with Stanley. True friendship The friendship between between Stanley and Zero is an unselfish bond based on mutual respect and sacrifices for each other, unlike X-Rays brand of friendship, the false kind based on rewards and threats. Both boys demonstrate courage, loyalty and strength in their willingness to help each other. Neither will give up nor complain. They each make sacrifices for the other which show that they honestly want to help each other and are not just helping each other in order to attain some benefit for themselves. Zero goes to Stanleys aid when Zigzag attacks Stanley. When Zero runs off into the desert, Stanley is haunted by the plight of his friend and decides to go to search for and help him. Zero is prepared to share the last jar of Sploosh with Stanley. When Zero collapses from sickness and exhaustion, Stanley unselfishly carries Zero all the way up the mountain. At the end of the story, Stanley is not prepared to leave Zero behind at the mercy of the Warden and the counsellors.