Student Question

How many holes did Stanley Yelnats dig in Holes by Louis Sachar?

Quick answer:

In Holes by Louis Sachar, Stanley Yelnats digs one hole per day at the detention facility. Each hole must be five feet deep and five feet in diameter, using their five-foot-long shovels as measuring tools.

Expert Answers

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In the book Holes by Louis Sachar, Stanley Yelnats is a young man who has been sent off to a sort-of detention facility with dozens of other young men. Part of the punishment for those at the facility is to dig holes—lots of them. Stanley, as well as the other boys, are required to dig one hole per day, seven days a week. 

Those in charge at the facility were very specific in the directions they provided to the boys regarding the size of the holes. Every hole dug needed to be at least five feet deep. Likewise, all holes also needed to be five feet in diameter. The shovels the boys use are five feet long, so they were told to use their shovels as measuring sticks.

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