1. Explain what the curse is and how it was resolved.

The Yelnats family is said to be cursed: Stanley's great-great-grandfather did not honor a promise he made to an old woman with magical powers, and misfortune has followed him and his descendants ever since. Stanley and Zero split the treasure, and Zero uses his half to find his mother. Stanley's father is finally able to find, patent, and sell a cure for foot odor: the curse is lifted.