Why is this the answer?

The answer is chain because this clever riddle uses fun word pictures to describe an object that is both incredibly strong and wonderfully flexible. It is a puzzle that wants you to picture a person or animal, but the correct answer is actually a simple, useful tool made of metal. Let's look at the first clue: "I'm not really more than holes tied to more holes." Think about what a chain looks like. A chain is made of many tiny metal rings called links. Each one of those links is a circle, and the empty space inside that circle is a "hole." These metal rings are hooked or "tied" together, one after the other, to make a long, long line. So the chain is literally a series of holes or open loops connected to each other, forming a line of metal loops. That is how the first clue perfectly describes a chain. Now for the next clue: "I'm strong as good steel." Chains have a very important job in the world. They are often made from very powerful metals, like steel, because people use them to lift super heavy things, like the big anchors on ships, or to keep something safe and locked up, like a bicycle. Since they have to hold up such big burdens, the metal has to be amazingly tough and strong so that it does not break when it is pulling or holding. The last part is the best trick of the riddle: "though not as stiff as a pole." A pole, like a flagpole, is perfectly straight and cannot bend or be wrapped around anything. If you tried to loop a stiff pole around a tree, you would find out that you cannot do it. But a chain is made of all those separate, moving links, so it can be totally flexible. You can wrap it, bend it, and drape it over or through anything you need to. A chain is the perfect answer because it is strong like steel, but it can bend and move because it is made of many small, connected holes.