Compound Paths create effects and also save time. The following example is using a Compound Path to cut out holes in a circle for viewing a background color.

Our background color is blue (see image below):

Draw a circle using the Ellipse Tool (L) (see image below):

Press D to make the circle have the Default Fill and Stroke (which is a white Fill and a 1 point black Stroke) (see image below):

Draw a second circle inside the first circle - again using the Ellipse Tool (L) and press D again (see image below):

Our two circles (see image below):

Using the Selection Tool (V) - Shift-select both circles (see image below):

Go to Object - Compound Path - Make (⌘8) and the two Paths of the two circles will become one Path (see images below):

If you wanted, you could have made five circles (see image below):

Shift-selected all of them (see image below):

Hit Command-8 (⌘8), and then gotten this (see image below):

Since all the Paths were combined and it is now one Compound Path - you can do things like select your Path and change the stroke from being 1 point to being 3 points and, in one simple action, get this: (see images below):

Any questions?

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