A Game Of Chance

Complete the following sentences from memory choosing a phrase from those given in brackets.

1. __________________ was held at the time of the Eid festival. (A big show, A big fair, A big competition)

2. Tradesmen cane to the village with all kinds of goods __________________. (to display, to buy, to sell)

3. Uncle told me _____________ while he was away. (not to buy anything, not to go anywhere, not to talk to anyone)

4. The owner of the Lucky Shop wanted everybody present _______________________. (to play the game, to win a prize, to try their luck)

5. The first time I took a chance I got ________________. (a bottle of ink, two pencils, a trifle)

6. Uncle told me that the shopkeeper had made ___________. (a fool of me, a good profit, friends with many people)

Why do you think Rasheed’s uncle asked him not to buy anything in his absence? (3)

Why was the shop called ‘Lucky Shop’? (4)

An old man won a clock and sold it back to the shopkeeper. How much money did he make? (5)

How many prizes did the boy win? What were they? (6)

Why was Rasheed upset? (7, 8, 9)

In what way did the shopkeeper make a fool of Rasheed? (11)

The words given against the sentences below can be used both as nouns and verbs. Use them appropriately to fill in the blanks.

(i) The two teams have __________________ three matches already. (play)

(ii) The last day’s _____________ was excellent.

The words given against the sentences below can be used both as nouns and verbs. Use them appropriately to fill in the blanks.

(i) She has a lovely _____________. (face)

(ii) India __________________ a number of problems these days.

The words given against the sentences below can be used both as nouns and verbs. Use them appropriately to fill in the blanks.

(i) He made his ______________________ in essay-writing. (mark)

(ii) Articles ________________ ‘sold’ are reserved.

The words given against the sentences below can be used both as nouns and verbs. Use them appropriately to fill in the blanks.

(i) The police are ______________ the area to catch the burglars. (comb)

(ii) An ordinary plastic ____________________ costs five rupees.

The words given against the sentences below can be used both as nouns and verbs. Use them appropriately to fill in the blanks.

(i) He gave a ________________ in answer to my questions. (smile)

(ii) We also _______________ to see him smile.

The words given against the sentences below can be used both as nouns and verbs. Use them appropriately to fill in the blanks.

(i) He said he __________________ to be invited to the party. (hope)

(ii) We gave up ________________ of his joining the party.

The words given against the sentences below can be used both as nouns and verbs. Use them appropriately to fill in the blanks.

(i) The boys put up a good athletic ________________. (show)

(ii) The soldiers ______________ great courage in saving people from floods.

The words given against the sentences below can be used both as nouns and verbs. Use them appropriately to fill in the blanks.

(i) You deserve a ___________________ on the back for your good performance. (pat)

(ii) The teacher __________________ the child on the cheek to encourage her.

Notice the use of ‘there’ in the following sentences.

● There was a big crowd at the fair.

● There were many things I’d have liked to buy.

Now rewrite the following sentences using ‘there’ in the beginning. Look at the following examples.

● I can do nothing to help you.

● There is nothing I can do to help you.

● A man at the door is asking to see you.

● There is a man at the door asking to see you.

1. This park has beautiful roses.

2. Your story has no fun in it.

3. We have no secrets between us.

4. My village has two primary schools.

5. This problem can be solved in two ways.

Fill in the blanks in the paragraph below with words from the box.


There was a ____ (a) ____ Eid fair in our village. We could buy anything from a ___ (b) ___ toy to a ___ (c) ___ camel. I went to the fair on the ___ (d) ___ day with Uncle and Bhaiya. We went to the Lucky Shop. It was very ___ (e) ___. I tried my luck but did not win any prize. Later, Uncle told me that I was more ___ (f) ___ than ___ (g) ____.

Suppose you are Rasheed. Describe in your own words your visit to the fair. Do not refer to the Lucky Shop.

Read aloud the two paragraphs that describe the boy and the odl man at the Lucky Shop.

Listen to these children. What are they talking about?

Work in pairs. One of you is an agent and the other is a client looking for accommodation in a hotel. Talk to each other. Use the clues given below.

Some words are given below. Listen carefully to the word from the list the teacher speaks, and write against it another word that has the same pronunciation but different spelling.

The first is an example.

fair fare

buy (a) __________

one (b) __________

which (c) __________

two (d) __________

no (e) __________

here (f) __________

see (g) __________

there (h) __________

hare (i) ___________

nun (j) ___________

Your partner and you may now be able to answer these questions.

Who is the speaker in the poem? Who are the people the speaker meets? What are they doing?

What wishes does the child in the poem make? Why does the child want to be a hawker, a gardener, or a watchman? Pick out the lines in each stanza, which tell us this.

From the way the child envies the hawker, the gardener, and the watchman, we can guess that there are many things the child wants to do because of the likings but ends up doing something completely different.

Make a list of the do’s and don’ts that the child doesn’t like. The first line is done for you.


Now add to the list your own complaints about the things you have to do, or must not do.

Like the child in the poem, you perhaps have your own wishes for yourself. Talk to your friend, using “I wish I were…. .”

Find out the different kinds of work done by the people in your neighbourhood. Make different cards for different kinds of work. You can make the card colourful with pictures of the persons doing the work.