Introduction
In the city of Shimla, summer capital of the British Raj, a jeweller named Lurgan is schooling young orphan Kim O’Hara for intelligence work in Afghanistan. A Hindu boy already in his care has become so jealous of this ‘stranger’ that he has tried to poison Lurgan, and is now sobbing with remorse, which the canny Lurgan turns to advantage.
“IN a little while he will go away again. But now he is at school, and thou shalt be his teacher. Play the Play of the Jewels against him. I will keep tally.”
The child dried his tears at once, and dashed to the back of the shop, whence he returned with a copper tray. “Let them come from thy hand, for he may say that I knew them before.”
“Gently — gently,” the man replied, and from a drawer under the table dealt a half handful of clattering trifles into the tray.
“Now,” said the child, waving an old newspaper. “Look on them as long as thou wilt, stranger. Count and, if need be, handle. One look is enough for me.” He turned his back proudly.
“But what is the game?”
“When thou hast counted and handled and art sure that thou canst remember them all, I cover them with this paper, and thou must tell over the tally to Lurgan Sahib, I will write mine.”
“Oah!” The instinct of competition waked in his breast. He bent over the tray.
Précis
A Hindu boy becomes tearfully jealous of the attention given to young orphan Kim by Mr Lurgan, so the astute Lurgan suggests they play a memory game with jewellery. The Hindu lad is delighted, flattered at being cast in the role of a teacher and confident of winning, and Kim’s competitive instincts are piqued – a win-win for Lurgan. (58 / 60 words)
A Hindu boy becomes tearfully jealous of the attention given to young orphan Kim by Mr Lurgan, so the astute Lurgan suggests they play a memory game with jewellery. The Hindu lad is delighted, flattered at being cast in the role of a teacher and confident of winning, and Kim’s competitive instincts are piqued – a win-win for Lurgan.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: although, besides, despite, must, or, until, whereas, who.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Competition. Half. They.
2 Game. Instinct. Say.
3 Again. Look. Play.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
mnr (5+1)
manor. manure. meaner. miner. minor.
moaner.
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