Have you ever been in a race? How did you feel?
Mandu was in Grade 4 at Greenway Primary School in Durban. She was
an excellent runner and she practised running every day. The children
used to tease her because she did not have running shoes. She wished
she had running shoes because her feet hurt, especially when the ground
was hot. She also hated it when the children laughed at her.
One Saturday, Mandu took the money she had saved and went to the sports
shop in town. She looked at the running shoes but felt very sad, because
she did not have enough money to buy them.
Mrs Masondo, the owner of the shop, noticed the sadness in Mandu's
eyes.
"If you win the race, I will let you have the running shoes for free,"
she said. "But if you don't win, you will need to pay for them," she
added with a smile. "Oh ma'am, thank you very much!
And that was what Mandu did. She ran and ran until her legs ached. "I must keep going," she told herself. "I must not give up!" The big day came, and Mandu was very nervous. When she went to the starting line, her heart was pounding.
But as soon as she began to run, she forgot her fear. She ran like the wind and crossed the finish line long before the other participants. "I've won! I've won!" she shouted joyfully, looking down at her magic shoes, which now belonged to her.
Based on a short story published in Stories that talk, by the Department of Education and Heartlines.
Answer each of these questions.
Who was the story about? |
What did she have that was special? |
| Circle the letter next to the correct answer. If you are not sure what the answers are, go back and read the story again. | |||
| What does this sentence tell us about Mandu? "She ran and ran until her legs ached." |
Why did Mandu say the shoes were magical? | ||
| A | That she had pain in her legs. | A | They encouraged her to practise. |
| B | That she would never give up. | B | They were a gift. |
| C | That she needed shoes to run. | C | Her feet no longer hurt. |
| Number the sentences from 1 to 5 to show the order in which things happened in the story. | |
| Mrs Masondo gave Mandu running shoes. | |
| Mandu did not have enough money to buy running shoes. | |
| Mandu wished she had running shoes. | |
| Mandu went to town to buy running shoes. | |
| Mandu won the race. | |
| Find words in the first paragraph that mean | |
| very good | |
| disliked | |
