People of Queenland:
        I know that life in the last few years has been hard.  Each year, we have seen only a trickle of rain come down from the sky. It was not enugh rain for our crops to grow plentifully, and our cattle had less water to drink.
     When I spoke to you, I implored you to save as much water and food as you could.  It wasn't easy, but all of us did our part. We were never thirsty becausewe shared our water.  We avoided a famine because we shared our food
     Now that the rains have returned, we can celebrate the end of the hard times.  For this reason, I have decreed that for the net six months, people need to work only half a day on Fridays.  I do this to thank you for all your generosity, kindness, and hard work.

1. decreed - ordered formally; commanded.
2. famine - widespread lack of food, causing many to starve.
3. implored - begged
4. trickle - a thin stream
5. plentifully - in great quantity

Number Tricks:
1. Think of a number.
2. Add 3 to this number.
3. Multiply your answer by 2.
4. Subtract 4.
5. Divide by 2.
6. Subtract the number you started with.
If you did everything right, your answer will be 1.
Questions:
1. Where does the story take place?
2. Why does the raja tell the rice farmers that they must give nearly all their rice to him?
3. What happens to the farmers when the rice doesn't grow?
4. The storyteller says,"Then one year the rice grew badly, and there was famine and hunger." In this story, a famine is a what?
5. rani plans to use the rice that she catches in her skirt to do what?
6. Why does Rani ask for only one grain of rice as a reward?
7. In the beginning, what does Rani think of Raja?
8. Why does the raja keep his promise to Rani to the end?
9. At the end, what does the raja promise that shows he is truly wise and fair?
10. Why is Rani able to outsmart the raja?
11. Why doesn't the raja open the storehouses to his hungry people?
12. Rani asks for the rice to be doubled each day for 30 days. What does she mean?