A Rupee Goes a Long Way

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The shopkeeper refused to accept Ranji's coin because it was an old coin that was no longer in use. It was not valuable enough to be a collector's item, and not new enough to be used as money.

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The barter system is a way of exchanging goods without using money. For example, trading a box of crayons for a jar of cookies. This system was used before money became common.

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The coin was outdated and no longer in circulation. It was not old enough to be a valuable antique, and not new enough to be used as legal currency.

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Ranji exchanged his old one-rupee coin for Mohinder’s homemade fishing rod. Mohinder said his uncle collected old coins, so he was willing to take it.

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'Shrugged' means raising and lowering the shoulders to show indifference or not caring. For example, Ranji shrugged when the shopkeeper rejected his coin.

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Ranji found that the river was too shallow to fish, so the rod was useless. When the flute player showed interest, Ranji saw an opportunity to trade for something new and enjoyable.

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Jalebi is a sweet, coil-shaped Indian dessert made by frying batter and soaking it in sugar syrup. In the story, Ranji wanted to buy jalebis with his rupee.

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Ranji made a loud, squeaky noise that startled a magpie. Later, when people heard him play, they were startled too, showing he wasn’t very good at first.