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NCERT Class 9 English Chapter 1 The Fun They Had
Also, you can read the NCERT book online in these sections Solutions by Expert Teachers as per Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Book guidelines. CBSE Class 9 English Solutions are part of All Subject Solutions. Here we have given NCERT Class 9 English Chapter 1 The Fun They Had and After, NCERT Class 9 English Textbook of Beehive and Supplementary Reader (Moments). for All Chapters, You can practice these here.
The Fun They Had
Chapter: 1
BEEHIVE – PROSE
PASSAGES FOR COMPREHENSION
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
Passage: 1
They turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to — on a screen, you know. And when they turned back to the page before, it had the same words on it that it had when they read it the first time.
Questions
1. Here the pronoun ‘they’ stand for:
(a) The boys.
(b) The boys and the girls.
(c) Margie and Tommy.
(d) The students.
Ans: (c) Margie and Tommy.
2. They felt surprised:
(a) On seeing the printed pages.
(b) On seeing a book.
(c) On seeing yellow and crinkly words.
(d) On seeing the stable words.
Ans: (a) On seeing the printed pages.
3. What they have read for the first time?
(a) A book on a screen.
(b) A printed book.
(c) Only pages.
(d) All of these.
Ans: (b) A printed book.
4. In the book these were:
(a) White pages.
(b) Coloured pages.
(c) Printed pages.
(d) Yellow and crinkly pages.
Ans: (d) Yellow and crinkly pages.
5. Why were the pages of the book were yellow and crinkly?
(a) It was a very old book.
(b) Its colour was yellow.
(c) They were yellow because written in yellow ink.
(d) None of these.
Ans: (a) It was a very old book.
Passage: 2
Margie always hated school, but now she hated it more than ever.
Questions
1. Who was Margie?
(a) A mechanical teacher.
(b) A girl of eleven.
(c) Technician.
(d) Computer engineer.
Ans: (b) A girl of eleven.
2. Margie mother was troubled because:
(a) Her daughter had not performed well.
(b) Margie showed poor results.
(c) Of the bad performance of Margie in Geography.
(d) Margie was not outstanding.
Ans: (c) Of the bad performance of Margie in Geography.
3. ‘The mechnial teacher’ here refers to:
(a) A physical teacher.
(b) A mechanical teacher.
(c) An engineer teacher.
(d) A computer teacher.
Ans: (d) A computer teacher.
4. The country teacher was sent by:
(a) Mother of Margie.
(b) School principal.
(c) Father of Margie.
(d) None of these.
Ans: (a) Mother of Margie.
5. Who told Margie about real books?
(a) Her father.
(b) Tommy.
(c) The mechanical teacher.
(d) The grandfather.
Ans: (d) The grandfather.
Passage: 3
He was a round little man with a red face and a whole box of tools with dials and wires. He smiled at Margie and gave her an apple, then took the teacher apart. Margie had hoped he wouldn’t know how to put it together again, but he knew how all right, and after an hour or so, there it was again, large and black and ugly, with a big screen on which all the lessons were shown and the questions were asked.
Questions
1. What has been referred in these lines?
(a) A computer.
(b) A machine.
(c) A tool box.
(d) A red man.
Ans: (b) A machine.
2. It was friendly to Margie. How?
(a) It gave a smile.
(b) It gave an apple.
(c) It opened the machine.
(d) It taught Margie.
Ans: (b) It gave an apple.
3. When it became all right, which activity did it perform:
(a) Asking the questions.
(b) Solving the questions.
(c) Singing songs.
(d) Showing picture.
Ans: (a) Asking the questions.
4. These lines have been taken from the lesson.
(a) The Lost Child.
(b) Packing.
(c) The Fun They had.
(d) The Last Leaf.
Ans: (c) The Fun They Had.
5. Who smiled at Margie?
(a) Teacher.
(b) Mechanical teacher.
(c) Father.
(d) None of these.
Ans: (b) Mechanical teacher.
Passage: 4
The inspector had smiled after he was finished and patted Margie’s head. He said to her mother “It’s not the Ititle girls fault, Mrs. Jones. I think the geography sector was geared a little took quick. Those things happen sometimes. I’ve slowed it up to an average ten year level. Actually, the overall pattern of her progress is quite satisfactory. And he patted Margie’s head again.
Questions
1. The county Inspector was called:
(a) To evaluate Margie performance.
(b) To set the mechnical teacher.
(c) To teach Margie.
(d) None/all of these.
Ans: (a) To evaluate Margie performance.
2. He traced that:
(a) English sector was dull.
(b) Geography sector was quickly.
(c) Margie performance was poor.
(d) Margie performance was satisfactory.
Ans: (b) Geography sector was quickly.
3. Who was Mrs. Jones?
(a) A servant.
(b) A housekeeper.
(c) A teacher .
(d) Margie’s mother.
Ans: (d) Margie’s mother.
4. Trace the correct meaning of ‘Progress’:
(a) Development.
(b) Performance.
(c) Result.
(d) Report.
Ans: (b) performance.
5. Who patted Margie’s head?
(a) Mother.
(b) Father.
(c) Inspector.
(d) Both (a) and (b).
Ans: (c) Inspector.
Passage: 5
Margie was scornful School? What’s there to write about school? Ihave school.” Margie always hated school, but now she hated it more than ever.
Questions
1. Margie was scornful because:
(a) She hated books.
(b) She hated school.
(c) She was sick of tests.
(d) She did not like machines.
Ans: (b) She hated school.
2. The word ‘scornful’ means:
(a) hatred.
(b) desprise.
(c) deceit.
(d) ill.
Ans: (a) hatred
3. Margie was taught by:
(a) A physical teacher.
(b) A mechanical teacher.
(c) Housemistress.
(d) Untrained teacher.
Ans: (b) A mechanical teacher.
4. Who is the author of this lesson.
(a) Vikram Seth.
(b) Santosh Yada.
(c) Issac Asimov.
(d) Oscal Wilde.
Ans: (c) Issac Asimov.
5. What was scornful about?
(a) The printed book.
(b) The school.
(c) Tommy.
(d) e-mail book.
Ans: (b) The school.
TEXTUAL QUESTIONS
Activity: Calculate how many years and months ahead from now Margie’s diary entry is.
Ans: It is about 21 years and 5 months ahead of present time.
I. Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.
(a) How old are Margie and Tommy?
Ans: Margie is eleven while Tommy is thirteen years old.
(b) What did Margie write in her diary?
Ans: Margie wrote in her diary on 17 May 2157 that Tommy had found a real book that day.
(c) Had Margie ever seen a book before?
Ans: No, she herself had never before seen a printed book. She has, however, heard about such books from her grandfather.
(d) What things about the book did she find strange?
Ans: She turned the pages of the book. These were yellow and full of crease or folds. The words stood still, unlike those on the TV screen.
(e) What do you think a telebook is?
Ans: A telebook lessons are flashed on the screen. It is not in a printed form. The screen can have millions of books on it.
(f) Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Ans: Margie’s school was in her schoolroom, next to her bedroom. It had a mechanical teacher which examined her homework and gave her tests on five days a week.
(g) What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Ans: Margie and Tommy learnt history, geography and mathematics.
II. Answer the following with reference to the story:
(a) ‘I wouldn’t throw it away.
(i) Who says these words?
Ans: These words are said by Tommy.
(ii) What does ‘it’ refer to?
Ans: ‘It’ here refers to the television.
(iii) What is it being compared with by the speaker?
Ans: Television screen is being compared with the book by the speaker.
(b) ‘Sure they had a teacher, but, it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.
(i) Who does ‘they’ refer to?
Ans: They’ here refers to the boys and the girls.
(ii) What does ‘regular’ mean here?
Ans: ‘Regular’ here means ‘normal of the usual kind’.
(iii) What is it contrasted with?
Ans: It is contrasted with the mechanical teacher.
III. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (or about 30 words):
(a) What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Ans: Margie and Tommy had a mechanical teacher. He taught them subject-sector using a television screen. He also gave them tests and homework. He used to check their answer quickly and gave them marks.
(b) Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
Ans: Margie’s mechanical teacher was giving her test after test in Geography and she had been doing worse and worse. This worried her mother. She sent for the County’s Inspector to find out the cause of Margie’s poor performance and its remedy.
(e) What did he do?
Ans: The County’s Inspector took the mechanical teacher apart and checked it thoroughly. He found that the Geography sector was geared a little too quick. He slowed it up to an average ten years level.
(d) Why was Margie doing badly at geography? What did the county inspector do to help her?
Ans: In fact, Margie’s poor performance was not due to any fault in her. Her Geography sector was geared a little too quickly. The Inspector slowed it up to an average ten years old level so that Margie could coup with it.
(e) What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
Ans: Once his History teacher was taken away for a month because it had blanked out completely.
(f) Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Ans: Yes, Margie had regular days and hours for school. Everyday it was always on at the same time except on Saturday and Sunday because her mother thought that little girls is learnt better if they learnt at regular hours.
(g) How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Ans: The old kind of school had a special building and not set up in a house. All the kids went there for studying. All the kids of the same age learnt the same things. The teacher was a real man and not a mechanical or Robotic teacher.
(h) How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
Ans: Tommy describes that they were men in the real sense. They taught all the kids together. The teacher had to adjust to fit the mind of every student. Each kid had to be taught differently.
IV. Answer each of these questions in two or three paragraphs (100- 150 words).
(a) What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story?
Ans: Margie and Tommy have mechanical teachers. These mechanical teachers are machines or Robots. They have sectors of different subjects having set text, speed and level. Mechanical teacher teach kids using sector of a particular subject. They teach kids on TV screen, give them tests and homework. Kids write in punch code. The mechanical teacher checks it in no time and gives marks. These teachers could tell how the child was performing but they could not make out why a particular child was performing bad. For this, they had to be taken to the County Inspector. He would take the teachers apart, check their speed and level and gear them to the level of the student. As the County Inspector did in the case of Margie who was performing bad in Geography because the speed of the sector was fast and level higher than her age-level. Sometimes the whole sector was wiped out. The blanked out sector to be filled in again as it happened in the case of Tommy’s history sector. This could take even a month.
The schoolroom was not in a separate building but located in the house itself. Each student had his own schoolroom. There were no other students or classmates with them.
The school had regular hours and days since it was felt that kids learnt better if they had regular timings and hours. Mother normally set these schools and reminded the kids to attend it. Saturday and Sundays used to be holidays.
(b) Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think old kind of schools must have been fun?
Ans: Margie was a girl of eleven. She had never been to a building school. When Tommy found the real book, Margie came to know about the school with special building. This feeling made her hate her school all the more.
She imagined that old kind of schools must have been fun. She was surprised that how a man could be a teacher there. In that school all the students were of the same age. They all studied together. They shouted and laughed together. Margie wished that she could have studied in that kind of school. She was sure that kind of school must have been fun. All the children from the neighbourhood used to go together. They learnt the same thing and could help the other. She thought that these schools must have been fun.
(c) Do you agree with Margie that schools of today are more fun than the school in the story? Give reason for your answer.
Ans: Yes, I agree with Margie that the schools of today are better than those in the story. In the story, there are no schools as such. The story point out that the kids get their education with the help of a mechanical teacher. Every detail appears on the screen. For homework, test paper and answering the questions, Margie had to insert them in the slot.
But, in the schools today, there are spacious buildings where all the kids of the neighbourhood go together. They are taught by the human teachers. They study and play together. They learn the same things so that they can help one another in their homework.
THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE
Adverbs
Definition: An adverb is a word that modifies the meaning of a verb or adjective or another adverb. An adverb describes an action.
Examples: Probably, silently, quickly, certainly, bravely etc. Generally the adverbs are formed by adding ‘ly’ to the main word. e.g., different = differently
Read this sentence taken from the story:
They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.
The word complete is an adjective. When you add -ly to it, it becomes an adverb.
1. Find the sentences in the lesson which have the adverbs in the box below.
| Awfully sorrowfully completely loftily carefully differently quickly nonchalantly |
2. Now use these adverbs to fill in the blanks in the sentences below:
(i) The report must be read _______ so that performance can be improved.
Ans: (i) Carefully.
(ii) At the interview, he answered our questions _______, shrugging his shoulders.
Ans: (ii) Nonchalantly.
(iii) We all behave ________ when we are tired or hungry.
Ans: (iii) Differently.
(iv) The teacher shook her head ________ when Ravi lied to her.
Ans: (vi) Sorrowfully.
(v) I ________ forgot about it.
Ans: (v) Completely.
(vi) When I complimented her on her success, she just smiled _________ and turned away.
Ans: (vi) Loftily.
(vii) The president of the company is _________ busy and will not be able to meet you.
Ans: (vii) Awfully
(viii) I finished my work ________ so that I could go out to play.
Ans: (viii) Quickly.
3. Make adverbs from these adjectives.
(a) angry ________.
Ans: angry = angrily.
(b) happy ________.
Ans: happy = happily.
(c) merry ________.
Ans: merry = merrily.
(d) sleepy ________.
Ans: sleepy = sleepily.
(e) easy ________.
Ans: easy = easily.
(f) noisy ________.
Ans: noisy = noisily.
(g) tidy ________.
Ans: tidy = tidily.
(h) gloomy ________.
Ans: gloomy = gloomily.
If not and unless
(i) Imagine that Margie’s mother told her, “You’ll feel awful if you don’t finish your History lesson.”
(ii) She could also say: “You’ll feel awful unless you finish your History lesson.” Unless means if not. Sentences with unless or if not are negative conditional sentences.
Unless if not. If not Unless eg.
(iii) If you don’t play, I won’t play either. I won’t play unless you play.
(iv) Ram will fall ill if he does not exercise regularly.
Ram will fall ill unless he exercises regularly.
Notice that these sentences have two parts. The part that begins with if not or unless tells us the condition. This part has a verb in the present tense (look at the verbs don’t finish, finish in the sentences no (i) and (ii) above).
In sentences (iii) and (iv), we have two parts in both the sentences. All the four sentences put a condition as well as result also.
The other parts of the sentence tell us about a possible result. It tells us what will happen (if something else doesn’t happen). The verb in this part of the sentence is in the future tense (you’ll feel/ you will feel.)
| (Future Tense) | (Present Tense) | |
| 1. There won’t be any books left | unless | we preserve them. |
| 2. You won’t learn your lessons | if | you don’t study regularly. |
| 3. Tommy will have an accident | unless | he drives more slowly. |
SOME MORE SENTENCES:
| (Future Tense) | (Present Tense) | |
| (i) Ram will not catch the train | unless | he walks fast. |
| (ii) You will not pass | if | you don’t labour hard. |
| (iii) The boys won’t pay the dues | unless | they are compelled. |
| (iv) I shall not go | if | he doesn’t come. |
| (v) The consumer will not pay | unless | he receives the bill. |
Complete the following conditional sentences. Use the correct form of the verb.
(i) I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, _________.
Ans: If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, she will feel disappointed.
(ii) If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, _________.
Ans: If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, you will remain without food.
(iii) Unless you promise to write back, I _________.
Ans: Unless you promise to write back I will not write you.
(iv) If she does not play any games, _________.
Ans: If she does not play any games, she will be unhealthy.
(v) Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat _________.
Ans: Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat will eat it up.
WRITING
A new revised volume of Issac Asimov’s short stories has just been released. Order one set. Write a letter to the publisher Mindframe Private Limited, 1632 Asaf Ali Road, New Delhi, requesting that a set be sent to you by Value Payable Post (VPP) and giving your address. Your letter will have the following parts:
• addresses of the sender and receiver
• the salutation
• the body of the letter
• the closing phrases and signature.
Your letter might look like this:
Your address
_________
_________
Date _______ (DD/MM/YY)
The addressee’s address
_________
_________
Dear Sir/Madam.
__________
__________
__________
Yours sincerely
Your signature
Remember that the language of a formal letter is different from the colloquial style of personal letters. For example, contracted forms such as I’ve or can’t are not used.
Ans: 15/21 Indira Colony
Faridabad. (Haryana)
5th April, 20 ______
M/s Mindfame Private Limited
1632, Asaf Ali Road,
New Delhi-2
Dear Sir,
Sub.: Request for sending a new revised volume of Issac Asimov’s Stories
Kindly send me one of new revised volume of Issac Asimov’s stories by VVP at the above address at your earliest.
Also check the number and sequence of pages and the firm binding before backing. Any damaged piece will have to be replaced at your cost.
Yours sincerely, –
Pankaj
SOME MORE EXAMPLES:
1. Write a letter to M/s Gupta Sports Store, 39 Surya Enclave, New Delhi ordering for some sports material needed for your school. You are Arun Aggarwal Sports Incharge of Sarvodaya Vidyalaya Defence Colony, New Delhi.
2. You are Bhavna Mittal of Govt. Post Graduate College, Amritsar. Being Head of English Section, place an order for certain books needed for your college library. Request for reasonable discount and revised edition. The letter should be addressed to M/s Jiwan Publishing House, 24, Ansari Road, Darya Ganj, New Delhi-2.
SPEAKING
In groups of four discuss the following topics:
The Schools of the Future will have no Books and no Teachers !
Your group can decide to speak for or against
the motion. After this, each group will select a
speaker to present its views to the entire class. You may find the following phrases useful to present your argument in a debate.
In my opinion ………….
I/we fail to understand by ………..
I/we support the motion ………….
I wholeheartedly support / oppose the view that …………
At the outset let me say ………….
I’d/we’d like to raise the issue of/argue against ………….
I should like to draw attention to ………….
My/our worthy opponent has submitted that ………..
On the contrary ………..
I firmly reject ………….
Ans: The Schools of the Future will have no Books and no Teachers!
I support the motion on the following points: It clearly exhibits that the kids will learn everything in their houses through computer. Thus they will be having an easy access to information of every sort as everything will be stored on the screen. It will save time, energy, money and tension. The homework will be completed side by side. Even the marking of the questions will become easy and the students will know about his progress in no time. The extra expenses of teacher, school buildings, audio, visual aids, books and stationery will be over. The students will be free to enjoy their leisure. As we are accustomed to an old technique of education, so it will look awesome for some time. But we will be better informed. We will have an incessant access to every information. Thus it will be a new era for all. It will bring a revolution in our education and we will have to delete the ancient and unsound techniques.
Q. Write your views about the importance of tele education in India.
Ans: Importance of Tele Education in India:
(Supporting the Motion)
It is a high occasion for me that I have to speak on the topic “The Importance of Tele-education in India’. In this regard, I support the view on the following points:
In the first instance we will get a first hand information on the screen in its true reality by having a television set in our own houses. Suppose we want to teach how to fight against the enemy, we need not take the students to the battlefield. On the screen each and everything can be shown in actual details. Thus the students will make a clear-cut understanding how the army use different techniques, guns, bombs and other equipments for fight. They will see their living conditions, environment and real atmosphere. They will be able to have a better perspective of everything very minutely. The same thing can’t be clearly detailed on the blackboard by the teacher. It forms only an imagination on the board.
Secondly, instant information can be held in no time however far the incident may be occurring. It will give a correct view.
Thus it will add to their knowledge. They will be better informed with everything. Suppose we have to teach the students about the manufacturing of medicines. The same can be exhibited on the screen. When the students will see everything before their eyes, the needs of books and teachers will be no more. We must not forget that the screen leaves a better and constant impression on the mind. The demand for the teacher as well as the institution will decrease. The education will be smooth, logical, methodical, scientific and correct.
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Answer these questions in about 30-40 words each:
Q.1. How did Tommy find the ‘real’ book diffe What was found by Tommy and what was incredibly funny about it?
Ans: Tommy found a very old book which was printed on paper. The pages were yellow and crinkly. It was very funny to read the words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to do on a screen in their present time period when they read e-books.
Q.2. Why did Tommy call a real book a waste?
Ans: Tommy called the real book a waste because like an e-book it does not contain a million books. So, Tommy thought that once you go through the book, it is no use as it does not contain plenty of books like a television or computer screen.
Q.3. What did Margie’s grandfather tell her about the books of olden times?
Ans: Margie’s grandfather told her that when he was a little boy, his hrandfather told him that there was a time when all stories were printed on paper. The words stood still and did not move as they do on a screen.
Q.4. What did Margie think after inserting her homework in the proper slot?
Ans: She thought about old kinds of schools, where all the kids from the whole neighbourhood came to school in a separate building, laughing and shouting together. They sat in the same schoolroom, learned the same things and could help each other in the homework.
Q.5. Describe the teachers Margie and Tommy had. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
Ans: Margie and Tommy had a mechanical teacher. He taught them subject sector using a television screen. He also gave them tests and homework. He used to check their answers and gave them marks.
Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspector as Margie was not doing well in Geography.
Q.6. Why did the County Inspector’s visit disappoint Margie?
Ans: She had been hoping that the County Inspector would take the teacher away altogether. He had taken Tommy’s teacher away nearly for a month because the History sector had blanked out completely. She could get no time to relax or escape studying Geography.
Q.7. How did Tommy describe the old kind of schools?
Ans: Old schools were housed in a special building. The students go there to study. The teachers were the people. They taught all the kids. The teacher was not a regular teacher. The students were given homework. Even questions were asked by the students.
Q.8. What did Margie’s grandfather tell her about the books of olden times?
Ans: Margie’s grandfather told her that in his time there were real books with pages in it. The stories were printed on the paper. It was awfully funny to read the words on the book. The words did not move like in tele books.
Q.9. What did Margie think after inserting her homework in the proper slot?
Ans: After inserting her homework in the proper slot Margie wished that mechanical teacher would not work. She hated the slot because after putting her homework she had to write them out in a punch code and at once result was given.
Q.10. The kids in the old days must have enjoyed their teaching. What does Margie think about it?
Ans: Margie thinks that the kids in the old days must have enjoyed the fun while being taught. It is because all the kids from the neighbourhood come to study in a building. All sat together in the classroom. They shouted, laughed and left for their homes together at the end of the day. It was really a great fun.
THOUGHT PROVOKING MODULE
Study the following Questions:
Q.1. Suppose you were to attend a school in which teacher was replaced by computer. How would you react?
Ans: Attending a school in which a teacher is replaced by a computer will have very different decorum. If the teacher is a man teacher then he will be able to coordinate the students. Here the teacher and taught will have good relationship. Better innovative ideas will be brought forward. The teacher will have charismatic quality. But if the computer replaces the teacher, things will become more organized and scientific. I would feel happy in such a school and would not be answerable to anyone.
Q.2. What difficulties did Margie face when she had to attend the school at home? How did she attending school in the building would help?
Ans: When Margie had to attend the school at home, she felt that it was no fun and they had to attend the class next to their bedroom. The lesson was delivered regularly on time. But Margie wished to attend the school in the building where all got a chance to study together. All the students shouted and laughed together. Margie felt that such a school would be fun.
Q.3. How will the scenario change if printed books become things of the past? Would you enjoy more or less if students were to learn on screen?
Ans: Printed books are more informative to some and boring for the others. In printed books date is always ready to be read. In print books we can read the information as many times as we want and can also carry it wherever we want. When it comes to reading information on screen scenario changes. At times we keep on getting different information and have to concentrate more on screen.
LONG ANSWERS TYPE QUESTIONS
Answer these questions in about 100-150 words each:
Q.1. Explain Margie and Tommy’s reaction when Tommy found a real book.
Ans: Margie and Tommy were really shocked when they found a real book. They had heard about the book from their grandfather. They found it very funny to find that the pages of the book were yellow and crinkly. The words now instead of moving stood still. It was also surprising for them to find that the words were there where they had been when they read it for the first time. Tommy felt that at times reading books could be a waste as once we are thorough with the book, we throw it away. On the other hand television screen could have a million books on it.
Q.2. Compare and contrast the teachers of today with the mechanical teacher and school rooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story.
Ans: In the story ‘Fun They had, Issac Asimov talks about the role of the mechanical teacher for the education of the kids. Every subject will appear on the screen. The man is to on the switch and everything will be at the fixed time. The school building will be replaced by a school room equipped with a television. The computer screen will display everything. The mechanical teacher will ask questions, give homework and conduct tests. There will be no need of printing the paper, money, time and material. In the school of today, there is a special building for all to study but the real teacher is the actual teacher who imparts education. Students of all castes, colour and sects study together in the campus. The teacher is there to teach, watch, examine and look after them.
Q.3. Why do you think Margie had contempt for ‘school’? What did she long for? Explain the values she possessed.
Ans: Margie hated school as she found studying alone boring and without any fun. She despised that slot of the mechanical teacher would be utmost. She had to put homework and test papers which had to be written in a special punch-code.
Margie liked the older kind of schools that existed centuries ago. The teachers were the people who taught in the schools. All the children were taught together. There they enjoyed studies, Ja helped each other and had a lot of fun But the present mechanical school had a big screen where instructions appeared. She used to read telebooks whose contents keeps changing. Margie wondered what fun it would have been dying to go laughing and shouting together in a school in a separate building sitting with classmates, helping each other in studies, sharing their problems. The school would not have been a burden but an enjoyable experience.
