The Fun They Had
THE FUN THEY HAD
By Isaac Asimov
Lesson - 1 (Page No : 5)
Q.1. “Margie even wrote about it that night in her diary”
(i) What did Margie write about?
(ii) When was the diary entry dated?
Answer: 1. (i) Margie wrote down that her friend Tommy had found a real book that day. It was a very old book with still words printed on pages that had yellowed with age.
(ii) The diary entry in question was dated 17th May 2157.
Q.2. Whom did the book belong to?
Answer: The book must have belonged to Tommy’s grandfather.
Q.3. What did Margie write in her diary? [Text I. 2.]
Answer: Margie excitedly wrote in her diary that her friend Tommy had found a real printed book that day.
Q.4. Had Margie ever seen a book before? [Text I. 3.]
Answer: No, Margie had never seen a real printed book before.
Q.5. What was funny about the book?
Answer: The children found it funny that the words in the book stood still instead of moving, as in the telebooks they were used to.
Q.6. What things about the books did she (Margie) find strange? [Text I. 4.]
Answer: Margie found it strange that the words in the pages did not move. It was also strange to her that when she turned back to the page before, the words would still remain the same.
Q.7. How old are Margie and Tommy? [Text I. 1.]
Answer: Margie was eleven years old and Tommy was thirteen.
Q.8. “What a waste” - What did Tommy consider a waste and why?
Answer: Tommy considered the real books as a waste.
The story is set more than a hundred years in the future. Tommy is used to telebooks that can store a number of books at the same time. A printed book is alien to him. He supposes that since the words in the book do not change, one must just throw it away once finished reading. So he calls the book a waste.
From Page No: 10
Thinking About The Text:
I. Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.
1. How old are Margie and Tommy?
Answer: Margie was eleven years old and Tommy was thirteen.
2. What did Margie write in her diary?
Answer: Margie excitedly wrote in her diary that her friend Tommy had found a real printed book that day.
3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?
Answer: No, Margie had never seen a real printed book before.
4. What things about the book did she find strange?
Answer: Margie found it strange that the words in the pages did not move. It was also strange to her that when she turned back to the page before, the words would still remain the same.
5. What do you think a telebook is?
Answer: A book that can be displayed on a screen is called telebook.
6. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Answer: Margie’s school was in her home itself, right next to her bedroom. No, she did not have any classmates.
7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Answer: Margie and Tommy learned geography, history and arithmetic.
II. Answer the following with reference to the story.
1. “I wouldn’t throw it away.”
(i) Who says these words?
(ii) What does ‘it’ refer to?
(iii) What is it being compared with by the speaker?
Answer:
(i) Tommy said these words.
(ii) 'It' refers to the television screen, on which you could read over a million books
(iii) Tommy is comparing the television screen to the real books in earlier times in which words were printed on paper. He thought that after reading such books, one would have to throw them away. However, he would never have to throw away his telebooks.
2. “Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”
(i) Who does ‘they’ refer to?
(ii) What does ‘regular’ mean here?
(iii) What is it contrasted with?
Answer:
(i) They refer to the students who studied in the old kind of schools centuries before the time the story is set in.
(ii) Here, 'regular' refers to the mechanical teachers that Tommy and Margie had.
(iii) The mechanical teacher is contrasted with the teacher of the earlier times, who was a human being.
III. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).
1. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Answer: Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. They were large and black and ugly and had large black screens on which all the lessons were shown and questions were asked. These mechanical teachers had a slot in which the students had to put their homework and test papers. They had to write their answers in a punch code and the mechanical teacher calculated the marks immediately.
2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
Answer: Margie had been given many tests in geography by the mechanical teacher, but there was no improvement in her performance. It only kept getting worse. It is for this reason that Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspector to find out why this was happening.
3. What did he (County Inspector) do?
Answer: The County Inspector gave Margie an apple and started working on the mechanical teacher. He took it apart and then checked it. Margie had hoped that the Inspector would not know how to put the mechanical teacher together again, but he managed to reassemble it. He slowed down the geography section of the teacher because it was geared a little too quick for an average ten-year-old.
4. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help her?
Answer: Margie was doing badly in geography because the geography sector of the mechanical teacher had been geared a little too quick. The County Inspector rightly told her that she could not be blamed for her poor performance.
The County Inspector slowed down the geography sector of the mechanical teacher to an average ten-year level. He also told Mrs. Jones that Margie's overall progress pattern was satisfactory.
5. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
Answer: Once, The history sector of Tommy’s teacher had once blanked out completely.
6. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Answer: Yes, Margie had regular days and hours for school. This was because her mother believed that learning at regular hours helped little girls learn better. Her mechanical teacher was also on at the same time everyday except Saturday and Sunday.
7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Answer: Tommy described the old kind of school as a special building where all kids studied together. There were hundreds of students studying and playing together. They used to shout and laugh together in an open yard.
8. How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
Answer: Tommy said that the old kind of teachers were men, who taught the students inside a special building. The teachers taught the children in groups and gave them homework and asked them questions.
IV. Answer each of these questions in two or three paragraphs (100 –150 words).
1. What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story?
Answer: Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. They had large black screens on which all the lessons were shown and questions were asked. They had a slot in which students had to put their homework and test papers. They had to write their answers in a punch code and the mechanical teacher calculated the marks immediately. Their schools were in their homes. They did not have any classmates. They learned geography, history and arithmetic. They had regular days and hours for school. Margie's school was right next to her bedroom. The mechanical teacher always turned on at the same time every day except Saturdays and Sundays because her mother said that little girls learned better when they learned at regular hours.
2. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?
Answer: Margie hated school because it was not fun. A mechanical teacher used to teach her everyday at a fixed time. Recently, she had been doing badly in the geography tests that her mechanical teacher had been giving her. Her mother was not happy with the performance and sent for the County Inspector, she hoped that the inspector would take the mechanical teacher away. She is disappointed when the County Inspector manages to assemble all the parts of the mechanical teacher. The part that she hated the most was inserting the homework and test papers in the slot on the mechanical teacher. She did not like the fact that she had to write her answers in a punch code. She thought that the old kind of school must have been fun as she imagined all the kids from the entire neighbourhood coming together, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard. She imagined that they would sit together in the classroom and go home together at the end of the day. They would learn the same things and could help one another with the homework and talk about it. Also, the teachers were people. All these aspects made her believe that the old kind of school must have been fun.
উপরের উত্তরটাকে একটু সংক্ষিপ্ত আকারে লিখলে এভাবে হবে👇
Answer: Her school was always open, seven days in a week. Margie’s teacher was always on at the same time except weekends, because her mother believed that regular study hours result in better learning.
She had no classmates to interact and play with. She thought that old school must have been fun, because you got the opportunity to play and make fun, with your classmates. It must have been a pleasant experience to study from a human instead of an impersonal machine.
3. Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer: Yes, I agree schools today are more fun than the school in the story. In the story, there is no interaction among students regarding studies. Studying and answering questions seems to be a boring idea. Doing homework without anybody's help and writing them in a punch code would also be draining. Moreover, children develop a better understanding about each other and of their surroundings when they go to a school and interact with each other. It is a healthier way of learning.
Listening to teachers explaining lessons is always more interesting than reading the entire lesson on a mechanical computer. Also, if any student faces any problem with the subject or in homework, he can discuss it with the teacher and other kids. It is impossible to discuss problems and situations with a mechanical teacher that is only programmed to teach in a particular manner.
The excitement of waiting to know the marks scored in exams is greater when one is sitting in a classroom with other students. It does not have the same effect when the marks are calculated immediately after a test has been taken.
Finally, the friends that you make at school are most probably the best friends that you will ever make in your entire life. The various qualities that you learn in school like obedience, respect, kindness for others, sharing, taking part in school games, sports, and other activities are all a part of school education today. Therefore, schools today are more fun than the school in the story as they are more interactive. They promote a healthy environment for the students to study and learn.
Or, you can learn the following answer 👇
Answer: There is no doubt that today’s schools are more funny than the future school discussed in the story. This school has nothing but a mechanical teacher with no emotions and sentiments. It does not have the ability to understand the psychology of a child. Moreover, it guides a pupil according to its adjusted modes. But today’s schools work for the overall development of a child. They learn the same thing. The teachers are real human beings. They learn how to adapt themselves to the new surroundings and cope with the strangers. The students sit and learn together. These activities don’t give vent to the feelings of depression, alienation and segregation.
From Page No: 11
Thinking about Language
1. Find the sentences in the lesson which have the adverbs given in the box below.
[Awfully, sorrowfully, completely, loftily, carefully, differently, quickly, nonchalantly]
Answer:
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.
The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worse and worse until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully and sent for the County Inspector.
They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.
He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, “Centuries ago.”
“But my mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches and that each kid has to be taught differently.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Margie said quickly.
“May be,” he said 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.
(ii) At the interview, Sameer answered our questions _____________ , shrugging his shoulders.
(iii) We all behave ________________ when we are tired or hungry.
(iv) The teacher shook her head ____________ when Ravi lied to her.
(v) I __________ forgot about it.
(vi) When I complimented Revathi on her success, she just smiled ___________ and turned away.
(vii) The President of the Company is _____________ busy and will not be able to meet you.
(viii) I finished my work __________________ so that I could go out to play.
Answer:
(i) The report must be read carefully so that performance can be improved.
(ii) At the interview, Sameer answered our questions loftily, shrugging his shoulders.
(iii) We all behave differently when we are tired or hungry.
(iv) The teacher shook her head sorrowfully when Ravi lied to her.
(v) I completely forgot about it.
(vi) When I complimented Revathi on her success, she just smiled nonchalantly and turned away.
(vii) The President of the Company is awfully busy and will not be able to meet you.
(viii) I finished my work quickly so that I could go out to play.
From Page No: 12
3. Make adverbs from these adjectives.
(i) angry ___________
(ii) happy __________
(iii) merry___________
(iv) sleepy __________
(v) easy ____________
(vi) noisy ___________
(vii) tidy ___________
(viii) gloomy ________
Answer:
(i) Angrily (ii) Happily (iii) Merrily
(iv) Sleepily (v) Easily (vi) Noisily
(vii) Tidily (viii) Gloomily
II. Complete the following conditional sentences. Use the correct form of the verb.
1. If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, __________
2. If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, __________
3. Unless you promise to write back, I __________
4. If she doesn’t play any games, ___________
5. Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat ___________
Answer:
1. If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, she will be angry.
2. If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, you will miss your evening meal.
3. Unless you promise to write back, I will not write to you.
4. If she doesn’t play any games, she will become dull and lazy.
5. Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat will pounce on it.
Word-Notes:
Crinkly: with many folds or lines, something that is crushed. কুঞ্চিত।
Attic: a space just below the roof, used as a storeroom, চিলেকোঠা।
Scornful: contemptuous; showing you think something is worthless, show your dislike for something. ঘৃণাপূর্ণ।
Slot: a given space, time or position, গর্ত; ছিদ্র।
Geared (to): adjusted to a particular standard or level. সক্রিয় করা।
Blanked out: it has been erased. মিটিয়ে দেওয়া।
Loftily: ceremoniously; in a superior way. সাড়ম্বরে।
Regular: here, normal; of the usual kind. নিয়মিত।
Dispute: controversy; disagree with when you are opposing something, বিতর্ক।
Nonchalantly: not showing much interest or enthusiasm; carelessly; উদাসহীনভাবে।
Additional Questions For Practicing
Extract Based Questions (3 marks each)
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.
Question 1:
“Today Tommy found a real book!”
It was a very old book. Margie’s grandfather once said that when he was a little boy his grandfather told him that there was a time when all stories were printed on paper.
1. The old book was found by ………….
2. Margie was surprised to see the book because ……….
3. Pick out a word from the following which means ‘small’:
(a) old
(b) once
(c) little
(d) very
Answer:
1. Tommy
2. all the stories were printed on paper
3. Little
Question 2:
It was a very old book. Margie’s grandfather once said that when he was a little boy his grandfather told him that there was a time when all stories were printed on paper. 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.
1. Why were the pages of the book yellow ?
2. Did Margie see the book for the first time ?
3. Trace a word from the passage that means ‘with many folds or lines’.
Answer:
1. The pages of the book were yellow because the book was quite old.
2. Yes, Margie saw the book for the first time.
3. Crinkly.
Question 3:
Margie went into the schoolroom. It was right next to her bedroom and the mechanical teacher was on and waiting for her. It was always on at the same time every day except Saturday and Sunday because her mother said little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours.
1. Where was Margie’s schoolroom ?
2. Explain ‘mechanical teacher was on’.
3. Write the opposite of ‘regular’.
Answer:
1. Margie’s school room was next to her bedroom.
2. Computer was on.
3. Irregular.
Question 4:
“Because it’s not our kind of school, stupid. This is the old kind of school that they had hundreds and hundreds of years ago.” He added loftily.
1. Who is ‘he’ in the above lines ?
2. “Our kind of school.” What kind of school do they have ?
3. Trace the word from the extract that means “in a superior way”.
Answer:
1. ‘He’ in the above lines is Tommy.
2. They have future classrooms with mechanical teachers.
3. Loftily.
Question 5:
Tommy looked at her with very superior eyes. “Because it’s not our kind of school, stupid. This is the old kind of school that they had hundreds and hundreds of years ago.” He added loftily.
1. Why did Tommy call Margie stupid ?
2. What does ‘they’ here refer to ?
3. Find the word which means “in a superior way”.
Answer:
1. Tommy called Margie stupid because she was too ignorant.
2. ‘They’ here refers to the students of centuries ago.
3. Loftily.
Question 6:
Margie did so with a sigh. She was thinking about the old schools they had when her grandfather’s grandfather was a little boy. All the kids from the whole neighbourhoods came, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting together in the schoolroom going home together at the end of the day. They learned the same things, so that they could help one another with the homework and talk about it.
1. Which school is Margie thinking about in the above lines ?
2. What is the advantage of those old schools ?
3. Which word in the passage means “breathing out deeply” ?
Answer:
1. Margie is thinking about the school of her grandfather’s grandfather when he was a little boy.
2. The advantage of the old school was that everyone used to learn the same thing and could help each other with homework. The children could go and come together also.
3. Sigh
Short Answer Type Questions (2 marks each) (About 30-40 words each)
Question 1:
How was the book that Tommy found different from his own book?
Answer:
The book that Tommy found was an old, real book which belonged to his grandfather’s grandfather. It had crinkly, yellow pages whereas Tommy's books were telebooks by mechanical teachers, computers.
Question 2:
What kind of book did Tommy show to Margie ?
Answer:
The book that Tommy showed to Margie was an old, real book which belonged to his grandfather’s.
It had crinkly yellow pages, where all the stories were printed on paper and the words stood still.
Question 3:
Why did Margie hope that the County Inspector would take away her mechanical teacher ?
Answer:
Margie hoped that the County Inspector would take away her mechanical teacher because she had performed poorly in all the geography tests and had developed a strong dislike for the school.
Question 4:
Tommy thought the old books were funny and a big waste. Why?
Answer:
Tommy thought that the old books were a waste because the words stood still and did not run. He also thought that they were a big waste because they could not be reused like the screen of their mechanical teacher.
Question 5:
What did the County Inspector do to improve Margie’s performance?
Answer:
The County Inspector found that the geography sector had been geared too quickly. He slowed it up to an average 10-years level. He found the overall pattern of Margie quite satisfactory.
Question 6:
What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Answer:
Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers, computers, and telebooks. Their school had. no separate building. They had robotic teachers showing lessons and testing papers. Their teachers were always on and kept waiting for them.
Question 7:
Why did Margie hate school ?
Answer:
Margie hated school, which was a room in her house only, because her teacher was a mechanical one. It kept giving her test papers where answers had to be written as punch codes. The results were given instantaneously.
Question 8:
What differences do you find in present school and the school described in the lesson ‘The Fun They Had’ ?
Answer:
In present day schools, students study together in a separate building and teachers are human beings whereas, in the lesson the school was at home and the teacher was mechanical.
Question 9:
How does Tommy describe the old kind of teachers ?
Answer:
Earlier, the teachers were not mechanical teachers, they taught the children in a special building where all children went to learn. They asked questions and gave them home work.
Question 10:
Why did Margie find the book strange ?
Answer:
The book had yellow and crinkly pages and the words standing still unlike moving on a screen. When they turned back to the pages read before, there were the same words on it when they read it the first time. All these things were strange for Margie.
Question 11:
Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector ? What did he do ?
Answer:
Margie was not performing well in her geography tests. The County Inspector took the teacher apart and put it together again as its geography sector was geared a little too quick.
Long Answer Type Questions (4 marks each) (About 80-100 words each)
Question 1:
How was Margie’s school different from the schools that existed hundreds of years ago ?
Answer:
Margie’s school was at home. She had a mechanical teacher, telebooks, no other students were there in the class and work was fed in by the mechanical teacher by punch codes. Whereas, the old schools had proper buildings, many students, human teachers who gave homework and asked questions. Everyone learned the same things and books were on paper. So, it is clearly visible that Margie’s school was totally different from the schools that existed hundreds of years ago.
Question 2:
How is Margie’s school different from a normal school ?
Answer:
Margie’s school had a room installed with a computer from which she used to learn the lessons. There were no teachers to teach die students. No homework was given to the students. The computers gave them tests and the results were given instantly. There was no one to do the corrections or solve their problems. There were no classmates even. So, Margie’s school was very different from a normal school.
Value Based Question (in 80-100 words) (4 marks each)
Question : ‘Machines can’t replace human beings.’ Explain with reference to the Lesson ‘The Fun They Had’.
Or,
In context of the lesson ‘The Fun They Had’ do you think mechanical teachers or computer instructors cannot replace humans as teachers.
Answer:
A teacher not only has to teach and explain things but also has to understand the mindset of the students. A computer instructor will only be able to deliver the lesson but will not be able to understand the problems of the students. A teacher (human) emotionally connects to the students to make the child comfortable but this is not the case with a mechanical teacher. Teaching can be best done by a person because then only will they be able to pass on the correct values and lessons to the students.
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