The following are the questions and answers from the ‘Thinking about the Text’ section based on the story, "The Fun They Had," drafted for a Class IX standard.
I. Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.
1. How old are Margie and Tommy?
Margie was eleven years old and Tommy was thirteen years old.
2. What did Margie write in her diary?
Margie wrote in her diary on the page headed 17 May 2157 that “Today Tommy found a real book!”.
3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?
No, Margie had never seen a real printed book before. She only knew about them through stories told by her grandfather about his own grandfather.
4. What things about the book did she find strange?
She found it strange that the words stood still on the pages instead of moving, which is what they were used to seeing on a screen. She also thought it was strange that when they turned back to a page, it had the exact same words on it.
5. What do you think a telebook is?
A telebook is a digital book displayed on a computer or television screen. It contains a vast amount of text and is stored electronically, unlike books printed on paper.
6. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Margie’s school was in her house, located right next to her bedroom. She did not have any classmates because she learned alone from her mechanical teacher.
7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Margie and Tommy learned subjects typical of a school curriculum, including Geography, History, and Arithmetic (or math).
II. Answer the following with reference to the story.
1. “I wouldn’t throw it away.”
(i) Who says these words?
Tommy says these words.
(ii) What does ‘it’ refer to?
‘It’ refers to Tommy’s television screen, which he says must have had a million telebooks on it.
(iii) What is it being compared with by the speaker?
It is being compared with the real, old printed book that Tommy found, which he considered a "waste" because once read, it might be thrown away.
2. “Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”
(i) Who does ‘they’ refer to?
‘They’ refers to the students and children of the old schools that existed hundreds of years before Margie’s time.
(ii) What does ‘regular’ mean here?
Here, ‘regular’ means normal or usual, referring specifically to the mechanical teacher that Margie and Tommy were used to.
(iii) What is it contrasted with?
It is contrasted with a human teacher ('a man'), who taught in the old school system, as opposed to the mechanical teachers they had.
III. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).
1. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. These were large, black, and ugly machines with big screens that showed lessons, asked questions, and had a slot where students submitted their homework and test papers in a punch code.
2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspector because Margie was performing increasingly poorly in the geography tests given by her mechanical teacher. Her mother was worried about her diminishing progress.
3. What did he do?
The County Inspector, a round little man, smiled and gave Margie an apple, and then took the mechanical teacher apart. He then fixed the geography sector by slowing it down to the appropriate level for an average ten-year-old.
4. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help her?
Margie was doing badly because the geography sector of her mechanical teacher was geared a little too quickly. To help her improve, the County Inspector slowed the sector down to an average level suitable for a ten-year-old.
5. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
Tommy’s mechanical teacher was once taken away for nearly a month. This removal occurred because its history sector had blanked out completely, requiring extensive repairs.
6. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Yes, Margie did have regular days and hours for school every day except Saturday and Sunday. Her mother believed that little girls learned better and more consistently if they studied at regular hours.
7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Tommy describes the old school as a special building where children from the entire neighborhood gathered. They would all attend the building, learn the same things if they were the same age, and have fun together.
8. How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
Tommy describes the old teachers as people (men), not machines. These human teachers would gather the students, tell them things, give them homework, and ask 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?
The schoolrooms of Margie and Tommy are highly personalized, automated, and isolated. Margie’s schoolroom was located conveniently right next to her bedroom, demonstrating the lack of necessity to travel. The learning takes place through a mechanical teacher, which is a large, black, and ugly machine featuring a big screen where lessons are displayed and questions are asked. The teaching schedule is rigidly maintained; for example, Margie’s teacher was always on at the same time every day, except on weekends.
A crucial feature of this system is the slot where students must submit their schoolwork. Margie had to write her homework and tests in a specialized punch code. The mechanical teacher is sophisticated enough to be adjusted, or geared, to fit the mind and capacity of each individual student it instructs. This adjustment is meant to ensure that each child is taught differently and at a satisfactory pace. However, this individualized system means the children lack the communal experience of learning, as they study alone under the constant, objective scrutiny of the machine.
2. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?
Margie hated her school because it was tedious, isolated, and focused too much on mechanical testing. Her primary source of frustration was the mechanical teacher itself, especially when it continually gave her test after test in Geography, leading her to perform worse and worse. She also disliked the slot where she was required to put her homework and tests, which she had to write out in a difficult punch code. This intense academic pressure, coupled with the absence of social interaction, led her to dislike her education.
Margie thought the old kind of school must have been fun because of the sense of companionship and shared adventure. She imagined all the kids from the whole neighborhood coming together, laughing and shouting in a special schoolyard. They would sit together in a room and learn the same things. Margie realized that this shared learning experience would enable the students to help one another with homework and talk about their studies, creating a joyful and cooperative environment completely missing from her virtual, individualized classroom.
3. Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story? Give reasons for your answer.
Yes, schools today are significantly more fun and beneficial than the mechanized school described in the story, primarily because current schools foster human connection and shared experiences. Unlike Margie's solitary classroom right next to her bedroom, modern schools gather students from the entire neighborhood in a special building. This allows children to engage socially, running, laughing, and shouting in the schoolyard.
Crucially, learning alongside peers means that students can collaborate, discuss their lessons, and help one another with homework. This cooperative environment is impossible for Margie, who is taught by a machine designed to be adjusted only to her individual needs. Furthermore, having human teachers provides a level of emotional guidance, flexibility, and dynamic discussion that a mechanical teacher, which simply displays lessons and calculates scores, cannot replicate. The collective, joyful experience of learning together, which Margie romanticized, is what makes present-day schools superior.