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The Fun they Had Questions Answers Theme Word Meaning

The Fun they had Summary Class 9, Explanation, Question Answers

The Fun They Had Summary Class 9 English Chapter 1. Detailed Explanation of the Lesson with Meaning of Difficult Words. All the exercises and answers to the questions are covered. The Fun they Had Questions Answers Theme Word Meaning

Table of Contents

➢About Author
➢Theme
➢Message
➢Justification of the Title
➢Moral/ Message of the Lesson
➢Characters Sketch
➢Key Points
➢Introduction
➢The Fun they had Summary
➢The Fun they had Summary in Hindi
➢The Fun They had Question Answers
➢The Fun They Had Word Meaning
➢ Download Pdf Notes

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About Author

Isaac Asimov- A short Biography

The Fun they Had Questions Answers Theme Word Meaning

Scholar Isaac Asimov was one of the 20th century’s most prolific writers, writing in many genres. He was known for Science fiction works like Foundation and me, Robot.

Born on January 2, 1920, in Petrovichi, Russia, Isaac Asimov immigrated with his family to the United States and became a biochemistry professor while pursuing writing. He published his first novel, Pebble in the Sky, in 1950. An immensely prolific author who penned nearly 500 books, he published influential sci-fi works like I, Robot and the Foundation trilogy, as well as books in a variety of other genres. Asimov died in New York City on April 6, 1992. The on The Fun They Had is one of the most popular fictional works written by him.

Theme

The main theme in the short story ‘The Fun They Had’ is that of education. More specifically, the narrative deals with the future of education which will become increasingly Computerized and estranged from social interactions.

Message

The author’s message is one of the warnings against the dangers of computerized4 home-schooling which deprives children of the benefits of the personal interactions between students and teachers, which help them to develop many social skills.

Justification of the Title

I think the title quite suits the story, “The Fun They Had”. Tommy and Margie find an old book and learn how the schools were different in the past from their time and how much fun the children had while studying in school. It also gives us a glimpse of future education.

Moral/ Message of the Lesson – The Fun They Had

The author’s message is one of warnings against the dangers of computerized home-schooling which keeps away the children from the benefits of the personal interactions between students and teachers, which help them develop social skills as well as many more things. So without criticizing the present schooling we should understand the value of the present lively education system and enjoy it to the fullest.

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CHARACTERS SKETCH

MARGIE

Margie is an eleven-year-old girl who represents future students In the twenty-second century. She is a typical young girl who dislikes school which is highly personalized and includes a television and a mechanical teacher. She studies in the comfort of her home. Her homework is checked by her mechanized teacher, a computer, and she also gets lessons from it. Margie does not like her school because she is confined to a room and has to study alone at a fixed time every day.

Margie is a curious girl. When she finds a real book in Tommy’s hands, she is eager to know about its contents. In fact, she wants to read the book herself. However, she is surprised that the book describes a school of the yesteryears which had real men as teachers and classes were conducted in a special building. She is fascinated to learn that in those times the students of the same level studied together. She concludes that the old system was much better as the students had so much fun when they studied together and could help each other. It is through Margie that the author has projected a contrast between the schools of today and the schools of the future.

TOMMY

Tommy, a young boy of thirteen years, plays an important role in the story as he is the one who finds a book about the schools from yesteryears. The entire action of the story begins after that. He represents the students of the future era when education will be absolutely mechanised and automated.

Tommy is very curious. As soon as he discovers a real book, he starts reading it. However, he does not like the idea of printed books which, according to him, are a waste once they have been read. Compared to Margie, he is not as sensitive to the contents of the book. He has an air of superiority – he snubs Margie when she expresses her ignorance about old schools. But he does believe in sharing, and when Margie’s mother calls her to attend the school he assures her that they can finish the book later. Tommy has been used by the author to contrast the school education of the twentieth-century with that of the twenty-second.

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KEY POINTS

Margie and Tommy are students of future schools.
Tommy finds an old book about school in the attic. They turn yellow, crinkly pages of the book and are surprised to see still words in the book.
They thought the old book to be wastage of resources, as it was to be thrown after one use. But tele-books last longer and contain many books together.
Margie hated school as her teacher gave her test and she performed badly.
She hated the slot for putting homework and test papers.
Margie’s mother called County Inspector who came with all his equipment and repaired it in an hour.
Margie wasn’t happy as she thought he would take the teacher for a few days.
County Inspector told her mother that Margie’s bad performance in Geography was due to the faulty setting of her teacher.
Tommy explained that centuries ago the schools were not like theirs. They had a man as a teacher who taught students different subjects, asked questions and gave homework also.
Margie couldn’t believe the man to be smart enough to have knowledge about different subjects.
Tommy told her that the school was in a special building and students would go there and children of same age group studied the same things.
But Margie’s mother had told her that every child has to be taught according to his needs.
Now Margie was interested in reading more about the old funny schools.
Tommy and Margie attended school at a fixed time.
Margie thought about the old schools where kids had a lot of fun studying together and playing.
The computer screen of her ‘teacher’ was flashing new chapter in arithmetic on the addition of proper fractions. But Margie was lost in the thoughts of old school.

The Fun They Had Introduction

This is a very light story. It is set in the future. This will make you all love school. This story is about school life and how children who don’t go to school drop out. The setting of the story is in the future when, perhaps, there would be no school, no book. Now how those students will miss going to school and they will feel that their ancestors who are the present generation – you all enjoyed going to school, meeting and helping each other. In the end we learn that it is the imagination of a young girl named Margie who learns that her ancestors went to school, all the children studied together. They think they went to school when they all had a lot of fun. So, when we read the story we feel that school life is great, and we are lucky to have real schools where we go, meet friends and get a chance to study together.

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The Fun they Had Summary

The story begins with Margie writing in her diary about an old book that Tommy had found. Margie remembered her grandfather, who once talked about her grandfather who had gone to a real school where students were taught by human teachers.

However, Margie and Tommy lived in a futuristic world, in the year 2157 where education was fully computerized. They didn’t go to school. Instead, they had a special study room where a computer taught them. The computer teacher was programmed and adjusted according to the needs of each child. Sometimes defects developed in the computer teacher that were fixed by a county inspector.

Tommy and Margie both express their surprise at the book Tommy found in his attic. They are surprised when they read books on their computer teacher’s screen. Margie felt that the computer teacher was boring; She disliked mechanical teaching and learning. She also thought about how much fun it would be to study in a school. Learning in a fun way, with other kids and that too from a human teacher.

The Fun they Had Summary in Hindi

कहानी की शुरुआत मार्गी द्वारा अपनी डायरी में टॉमी को मिली एक पुरानी किताब के बारे में लिखने से होती है। मार्गी ने अपने दादा को याद किया, जिन्होंने एक बार अपने दादा के बारे में बात की थी जो एक वास्तविक स्कूल में गए थे जहाँ छात्रों को मानव शिक्षकों द्वारा पढ़ाया जाता था।

हालाँकि, मार्गी और टॉमी एक भविष्यवादी दुनिया में रहते थे, वर्ष 2157 में जहाँ शिक्षा पूरी तरह से कम्प्यूटरीकृत थी। वे स्कूल नहीं गए। इसके बजाय, उनके पास एक विशेष अध्ययन कक्ष था जहाँ एक कंप्यूटर उन्हें पढ़ाता था। कंप्यूटर शिक्षक को प्रत्येक बच्चे की आवश्यकताओं के अनुसार क्रमादेशित और समायोजित किया गया था। कभी-कभी कंप्यूटर शिक्षक में दोष विकसित हो जाते हैं जिन्हें काउंटी निरीक्षक द्वारा ठीक किया जाता है।

टॉमी और मार्गी दोनों अपने अटारी में टॉमी को मिली किताब पर आश्चर्य व्यक्त करते हैं। जब वे अपने कंप्यूटर शिक्षक की स्क्रीन पर किताबें पढ़ते हैं तो वे हैरान रह जाते हैं। मार्गी ने महसूस किया कि कंप्यूटर शिक्षक उबाऊ था; वह यांत्रिक शिक्षण और सीखना नापसंद करती थी। उसने यह भी सोचा कि स्कूल में पढ़ने में कितना मज़ा आएगा। मजेदार तरीके से सीखना, दूसरे बच्चों के साथ और वह भी एक मानव शिक्षक से।

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Page No: 10

Thinking About Text

I. Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.

1. How old are Margie and Tommy?
Answer – Margie is eleven and Tommy is thirteen-year-old.

2. What did Margie write in her diary?
Answer – Margie wrote, “Today Tommy found a real book!”.

3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?
Answer – No, Margie had never seen a book before.

4. What things about the book did she find strange?
Answer – Margie found it strange that the words printed on a book stood still instead of moving the way they did on a screen. She also found it odd that the words on a page always remained the same as the first time they were read. Besides, the idea that someone would write a book about schools was itself strange for Margie.

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?
Answer – Tommy said these words.

(ii) What does ‘it’ refer to?
Answer – ‘It’ refers to the television screen, on which you could read over a million books

(iii) What is it being compared with by the speaker?
Answer – 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?
Answer – They refer to the students who studied in the old kind of schools centuries before the time the story is set in.

(ii) What does ‘regular’ mean here?
Answer – Here, ‘regular’ refers to the mechanical teachers that Tommy and Margie had.

(iii) What is it contrasted with?
Answer – The mechanical teacher is contrasted with the teacher of the earlier times, who was a human being.

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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 computers which had preloaded lessons on different subjects according to the learner’s level. Whenever they malfunctioned, they were opened and repaired.

2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
Answer – Margie’s mother called the County Inspector to check Margie’s teacher. She thought that probably, Margie’s teacher had a malfunction. Margie was failing the Geography tests repeatedly which could be due to a fault in the teacher.

3. What did he do?
Answer – The County Inspector was trained to repair the computer teacher. He opened the machine and checked it. The Geography sector was set on a higher level. He reset it to Margie’s level and closed the teacher.

4. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector Do to help her
Answer – Margie was failing in the Geography tests as the teacher had developed a fault. The County Inspector told Margie’s mother that Margie was not at fault. Her progress was good. He reset the teacher to Margie’s level.

5. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
Answer – Once Tommy’s teacher had developed a fault as the entire section on History had been deleted. His teacher had been taken for repairs and it took them a month to set it right.

6.Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Answer – Margie studied at the same time everyday, except Saturdays and Sunday. Her mother was very particular and had told Margie that she would learn better if she studied at the same time every day.

7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Answer – Tommy said that in the old kind of schools, there was a man teacher who told a few things to the students, gave them home work and then asked them questions. The man teacher was as knowledgeable as the machine teacher.

8. How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
Answer – He says that the old teachers were not the regular kind they had. They were human beings and not machines.

The Fun they Had Questions Answers Theme Word Meaning

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 itself. 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 sends for the County Inspector, she hopes 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.

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.

4. Describe the characteristics of old schools. How did they arouse so much interest in Margie and Tommy?

Ans. The good old students reflected the charm and romance of their times. Every school had its own buildings. Students from different parts of the town went there for studies. All the students in a class were taught the same things. They received the same kinds of homework. Hence, students could help one another. The teachers were real human beings. The books were printed on papers. There was an air of romance about the old schools. Margie’s interest was around about them. She got the relevant information about them from Tommy. In comparison to her mechanical teacher and her ‘school’, the old schools charmed Margie. She was fascinated by the way children went to their schools. They studied together. They were taught the same things. It was easier for them to help one another. Margie was rather envious of the fun the children had in old schools.

5. What is the role of a teacher in the life of a student? How is a human teacher better than a mechanical teacher?

Ans. Teachers play a pivotal role in the life of a student. They not only provide bookish knowledge but also inspire their student to live a meaningful and successful life. They burn themselves like a candle throughout their lives to remove the darkness and ignorance from their student’s life. Only a human teacher can do so. A mechanical teacher can provide ample knowledge on various subjects but he/she cannot boost up their students to do something distinguished. There is a single mechanical teacher having various sectors geared up according to the level of the child. There is no companion, no playground and no fun at all. The teaching is mechanical and monotonous. Thus the human teachers are better than the mechanical teachers in many ways. They know individually intellect of their students which help them to guide them individually according to the mental level of students.

6. Suppose you are Margie. Write a diary entry dated 17th May 2157 about Tommy’s real book that he found in his attic.

Ans.

17th May 2157

Tuesday,

10.00 P.M.

Dear Diary

It has been a wonderful day for me as I have seen a real, hard-bound printed paper book. In fact, Tommy found the book in the attic of his house when he was cleaning the cupboard of his grandfather. It consists of about 200 pages which have become yellow and crinkly with time. It is a strange experience to read the words fixed on its papers unlike the ones in my tele books that keep moving as I scroll.

When I turn the page, I find the same words again. The book is about a school from olden times, about two centuries ago. Can you believe that in those times a school was not a room in one’s own house but a special building dedicated to the purpose of teaching and learning! The students of the same level studied the same things sitting together in the same classroom. It is really wonderful to think that the teachers were men and not machines. I really believe that it must have been great fun for children to go to such schools together, laughing, joking, playing, and teasing each other. How wonderful it must have been that the students helped each other with lessons as well! I wish I could travel back in time and study in one of those schools.

Margie

The Fun they Had Questions Answers Theme Word Meaning

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.

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.

The Fun they Had Questions Answers Theme Word Meaning

Class 9 English Beehive Book word meaning

The Fun They Had Word Meaning

1. Exist – to be in being – अस्तित्व में होना
2. Virtual – real वास्तविक
3. Imagine – suppose/think – कल्पना करना
4. Crinkly – with many folds – सलवटों वाला
5. Awfully – terribly – भयानक ढग से
6. Waste – useless – व्यर्थ
7. Guess – assume – अनुमान
8. Million – ten lakh – दस लाख
9. Telebooks – books on television screen – टेलीविज़न के पर्दे पर आने वाली पुस्तकें
10. Attic – a space just below the roof used as a store – अटारी
11. Scornful – contemptuous – घृणा का भाव होना
12. Geography – study about earth and its objects – भूगोल
13. Worse – not better – ख़राब
14. Slot – a given space – दराज
15. Punch code – a number with some hole – छिद्र संख्या
16. Fault – problem – दोष
17. Geared – adjusted the speed – स्पीड सही करना
18. Pattern – design/system – ढांचा
19. Disappointed – unhappy – निराश
20. Sector – part – भाग
21. Blanked out – got plain without any writing – साफ हो गया
22. Stupid – fool – मूर्ख
23. Loftily – in a superior way – विशिष्ट अंदाज में
24. Regular – (here) normal – सामान्य
25. Betcha – to make a bet – शर्त लगाना
26. Dispute – disagree with – असहमति
27. Screamed – cried loudly – जोर से चिल्लाया
28. Kids – small children – छोटे बच्चे
29. Adjusted – to make set – समायोजित करना
30. Funny – (here) interesting – रोचक
31. Probably – possibly – संभवतया
32. Nonchalantly – not showing much interest – अनिच्छा पूर्वक
33. Tucked – to fold/put – दबाना
34. Beneath – under – के नीचे
35. Except – excluding – के सिवाय
36. Lit up – lighted – प्रकाशित होना
37. Arithmetic – a subject which provides the study of numbers – अंकगणित
38. Insert – put – डालना
39. Flashing – shining – चमकना
40. Homework – schoolwork that a student is required to do at home – गृहकार्य