English Textbook for Class 9th - BEEHIVE Lesson -1- The Fun They Had - Isaac Asimov The Lesson, Glossary, Summary, Questions, And Answers-...
English Textbook for Class 9th - BEEHIVE
Lesson -1- The Fun They Had - Isaac Asimov
The Lesson, Glossary, Summary, Questions, And Answers-
Glossary -
1. Crinkly - with many folds of lines.
2. Million -
3. Attic - a space just below the roof, used as a storeroom.
4. Scornful - contemptuous, showing you think something is worthless.
5. The Mechanical Teacher -
6. Worse - comparative form of an adjective, bad. ( Bad, Worse, Worst).
7. The Country Inspector -
8. Slot - a given space, time, or position.
9. Geared - adjusted to a particular standard or level.
10. Loftily - in a superior manner.
11. Betcha - (informal) I bet you ( in fast speech); I am sure.
12. Nonchalantly - not showing much interest.
13. Sigh - to take a deep breath and release it slowly.
Summary -
"The Fun They Had" by Isaac Asimov is a science fiction story set in the year 2157, where education is highly mechanized. Actually, it is an extract from the diary of Margie, who writes on the night of 2157 when her friend Tommy finds a real book. It revolves around two children, Margie and Tommy, who discover an old printed book. The book describes how children in the past attended traditional schools, learning together in classrooms with human teachers. Margie, who is used to studying alone at home with a robotic teacher, finds this concept fascinating and nostalgic. This story is a kind of imagination by the author of what the education system will be in the year 2157, and the young generations of that era would think about today's education system.
The story highlights the contrast between traditional and futuristic education systems, emphasizing the joy and fun of learning in a shared environment. It also reflects on how technology might influence human experiences in the future. For the main characters of the story, it is a fascinating fact that some centuries ago, how education system was, how a human being could be a teacher and managed to teach the students of different ability at the same time in a building called, School' away from the home, how it would be fun to learn with the classmates.
Actually, the writer tried to imagine what after 132 years from today, how our current education system will have a different scenario in the year 2157, and how exactly the students will differentiate the education system of that generation and today's generation.
I answer the following questions in a few words or a few sentences each.
1. How old are Margie and Tommy?
Ans: Margie is an 11-year-old girl, and Tommy is a 13-year-old boy. They are friends.
2. What did Margie write in her diary?
Ans—On 17th May 2157, Margie wrote, " Today, Tommy found a real book. It was a very old book, and Margie's grandfather told her that, when he was a little old boy, his grandfather told him that there was a time when all the stories were printed on paper."
3. Had Margie even seen a book before?
Ans - No, she hadn't seen any book before; it was her first time seeing the book, but Tommy had seen many books.
4. What things about the book did she find strange?
Ans - The things she found strange about the book were that the words that were written on its pages were static, not movable, as she was accustomed to, because on the screen, the words were continuously movable, so she felt it very strange.
5. What do you think a textbook is?
Ans - A Textbook is a bunch of papers arranged in chronological order, and on each page, some fixed words, phrases, or sentences are printed.
6. Where was Margie's school? Did she have any classmates?
Ans: Margie's school was at her home, and she did not have any classmates because she was studying in the school of the future, that is, in the year 2157, and her school was full of advanced electronic gadgets.
7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Ans - Margie learned subjects like Geography, arithmetic, and Tommy learned History.
II. Answer the following with reference to the story.
1. "I wouldn't throw it away."
a) Who says these words?
Ans - Tommy says these words to Margie.
b) What does 'it' refer to?
Ans - It refers to the book.
c) What is the speaker comparing it with?
Ans - The speaker compares it with the television screen.
2. " Sure, they had a teacher, but it wasn't a regular teacher. It was a man."
a) Who does 'they' refer to?
Ans - They refer to the students from centuries and centuries ago.
b) What does 'regular' mean here?
Ans - Regular means a mechanical teacher.
c) What is it contrasted to?
Ans - It is contrasted to a physical teacher, or human being, because their generation became accustomed to a mechanical teacher, or a teacher that appears on the screen in the advanced technology age in which they were part of.
I. Answer each of the following questions in a short paragraph. ( about 30 words)
1. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Ans - Margie and Tommy had Mechanical Teachers who taught them on computers, Laptops, and e-texts. Except on Saturday and Sunday, they were supposed to sit in front of the screen, and they had been taught various subject, also they were given some tests, and they had to put their answers in slots provided, and their tests were immediately checked, if not found satisfactorily, they were given the tests again.
2. Why did Margie's mother send for the country inspector?
Ans - Margie's mother sent for the country Inspector because Margie was not performing well enough in Geography; she was worried about it, so she thought that the country Inspector could do something about it.
3. What did he do?
Ans - The Country Inspector found that the subject Geography was geared up a little faster, that is for 11, so Margie was able to catch up with that, so he lowered its speed for 10.
4. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the country inspector do to help her?
Ans - Margie was doing badly in Geography because the subject was geared for the age of 11, which was a little faster for her, so to make her understand the subject, he adjusted its speed for the age of 10. In this way, the country Inspector helped her.
5. What had once happened to Tommy's teacher?
Ans - Once, for a month, Tommy's teacher was absent, and therefore Tommy could not learn History, but during that time, Tommy relaxed completely.
6. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Ans - Margie had regular days and hours for school except on Saturday and Sunday, because Margie's mother believed that little girls learn better if they learn at regular hours.
7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Ans - Tommy describes the old kind of school in a very positive manner. He said to Margie that the old schools were very different than their present school. The students had to go to a special school building away from home, and the teachers were not mechanical but human beings. Students had to learn from him with their classmates, and it was kind of fun learning in school, but it was before centuries and centuries ago.
8. How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
Ans - He described that the old kind of teachers were completely different from their present teachers, they were not mechanical but human beings, they taught their students in a separate school building away from home, and they could teach the same age group students at the same time though the students were of varied abilities and potential. They used to give homework to the students, and the students could solve it with the help of their classmates, so it was great fun for the students.
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