The Fun They Had Chapter 1 English NCERT Solution ||Beehive|| Class 9
Thinking about the Text (Page 10)
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 years old and Tommy is thirteen years old
2. What did Margie write in her diary?
Answer: Margie wrote in her diary. “Today, 17 May, 2157, Tommy found a real book.”
3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?
Answer: No, Margie had never seen a real book before.
4. What things about the book did she find strange?
- Answer: The pages were yellow and crinkly.
- The words didn’t move like they did on her screen.
- It was meant to be read from start to finish, unlike her digital books.
5. What do you think a telebook is?
Answer: A telebook is a digital book that can be read on a screen.
6. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Answer : Margie’s school was in her own home, specifically in a room with a mechanical teacher.
7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Answer : Margie learned Geography and Mathematics, while Tommy studied History and Mathematics.
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 says these words.
(ii) ‘It’ refers to the television screen.
(iii) Tommy is comparing the television screen with the real book they found.
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’ refers to the children from the past.
(ii) ‘Regular’ means mechanical or robotic.
(iii) It is contrasted with a human teacher.
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 robotic teachers with screens. Lessons were displayed on the screens, and they answered questions without any human interaction.
2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
Answer : Margie’s mother called the County Inspector because Margie was performing poorly in geography. She wanted the Inspector to fix the mechanical teacher’s settings.
3. What did he do?
Answer : The County Inspector adjusted Margie’s mechanical teacher, slowing it down to Margie’s level, ensuring she could understand and keep up with the lessons.
4. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector
do to help her?
Answer : Margie struggled in geography because her mechanical teacher was too fast. The County Inspector slowed it down to match her learning pace, improving her performance.
5. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
Answer : Tommy’s robotic teacher once broke down completely. Its history section was wiped out, and it took a month for the County Inspector to fix it.
6. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Answer : Yes, Margie had regular school days and hours. Her mother believed that consistent scheduling would help her learn better and maintain discipline. As a result, Margie followed a strict routine.
7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Answer : Tommy describes the old school as a place where kids learned together in a building with human teachers, unlike their solitary learning with mechanical teachers.
8. How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
Answer : Tommy describes the old teachers as humans who taught in person, interacted with students directly, and made learning more engaging compared to mechanical teachers.
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’s mechanical teachers had large screens displaying lessons and questions. They submitted homework and tests through a slot, and the teachers provided instant feedback. Their schoolrooms were individual cubicles in their homes, isolating them from each other. The environment was controlled and sterile, with no distractions,
2. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must
have been fun?
Answer : Margie hated school because her mechanical teacher was strict, impersonal, and often malfunctioned, making learning frustrating. The lessons were monotonous, and she felt isolated in her home classroom. Margie thought the old kind of school must have been fun because children learned together in a shared space, interacted with human teachers, and had a more engaging and social learning experience. The idea of kids laughing, playing, and learning together appealed to her, contrasting sharply with her solitary and rigid educational environment.
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 with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story. Modern schools offer a balanced mix of technology and human interaction, making learning more engaging and enjoyable. Students benefit from socializing with peers, participating in group activities, and receiving personalized attention from teachers. Extracurricular activities, sports, and field trips add to the fun and holistic development. Unlike the isolated and monotonous environment of Margie’s mechanical school, today’s schools foster a sense of community and collaboration, making the learning experience more dynamic and fulfilling.
Thinking about Language (Page 11)
I. Adverbs
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 given in the box
below.
awfully sorrowfully completely loftily
carefully differently quickly nonchalantly
Answer :
- Completely: “They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.”
- Awfully: “He was awfully disappointed when he found out.”
- Sorrowfully: “She looked at him sorrowfully and said, ‘I’m sorry, but there’s nothing we can do.’”
- Loftily: “He loftily declared that he knew everything about history.”
- Carefully: “She carefully placed the book back on the shelf.”
- Differently: “Things were done differently in the past.”
- Quickly: “He quickly scanned the page for any mistakes.”
- Nonchalantly: “She nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders and walked away.”
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________ be able to meet you.
(viii) I finished my work________ busy and will not
so that I could go out to play.
Answer :
- carefully
- loftily
- differently
- sorrowfully
- completely
- nonchalantly
- awfully
- quickly
3. Make adverbs from these adjectives.
- angry …………….
- happy …………….
- merry …………….
- sleepy …………….
- easy …………….
- noisy …………….
- tidy …………….
- gloomy …………….
Answers:
- angry — angrily
- happy — happily
- merry — merrily
- sleepy — sleepily
- easy — easily
- noisy — noisily
- tidy — tidily
- gloomy — gloomily
II. If not and Unless
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.
Writing Page (12)
House 22
Ramnagar
Delhi- 1001
12 December 2016
The Publisher
Mindfame Private Limited
1632 Asaf Ali Road
New Delhi
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to request a copy of the recently released revised volume of Isaac Asimov’s short stories. As a long-time admirer of Asimov's work, I am eager to add this collection to my library.
I kindly ask that you send one set of the revised volume to my address below via Value Payable Post (VPP):
Please inform me of the total cost, including shipping, so that I can ensure timely payment upon delivery.
Thank you for your assistance. I look forward to your prompt response.
Yours sincerely,