NCERT Class 9 English Chapter 1 The Fun They Had

 NCERT Class 9 English Chapter 1 The Fun They Had

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 1 The Fun They Had

Textbook Questions

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 ?
2. What did Margie write in her diary ?
3. Had Margie ever seen a hook before ?
4. What things about the book did she find strange ?
5. What do you think a telebook is ?
6. Where was Margie’s school ? Did she have any classmates ?
7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn ?

Answers

1. Margie was eleven and Tommy was thirteen years old.
2. She wrote in her diary : Today (17 May, 2157) Tommy found a real book’.
3. No, Margie had never seen a book before. If she had, she could not have written the sentence in her diary.
4. She found its yellow and wrinkled pages strange. She also found the words strange. It was so as they stood still instead of moving.
5. A telebook is a book meant only for television. It is what moves on a television screen having the qualities of a book.
6. Margie’s school was her own room. Her mechanical teacher (computer) was placed therein to teach her. She did not have any classmates.
7. Margie learnt Geography and Mathematics. Tommy learnt History and Mathematics.

II. Answer the following with reference to the story.
1. “I wouldn’t throw it away.”

1. Who says these words ?
2. What does ‘it’ refer to ?
3. What is it being compared with by the speaker ?

2. “Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”

1. Who does ‘they’ refer to ?
2. What does ‘regular’ mean here ?
3. What is it contrasted with ?

Answers
1. (i) Margie says it.
(ii) ‘It’ refers to the book.
(iii) It is being compared with the television screen or the telebook.
2. (i) ‘They’ refers to Tommy’s grandfather’s grandfather.
(ii) ‘Regular’ here means who is present daily and is never absent.
(iii) It is contrasted with a television teacher (mechanical teacher).

III. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).
1. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have ?
Or
Describe the teachers Margie and Tommy had. (CBSE)
2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector ? (CBSE)
3. What did he do ?
4. Why was Margie doing badly in geography ? What did the County Inspector do to help her ? (CBSE)
5. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher ? (CBSE)
6. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school ? If so, why ?
Or
Did Margie have regular days and hours for school ? Why or why not ? (CBSE)
7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school ? (CBSE 2017)
8. How does he describe the old kind of teachers ?

Answers
1. They had mechanical teachers in the form of television or computer teachers. It was the year 2157. Science had replaced ‘men’ teachers with ‘computer’ teachers.

2. She sent for the County Inspector. Margie’s mechanical teacher had been giving trouble in its Geography sector. It had been too quick. Margie couldn’t follow it.

3. He visited Margie’s home. He took away the mechanical teacher. He set its Geography level equal to Margie’s mental level. It was there before Margie to learn from.

4. Margie had been doing badly because the Geography sector had been too quick for her to follow. Margie’s mental level was not in tune with it. The County Inspector came. He checked the mechanical teacher. Then he reset the mechanical teacher’s mental level equal to that of Margie.

5. The History sector of Tommy’s mechanical teacher had blanked out completely. So they took it away for nearly a month. Tommy relaxed for that period without any worry.

6. Yes, Margie had regular days and hours for school. It is clear in her mother’s calling her to ‘study’ then. Tommy had been to her house then.

7. He describes that they had a special building. All the kids went there. They learned the same thing. They helped each other in that. They laughed and shouted in the schoolyard. They sat together in the schoolroom. Thus, they had a great fun together.

8. He describes the old teachers by saying that they didn’t live in the house. They had a special building.. They went there. They gave the boys and girls homework. They asked them questions. They were human beings.

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 ? (CBSE)
2. Why did Margie hate school ? Why did she think 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. (CBSE)

Answers
1. The main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms are that they are computers with screens. They are fixed in their schoolrooms. When there is time to study, both Tommy and Margie sit before them. Then they switch on them. Then their lessons appear on the screen.

These mechanical teachers have slots at appropriate places. They flash on their screens. Margie or Tommy inserts her/his homework into the slot. It is evaluated by them through punch code system. Then it is given back to them. By this they are assessed of their progress in their studies.

These mechanical teachers have subjects like Geography, Mathematics and History. The subjects are made equal to the mental levels of each and every child. Margie is doing bad in Geography because it is too fast. The County Inspector sets it right equal to Margie’s mental level.

2. Margie hated school because her ‘school’ was the mechanical teacher. It had been fixed in her schoolroom. She had to sit alone at the fixed time and do sums or learn things. Her hatred was more due to the Geography sector. It had gone too quick. Secondly, Margie’s mental level was not upto that mark. So she had been facing problems with Geography. The County Teacher set it right as per her mental level.

But behind her hatred was a valid reason. It was that she had no company of boys and girls of her age. Every boy and girl in her neighborhood studied like that, in their dwn studyrooms. There were no schools as there are today. She learnt about such schools. It increased her hatred for her mechanical teacher more and more.

3. Yes, it is true that schools today are more fun than the school in the story. This school is nothing but a computer with a screen and a slot. Its instructions flash on its screen. It asks what to do and what not to do. It also tells her how to put the homework. There is no human interaction.

But in the schools today, kids of the same age go to schools in neighborhood. They go to them laughing and shouting. They play together. They enjoy their stay at school. They go home together at the end of the day. They learn the same thing. Thus they can help one another on the homework. They can talk about it also. Thus they do not feel lonely and bored. They play together and enjoy the fun of being together.

Thinking about language

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 sentenced in the lesson which have the adverbs given in the box below.

1. awfully
2. sorrowfully
3. completely
4. loftily
5. carefully
6. differently
7. quickly
8. nonchalantly

Answers
awfully … and it was awfully funny … (para 1)
sorrowfully … until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully … (para 3)
completely … the history sector had blanked out completely (para 5)
loftily He added loftily … (para 6)
carefully … pronouncing the word carefully, … (para 6)
differently … each kid has to be taught differently. (para 8)
quickly I didn’t say I didn’t like it’, said Margie quickly. (para 8)
nonchalantly ‘May be’, he said nonchalantly. (para 9)

2. Now use these adverbs to fill in the blanks in the sentences below.

1. The report must be read ……… so that performance can be improved.
2. At the interview, Sameer answered our questions ………., shrugging his shoulders.
3. We all behave ……… when we are tired or hungry.
4. The teacher shook her head ……… when Ravi lied to her.
5. I …….. forgot about it.
6. When I complimented Revathi on her success, she just smiled ……. and turned away.
7. The President of the Company is ……. busy and will not be able to meet you.
8. I finished my work …… so that I could go out to play.

Answers

1. loftily
2. carefully
3. differently
4. sorrowfully
5. completely
6. nonchalantly
7. awfully
8. quickly

Remember:
An adverb describes action. You can form adverbs by adding -ly to adjectives.
Spelling Note : When an adjective ends in -y, the y changes to i when you add -ly to form an adverb.
For example : angr-y → angr-i-ly

3. Make adverbs from these adjectives.

1. angry ……
2. happy …..
3. merry …..
4. sleepy ……
5. easy ……
6. noisy ……
7. tidy ……
8. gloomy …….

Answers

1. angry – angrily
2. happy – happily
3. merry – merrily
4. sleepy – sleepily
5. easy – easily
6. noisy – noisily
7. tidy – tidily
8. gloomy – gloomily

II. If Not and Unless

• Imagine that Margie’s mother told her, ‘You’ll feel awful if you don’t finish your history lesson.”
• She could also say : ‘You’ll feel awful unless you finish your history lesson.”

Unless means if not. Sentences with unless or if not are negative conditional sentences.
Notice that these sentences have two parts. The part that begins with if not or unless tells us the condition. This part has a verb in the present tense (look at the verbs don’t finish, finish in the sentences above).
The other part of the sentence tells us about a possible result. It tells us what will happen (if something else doesn’t happen). The verb in this part of the sentence is in the future tense (you ’ll feel/you will feel).
Notice these two tenses again in the following examples :

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 ……

Answers

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 may go hungry.
3. Unless you promise to write back, I will stay here.
4. If she doesn’t play any games, she will be unhealthy.
5. Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat will catch it.

Writing

A new revised volume of Isaac Asimov’s short stories has just been released. Order one set. Write a letter to the publisher, Mindfame Private Limited, 1632 Asaf Ali Road, New Delhi, requesting that a set be sent to you by Value Payable Post (VPP), and giving your address. Your letter will have the following parts.

• Addresses of the sender and receiver
• The salutation
• The body of the letter
• The closing phrases and signature Your letter might look like this:

Your address ……………………………………..
………………………………..
Date ………………. (DD/MM/YY)
The addressee’s address
………………………………..
………………………………..
Dear Sir/Madam,
………………………………..
………………………………..
Yours sincerely,
Your signature

Remember that the language of a formal letter is different from the colloquial style of personal letters. For example, contracted forms such as ‘I’ve’ or ‘can’t’ are not used.

Answer:

516, Sec. 15
Panipat
11 Oct, 20XX
M/s, Mindfame Private Ltd.
1632, Asaf Ali Road New Delhi

Sub: Request for the new volume of Isaac Asimov’s short stories.

Sir,

I just came to know that a new revised volume of Isaac Asimov’s short stories has just been released. I will be very grateful if you send one set of this volume as early as possible at my mailing address.

Yours faithfully,
Rahim Khan

Encl:
1. A DD for ₹ 2000/- (State Bank of India, DD No. 131205 payable at New Delhi).

Speaking

In groups of four discuss the following topic.
‘The Schools of the Future Will Have No Books and No Teachers !”
Your group can decide to speak for or against the motion. After this, each group will select a speaker to present its views to the entire class.
You may find the following phrases useful to present your argument in the debate.

• In my opinion …..
• I/we fail to understand why ……
• I wholeheartedly support/oppose the view that ….
• At the outset let me say …..
• I’d/we’d like to raise the issue of/argue against …..
• I should like to draw attention to …..
• My/our worthy opponent has submitted that …..
• On the contrary ……
• I firmly reject ……

Answers
Note: Students to do as desired. For a full speech they may expand the following points for and against the motion.
For the motion

1. Future to be exclusively scientifically and technologically more and more advanced.
2. Life to depend heavily on latest gadgetry.
3. New experiments in all fields including education.
4. Future schools to have no books, no teachers.
5. Concentration of mind more and more.
6. Knowledge widespread, more advanced.
7. Human teachers to be replaced by mechanical ones.
8. Each student’s mechanical teacher to be upgraded as per the mental calibre.
9. Individual talents to be sharpened to make him or her utility oriented.
10. An important step in scientific progress.

Against the motion

1. Future to be governed and controlled by scientific, electronic or technological gadgetry.
2. Human side of life totally absent.
3. All human beings like machine tools.
4. Interaction among them at human, social, emotional level to be negligible.
5. Schools and human teachers absent but their absence to be felt greatly.
6. Human beings’ growth at human level to be zero.
7. They would exist as human beings. But won’t know emotions of fellow-feeling, sympathy, pity, mercy, love, likes/dislikes.
8. These emotions very necessary for balanced growth of human personality.
9. So future bleak and bad for humans in such an age of science and technology.
10. ‘Old is Gold’ saying to be missed greatly.

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. (SA-1,2014-15)

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 the pages of the book were 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’.(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-014)

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’. (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-022)

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 they have ?
3. Trace the word from the extract that means “in a superior way”.(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-031)

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”. (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-034)

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 home work 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” ? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-036)

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 in the 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 books ? (SA-1,2014)
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 ? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-013)
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 ?(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-016)
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 disliking for the school.

Question 4:
Tommy thought the old books were funny and a big waste. Why ? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-017)
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 County Inspector do to improve Margie’s performance ? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-018)
Answer:
The County Inspector found that the geography sector had been geared too quick. 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 ? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-019)
Answer:
Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers, computer, 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 ? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-020)
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’ ? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-021)
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 ? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-025)
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 ? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-026)
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 ?
(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-028)
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:
In spite of all comforts and luxuries in today’s world, our grandparents still cherish their own time when life was quite tough. Give your own views regarding this in 80-100 words.(Board Term, Sept. 2013,9KK73AP)
Answer:
Our grand parents lived during the years of 1950s to 1970s. At that time life was very simple yet tough. They had time to explore the surroundings and the world. They had parks to play with less of pollution around them. Mechanical gadgets were there but were used only for necessary activities. There were rivers where they could go for picnics and treks without the fear of being getting any allergy. The school was more of a fun place where they met their friends. They studied but were not competing against each other. For them togetherness was important rather than competition.
In today’s world we are competiting against our friends. We have all the facilities of life but we do not have time for our family and friends. We like to play but on computers and play station rather than with our sibilings and friends.

Question 2:
How was Margie’s school different from the schools that existed hundreds of years ago ?(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-030)
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 of paper. So, it is clearly visible that Margie’s school was totally different from the schools that existed hundreds of years ago.

Question 3:
How is Margie’s school different from a normal school ? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-038)
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(4 marks each)

Question 1:
‘Machines can’t replace human beings.’ Explain this in 80-100 words with reference to the Lesson ‘The Fun They Had’. [SA-1, DDE-2014]
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.