The Fun They Had
- Theme: Future of education and technology’s role.
- Activities: Imaginative discussions about future schools, debate skills, and understanding virtual classrooms.
- Focus: Comparing past and future education systems.
Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.
- How old are Margie and Tommy?
Ans – Margie is 11 years old, and Tommy is 13 years old.
2. What did Margie write in her diary?
Ans – Margie wrote that she was disappointed with the book she had found and thought it was old-fashioned.
3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?
Ans– No, Margie had never seen a book before.
4. What things about the book did she find strange?
Ans– Margie found it strange that the book had pages that turned and that it was written by hand.
5. What do you think a telebook is?
Ans– A telebook is likely a digital or electronic version of a book, which can be read on a screen.
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; she learned alone.
7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Ans– Margie and Tommy learned subjects such as math, geography, and history, but their curriculum was taught by a mechanical teacher.
2. Answer the following with reference to the story:
- “I wouldn’t throw it away.”
- (i) Who says these words?
- Ans-Tommy says these words.
- “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 children who went to school in the past.
- (ii) What does ‘regular’ mean here?
- ‘Regular’ means a human teacher as opposed to a machine teacher.
- (iii) What is it contrasted with?
- It is contrasted with the mechanical teacher that Margie and Tommy have.
- (i) Who does ‘they’ refer to?
- (ii) What does ‘it’ refer to?
- ‘It’ refers to the old book that Tommy and Margie find.
- (iii) What is it being compared with by the speaker?
- It is being compared with the mechanical teacher, which Tommy finds less interesting than the old-fashioned book.
3. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words):
- What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
- Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers, which were machines that provided lessons and graded their work, unlike human teachers.
- Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
- Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspector because Margie was not doing well in her geography lessons, and they needed to check if the mechanical teacher was working properly.
- What did he do?
- The County Inspector examined the mechanical teacher, fixed it, and adjusted the settings to make Margie’s lessons more suitable for her learning needs.
- Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help her?
- Margie was doing badly in geography because the mechanical teacher’s geography program was too advanced for her. The County Inspector fixed the teacher and made the lessons easier.
- What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
- Tommy’s teacher had once been repaired because it was malfunctioning and gave him too many questions or made mistakes.
- Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
- No, Margie did not have regular days and hours for school. Her schooling was flexible because the mechanical teacher could be used anytime as needed.
- How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
- Tommy describes the old kind of school as having classrooms where children sat together and learned from a real human teacher, unlike the individual learning they experience.
- How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
- Tommy describes the old kind of teachers as real people who taught children in person, unlike their mechanical teachers which are just machines.
IV. Answer each of these questions in two or three paragraphs (100 –150 words)
Answer–
- What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story?
Ans -In “The Fun They Had,” mechanical teachers are advanced machines that provide lessons to children in a personalized and automated manner. These teachers are large, gray, and rectangular with screens and keypads for interaction. They are programmed with various subjects and adjust the difficulty of lessons based on the student’s performance. The schoolrooms are also quite different from traditional classrooms. They are just a small, functional room in Margie’s house where the mechanical teacher is located. This room contains a desk and a chair for Margie to sit in while she receives her lessons from the machine. The mechanical teacher can be used at any time, and there are no physical classrooms or group activities. The mechanical teachers operate on schedules set by parents and are entirely focused on individual learning.
2. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?
Ans- Margie hated school because her mechanical teacher was strict and unfeeling. Her lessons were repetitive, and she struggled with subjects like geography, which the mechanical teacher was not able to adjust to her level effectively. Margie found the rigid, monotonous routine of her education boring and frustrating. In contrast, Margie thought the old kind of school must have been fun because it involved real teachers and social interactions with classmates. From Tommy’s descriptions, she imagined that children used to learn in physical classrooms, where they could sit together, talk, and enjoy learning from a human teacher. The idea of a lively classroom environment with group activities and personal engagement was appealing to her, as it contrasted sharply with her isolated and mechanical learning experience.
3. Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans- I agree with Margie that schools today are often more fun than the school in the story. Modern schools provide a dynamic environment with opportunities for social interaction, diverse learning methods, and extracurricular activities that make learning more engaging. Unlike Margie’s experience with a mechanical teacher, students today benefit from human teachers who offer personalized support and create interactive learning experiences. Additionally, contemporary schools have creative spaces and varied activities that foster a sense of excitement and curiosity about learning. These elements make the school experience richer and more enjoyable compared to the monotonous and isolated lessons Margie faced.
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.
- Find the sentences in the lesson which have the adverbs given in the box
below.
awfully sorrowfully completely loftily
carefully differently quickly nonchalantly
Answer-
Find the sentences in the lesson which have the adverbs given in the box below.
Here are sentences from the story “The Fun They Had” that contain the adverbs from the box:
- Awfully: “They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely, and Tommy had been awfully disappointed.”
- Sorrowfully: “Margie was reading it sorrowfully, ‘Why, you don’t know anything about the old schools,’ she said.”
- Completely: “They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.”
- Loftily: “Tommy was saying loftily, ‘I know more about it than you do.’”
- Carefully: “She had to write carefully, and make sure she was doing it right.”
- Differently: “He did not know that things had been done differently before.”
- Quickly: “Margie looked at it quickly, ‘I don’t want to read this old stuff,’ she said.”
- Nonchalantly: “Tommy said nonchalantly, ‘They didn’t like it, so they just got rid of it.’”
2. Now use these adverbs to fill in the blanks in the sentences below.
(i) The report must be read carefully so that performance can be improved.
(ii) At the interview, Sameer answered our questions nonchalantly, 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 forgot about it completely.
(vi) When I complimented Revathi on her success, she just smiled loftily and turned away.
(vii) The President of the Company is busy and will not be able to meet you quickly.
(viii) I finished my work quickly so that I could go out to play.
- Make adverbs from these adjectives.
(i) angry ( ( ii) happy
(iii) merry (iv) sleepy
(v) easy (vi) noisy
(vii) tidy (viii) gloomy
Answer
Adverbs from Adjectives
| Adjective | Adverb | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Angry | Angrily | He spoke angrily after hearing the bad news. |
| Happy | Happily | She danced happily at her graduation party. |
| Merry | Merrily | They sang merrily around the campfire. |
| Sleepy | Sleepily | He yawned sleepily and went to bed early. |
| Easy | Easily | She solved the puzzle easily in no time. |
| Noisy | Noisily | The children played noisily in the park. |
| Tidy | Tidily | She arranged her books tidily on the shelf. |
| Gloomy | Gloomily | The sky looked gloomily before the storm. |
Creating Adverbs from Adjectives
- Angry → Angrily
- Formation: Add –ly to the adjective.
- Example: He responded angrily to the criticism.
- Happy → Happily
- Formation: Add –ly to the adjective.
- Example: She smiled happily at the surprise gift.
- Merry → Merrily
- Formation: Add –ly to the adjective.
- Example: They celebrated merrily at the festival.
- Sleepy → Sleepily
- Formation: Add –ly to the adjective.
- Example: He looked sleepily at the clock.
- Easy → Easily
- Formation: Replace –y with –ily.
- Example: She completed the task easily.
- Noisy → Noisily
- Formation: Replace –y with –ily.
- Example: The party was going on noisily.
- Tidy → Tidily
- Formation: Replace –y with –ily.
- Example: She arranged the room tidily.
- Gloomy → Gloomily
- Formation: Replace –y with –ily.
- Example: The weather turned 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.
Future Tense Present Tense - There won’t be any books left unless we preserve them.
- You won’t learn your lessons if you don’t study regularly.
- Tommy will have an accident unless he drives more slowly.
- Complete the following conditional sentences. Use the correct form of the verb.
- If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight,
- If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food,
- Unless you promise to write back, I
- If she doesn’t play any games,
- Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat
Answer-
The completed conditional sentences using the correct form of the verb:
- If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, I will miss out on all the fun.
- If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, we will have nothing to eat for dinner.
- Unless you promise to write back, I won’t send you any more letters.
- If she doesn’t play any games, she will feel very bored.
- Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat will catch it.
Writing
A new revised volume of Issac 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 addres
- Dear Sir/Madam,
- Yours sincerely,
- Your signature
Answer-
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State, ZIP Code]
[Email Address]
[Phone Number]
07/07/2024
Mindfame Private Limited
1632 Asaf Ali Road
New Delhi
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to request a copy of the newly released revised volume of Isaac Asimov’s short stories. I am very eager to read this new collection and would appreciate it if you could send me a set by Value Payable Post (VPP) to the address mentioned below.
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State, ZIP Code]
Please confirm the receipt of this order and provide any further instructions or information required to process my request.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to receiving the set soon.
Yours sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Signature]
Chapter 1 – The Road Not Taken(Poem)
NCERT Solutions for Class 9
Thinking about the Poem
I. 1. Where does the traveller find himself? What problem does he face?
- Discuss what these phrases mean to you.
(i) a yellow wood
(ii) it was grassy and wanted wear
(iii) the passing there
(iv) leaves no step had trodden black
(v) how way leads on to way - Is there any difference between the two roads as the poet describes them
(i) in stanzas two and three?
(ii) in the last two lines of the poem? - What do you think the last two lines of the poem mean? (Looking back, does
the poet regret his choice or accept it?)
Thinking about the Poem
I. Questions and Answers
- Where does the traveller find himself? What problem does he face?
- The traveller finds himself in a yellow wood, facing a fork in the road. His problem is deciding which of the two roads to take, knowing that choosing one will mean he cannot take the other.
2. Discuss what these phrases mean to you.
- (i) a yellow wood:
- This phrase evokes an image of an autumnal forest, with leaves that have turned yellow, symbolizing a period of change or transition.
- (ii) it was grassy and wanted wear:
- This suggests that the road was less traveled, with grass growing on it, indicating it is not frequently used and is waiting for someone to take it.
- (iii) the passing there:
- This refers to the act of walking or traveling down the road, implying that both roads have been traveled, but perhaps not equally.
- (iv) leaves no step had trodden black:
- This means that the fallen leaves on both roads have not been disturbed by footsteps, indicating that neither road had been recently traveled.
- (v) how way leads on to way:
- This suggests the idea that one choice leads to another and that decisions made now will shape future paths, often preventing us from returning to the initial choice.
3. Is there any difference between the two roads as the poet describes them:
- (i) in stanzas two and three?
- In stanzas two and three, the poet initially describes the second road as being less traveled and more grassy. However, he later admits that both roads were actually worn about the same and covered in leaves, indicating they were equally untraveled that morning.
- (ii) in the last two lines of the poem?
- In the last two lines, the poet reflects that taking the road less traveled has made all the difference in his life, suggesting a significant impact from his choice, though the actual difference between the roads was not initially apparent.
4. What do you think the last two lines of the poem mean? (Looking back, does the poet regret his choice or accept it?)
An-The last two lines suggest that the poet believes his choice of the less traveled road has profoundly influenced his life. The tone can be interpreted as both reflective and accepting. While there may be a hint of nostalgia or wonder about what the other path might have brought, there is no explicit regret. The poet seems to accept and even value the unique journey his choice has led him.
- 1..Have you ever had to make a difficult choice (or do you think you will have difficult choices to make)? How will you make the choice (for what reasons)?
- Ans– Yes, difficult choices are an inevitable part of life. I believe I will face many such decisions in the future, whether they pertain to career, relationships, or personal growth. When making a choice, I will consider several factors: the potential outcomes and their impacts, advice from trusted individuals, my own intuition, and my long-term goals and values. By evaluating these elements, I hope to make informed and thoughtful decisions that align with my principles and aspirations.
- .2. After you have made a choice, do you always think about what might have been, or do you accept the reality?
- Ans– After making a choice, it’s natural to wonder about the alternatives. However, I strive to accept the reality and focus on the present. While reflecting on what might have been can offer insights and learning opportunities, dwelling on it too much can lead to regret and hinder progress. By embracing my decision and its consequences, I aim to move forward positively and make the most of the path I’ve chosen. This approach helps me stay grounded and proactive in achieving my goals.