The Fun They Had (Prose) - Questions & Answers

Thinking About the Text (Questions & Answers)

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

1. How old are Margie and Tommy?

   Margie is eleven and Tommy is thirteen years old.

2. What did Margie write in her diary?

   Margie wrote in her diary about Tommy finding a "real book" on May 17, 2157.

3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?

   No, Margie had never seen a real book before.

4. What things about the book did she find strange?

   She found it strange that the words on the pages stood still instead of moving, and that when they turned back to a page, it had the same words on it that it had had when they read it the first time.

5. What do you think a telebook is?

   A telebook is an electronic book displayed on a television screen, computer screen, or any other digital screen, which can be scrolled and interacted with.

6. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?

   Margie’s school was right in her house, in the room next to her bedroom. No, she did not have any classmates.

7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?

   Margie learned Geography and Arithmetic. Tommy learned History and Arithmetic.

II. Answer the following with reference to the story.

1. "I wouldn’t throw it away."
   1. Who says these words?

      Tommy says these words.

   2. What does ‘it’ refer to?

      ‘It’ refers to the television screen (telebook).

   3. What is it being compared with by the speaker?

      It is being compared with the "real book" (paper book) found by Tommy, which he believes is a waste because it has to be thrown away after reading.

2. "Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man."
   1. Who does ‘they’ refer to?

      ‘They’ refers to the students who studied in the old kind of schools, hundreds of years ago.

   2. What does ‘regular’ mean here?

      Here, ‘regular’ means the usual mechanical teacher that Margie and Tommy had.

   3. What is it contrasted with?

      It is contrasted with a human teacher, who taught in the old schools.

III. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).

1. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?

   Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. These were large, black screens that displayed lessons and asked questions. They also had slots where students inserted homework and test papers.

2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?

   Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspector because Margie was doing very badly in Geography. She thought there was something wrong with the mechanical teacher.

3. What did he do? (Referring to the County Inspector)

   The County Inspector smiled at Margie, gave her an apple, and then took apart the mechanical teacher. He adjusted the geography sector, slowing it down to an average ten-year-old level, and put it back together.

4. 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 sector was geared a little too fast for her age level. The County Inspector slowed it down to an average ten-year level to help her perform better.

5. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?

   Tommy's teacher's history sector had once blanked out completely. It had to be taken away for nearly a month to be repaired.

6. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?

   Yes, Margie had regular days and hours for school. Her mother believed that little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours. So, the mechanical teacher was on at the same time every day, except Saturdays and Sundays.

7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?

   Tommy describes the old kind of school as a special building where all the kids from the neighbourhood went to study together. There were hundreds of students who learned the same things and could help each other.

8. How does he describe the old kind of teachers?

   He describes the old kind of teachers as human beings, not machines. They taught boys and girls, gave them homework, and asked them questions, all within that special school building.

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?

   Margie and Tommy's education system is entirely futuristic and technology-driven. Their "schoolroom" is literally next to their bedroom, a dedicated space within their homes. Their teachers are mechanical robots, not human beings. These mechanical teachers have large, black screens that display lessons and ask questions. Students have to insert their homework and test papers into a special slot on the teacher, and the results are calculated instantly. There are no classmates in a traditional sense; each child learns individually from their mechanical teacher at home. The pace of learning can be adjusted according to the child's aptitude, as seen when the County Inspector slows down Margie's geography sector. This system is efficient but lacks the social interaction and fun of traditional schools.

2. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?

   Margie hated her school primarily because it was impersonal and monotonous. Her mechanical teacher consistently gave her geography tests, and she performed poorly, which frustrated her. She disliked inserting her homework into the machine's slot and found the lessons boring because she had to learn alone, without human interaction or the companionship of classmates. She felt that the mechanical teacher was unyielding and unsympathetic. Margie thought the old kind of school must have been fun because Tommy told her about it. She imagined all the children from the neighbourhood coming together, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard. The idea of learning the same things, helping each other with homework, and having human teachers who taught in a special building seemed far more appealing and enjoyable than her isolated learning experience. She longed for the camaraderie and shared experience that the old schools offered.