Chapter 1: The Fun They Had

English
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Chapter 1: The Fun They Had

Class: IX

Exercise number - 1

Question 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 1

(i) Awfully - 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, you know.

(ii) Sorrowfully - The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worse and worse until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully and sent for the County Inspector.

(iii) Completely - They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.

(iv) Loftily - He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, "Centuries ago."

(v) Carefully - He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, "Centuries ago."

(vi) Differently - "But my mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches and that each kid has to be taught differently."

(vii) Quickly - "I didn’t say I didn’t like it," Margie said quickly.

(viii) Nonchalantly - "May be," he said nonchalantly.

 

Question 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 __________busy and will not be able to meet you.

(viii) I finished my work __________ so that I could go out to play.

Answer 2

(i) The report must be read carefully so that performance can be improved.

(ii) At the interview, Sameer answered our questions loftily, 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 completely forgot about it.

(vi) When I complimented Revathi on her success, she just smiled nonchalantly and turned away.

(vii) The President of the Company is awfully busy and will not be able to meet you.

(viii) I finished my work quickly so that I could go out to play.

 

Question 3

Make adverbs from these adjectives.

(i) angry __________ (ii) happy __________

(iii) merry __________ (iv) sleepy __________

(v) easy __________ (vi) noisy __________

(vii) tidy __________ (viii) gloomy __________

 

Answer 3

(i) angry Angrily (ii) happy Happily

(iii) merry Merrily (iv) sleepy Sleepily

(v) easy Easily (vi) noisy Noisily

(vii) tidy Tidily (viii) gloomy Gloomily

 

 

 

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

 

Question 1 

How old are Margie and Tommy?

 

Answer 1

Margie was eleven years old while Tommy was thirteen.

Question 2

What did Margie write in her diary?

 

Answer 2

Margie wrote in her diary, "Today Tommy found a real book!"

Question 3

Had Margie ever seen a book before?

 

Answer 3

No, Margie had never seen a book before.

 

Question 4

What things about the book did she find strange?

 

Answer 4

Margie found it strange when the words stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to on a screen. On turning back to the previous page, the same words were still there when they read it the first time.

Question 5

What do you think a telebook is?

 

Answer 5

A telebook is a book that will be read on screen. The words which are to be read by the students will scroll on the screen. All the lessons that are to be read will appear on the big screen and are followed by questions from the book.

 

Question 6

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

Answer 6

Margie’s school was her own home, right next to her bedroom. Margie was taught by a mechanical teacher – it is a screen where lessons and questions appear. She had to put her homework in a particular slot and write the answers with help of a punch code. Unfortunately she did not have any classmates. 

 

Question 7 

What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?

 

Answer 7

Margie and Tommy learnt 3 main subjects. They are Geography, History and Arithmetic.

 

Question 2

Answer the following with reference to the story.

 

Question 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 1

(i) These words were spoken by Tommy.

(ii) The word ‘it’ refers to the television screen, which had millions of books on it.

(iii) The speaker, Tommy is comparing television screen to the books of olden days in which words were printed on paper. He thought he would never have to throw away his tele books as he would have to throw away his printed books after reading it.

 

Question 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 2

(i) In this context ‘they’ are referred to the students who studied in the old kind of schools, centuries before the time the story was set in.

(ii) The word ‘regular’ refers to Tommy and Margie’s mechanical teachers, which is new compared to the old kind of school.

(iii) In this context they have compared the mechanical teacher with the human teachers who were men in earlier days.

Question 3

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

 

Question 1

What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?

 

Answer 1

The teacher which Margie and Tommy had was a mechanical teacher. All the lessons and questions are put on a large black screen. There were specific slots for both homework and test paper assigned by the mechanical teachers. Students need to write their answers in a punch code and the mechanical teacher calculates the marks immediately.

 

Question 2

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

 

Answer 2

The mechanical teacher has assigned too many tests on Geography for Margie. Her performance was getting worse day by day. This is the primary reason that she sent the County Inspector.

 

Question 3

What did he do?

 

Answer 3

The County Inspector before working on the mechanical teacher gave an apple to Margie. She thought that the Inspector would not know how to put the mechanical teacher together again, but he managed to assemble it. Then he slowed up the geography sector of the teacher because it has become too quick.

 

Question 4

Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the Country Inspector do to help her?

 

Answer 4

Margie's performance was poor in geography because the geography sector of the mechanical teacher had been increased to a higher level. The County Inspector rightly told not to blame her for the poor performance. The County Inspector also slowed down the geography sector of the mechanical teacher to an average of ten-year level. He also told Mrs.Jones that Margie’s progress pattern was satisfactory.

 

Question 5

What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?

 

Answer 5

For nearly a month Tommy’s teacher had been taken away because its history sector had completely blanked out.

 

Question 6

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

 

Answer 6

Yes, Margie had regular days and hours for school. Every day the mechanical teacher turned on at the same time except Saturdays and Sundays. Margie's mother told that little girls learned better when they learned at regular hours and hence she has regular days and hours for school.

 

Question 7

How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?

Answer 7

Tommy says that the old kind of which existed centuries ago where teacher was a man. This teacher took classes in a special building where all the kids assemble together and the same topics were taught according to their respective ages.

 

Question 8

How does he describe the old kind of teachers?

 

Answer 8

He says that the old kind of school which existed centuries ago where teacher was a man. This teacher taught students in a special building and gave them homework and asked questions. When Margie told that, the man was not smart enough to be a teacher he then contradicted her by saying that his father knew as much as his mechanical teacher.

 

Question 4

Answer each of these questions in two or three paragraphs (100 − 150 words)

 

Question 1

What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story?

 

Answer 1

Margie and Tommy were taught by mechanical teachers. The lessons are taught on a big black screen and questions were also asked in the similar pattern. Margie and tommy will have their slots for homework and test papers. They do not have paper pen test, rather they had to write the answers in a punch code and immediately the mechanical teacher calculates the marks.

Their school were their home itself and so they did not have any classmates. They learnt 3 main subjects. They are Geography, History and Arithmetic. They had regular days and hours for school. Margie’s school was her own home, right next to her bedroom. Every day the mechanical teacher turned on at the same time except Saturdays and Sundays. Margie's mother told that little girls learned better when they learned at regular hours and hence she has regular days and hours for school.

Question 2

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

 

Answer 2

Margie hates school because it was not fun and also her performance in the geography tests assigned by the mechanical teacher was bad. Her mother sent County Inspector hoping that he will take away the mechanical teacher away. She thought that the Inspector would not know how to put the mechanical teacher together again, but he managed to assemble it.

Margie hated things like inserting test papers and homework in the slot on the mechanical teacher. The hardest part was to write the answers in a punch code. She then realised that the old kind of school must have been fun with classmates. She also imagined all the kids coming from same neighbourhood, laughing, shouting and playing in the schoolyard. She also thought about the way they learn together and help each other with their homework. In old kind of school the teachers were human. These are the aspects that made her believe that the real fun was in old kind school.

Question 3

Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story? Give reasons for your answer.

 

Answer 3

Yes, I agree that schools today are really fun compared to the school in the story. In this story, there is no connect among the students to discuss on their studies. Ideally, studying and answering questions seems to be a boring idea. But to key in the answer in a punch code is equally boring. The healthier way of learning is when children start talking to each other and start understanding things.

It is always interesting to listen to the teacher while explaining lessons rather hearing the lesson from the mechanical teacher. In case any student faces any challenge in understanding, he can always discuss it with his classmates and the teacher helps them to understand. It will excite when they wait to know there test marks in classroom, wherein the mechanical teacher computes the mark immediately. Therefore, I conclude stating that schools today are really fun compared to the school in the story as they promote a healthy environment for the students to study and learn.

______________________________

 

Question 2

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 2

 

1. If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, she will be upset.
2. If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, your evening meal will be delayed.
3. Unless you promise to write back, I will not send you any email.
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.