NCERT Solutions For Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 1 The Fun They Had is given here. These Solutions contains answers to all questions provided in the textbook. Class 9 English The Fun They Had questions and answers are explained by the expert English teacher and as per NCERT (CBSE) guidelines.
Class 9 English The Fun They Had Questions and Answers
Thinking about the Text
(Page 10)
I. Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.
Question 1: How old are Margie and Tommy?
Answer: Margie is eleven and Tommy is thirteen-year-old.
Question 2: What did Margie write in her diary?
Answer: Margie wrote, “Today Tommy found a real book!”.
Question 3: Had Margie ever seen a book before?
Answer: No, Margie had never seen a book before.
Question 4: What things about the book did she find strange?
Answer: Margie found it strange that the words printed on a book stood still instead of moving the way they did on a screen. She also found it odd that the words on a page always remained the same as the first time they were read. Besides, the idea that someone would write a book about schools was itself strange for Margie.
Question 5: What do you think a telebook is?
Answer: A book that can be displayed on a screen is called telebook.
Question 6: Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Answer: Margie’s school was in her home itself, right next to her bedroom. No, she did not have any classmates.
Question 7: What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Answer: Margie and Tommy learned geography, history and arithmetic.
II. Answer the following with reference to the story.
Question 1: “I wouldn’t throw it away.”
- Who says these words?
- What does ‘it’ refer to?
- What is it being compared with by the speaker?
Answer: (i) Tommy said these words.
(ii) ‘It’ refers to the television screen, on which you could read over a million books.
(iii) Tommy is comparing the television screen to the real books in earlier times in which words were printed on paper. He thought that after reading such books, one would have to throw them away. However, he would never have to throw away his telebooks.
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: (i) They refer to the students who studied in the old kind of schools centuries before the time the story is set in.
(ii) Here, ‘regular’ refers to the mechanical teachers that Tommy and Margie had.
(iii) The mechanical teacher is contrasted with the teacher of the earlier times, who was a human being.
III. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).
Question 1: What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Answer: Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. They had large, black and ugly screens on which all the lessons were shown and questions were asked. These mechanical teachers had a fixed time in which the students had to put their homework and test papers. They had to write their answers in a punch code and the mechanical teacher calculated the marks thereafter.
Question 2: Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
Answer: Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspector because the mechanical teacher was not functioning efficiently.Margie had been given many tests in geography by the teacher, but there was no improvement in her performance. So, Margie’s mother wanted to find out the reason behind it.
Question 3: What did he do?
Answer: The County Inspector gave Margie an apple and started working on the mechanical teacher. He took it apart and then checked it. Margie had hoped that the Inspector would not know how to put the mechanical teacher together again, but he managed to reassemble it. He slowed down the geography sector of the teacher because it was geared a little too quick for an average ten-year-old.
Question 4: Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help her?
Answer: Margie was doing badly in geography because the geography sector of the mechanical teacher had been geared a little too quick. The County Inspector rightly told her that she could not be blamed for her poor performance.
The County Inspector slowed down the geography sector of the mechanical teacher to an average ten-year level. He also told Mrs. Jones that Margie’s overall progress pattern was satisfactory.
Question 5: What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
Answer: Tommy’s teacher was taken away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely. So, tommy had nothing to do during that period. He only relaxed and enjoyed.
Question 6: Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Answer: Yes, Margie had regular days and hours for school. This was because her mother believed that learning at regular hours helped little girls learn better. Her mechanical teacher was also on at the same time everyday except Saturday and Sunday.
Question 7: How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Answer: Tommy says that the old schools were different. They had a special building and all the kids went there to study. They laughed and shouted in the schoolyard. They enjoyed time together and learned lessons together in a classroom.
Question 8: How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
Answer: Tommy describes the old kind of teachers as living human beings who did not live in the house. Instead, they taught the students in a special building. They taught the children in groups and gave them homework.
IV. 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: Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. They had large black screens on which all the lessons were shown and questions were asked. These teachers were adjusted according to the age and potential of the student concerned. They had a slot in which students had to put their homework and test papers. They had to write their answers in a punch code and the mechanical teacher calculated the marks immediately. Their schools were in their homes itself. They did not have any classmates. They had regular days and hours for school. The mechanical teacher always turned on at the same time every day except Saturdays and Sundays. They learned geography, history and arithmetic.
Question 2: Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?
Margie hated school because her ‘school’ was the mechanical teacher. It had been fixed in her schoolroom. She had to sit alone at a 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 up to 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 neighbourhood studied like that, in their own study rooms. There were no schools as there are today. She learnt about such schools. It increased her hatred for her mechanical teacher more and more.
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: Yes, I agree schools today are more fun than the school in the story. In the story, there is no interaction among students regarding studies. Studying and answering questions seems to be a boring idea. Doing homework without anybody’s help and writing them in a punch code would also be draining. Moreover, children develop a better understanding about each other and of their surroundings when they go to a school and interact with each other. It is a healthier way of learning. Listening to teachers explaining lessons is always more interesting than reading the entire lesson on a mechanical computer. Also, if any student faces any problem with the subject or in homework, he can discuss it with the teacher and other kids. It is impossible to discuss problems and situations with a mechanical teacher that is only programmed to teach in a particular manner.
The excitement of waiting to know the marks scored in exams is greater when one is sitting in a classroom with other students. It does not have the same effect when the marks are calculated immediately after a test has been taken.
Finally, the friends that you make at school are most probably the best friends that you will ever make in your entire life. The various qualities that you learn in school like obedience, respect, kindness for others, sharing, taking part in school games, sports, and other activities are all a part of school education today. Therefore, schools today are more fun than the school in the story as they are more interactive. They promote a healthy environment for the students to study and learn.
Thinking about Language
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- Completely: They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.
- Loftily: He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, “Centuries ago.”
- 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.”
- Quickly: “I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Margie said quickly.
- Nonchalantly: “Maybe,” he said nonchalantly.
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:
(i) carefully
(ii) loftily
(iii) differently
(iv) sorrowfully
(v) completely
(vi) nonchalantly
(vii) awfully
(viii) quickly
3. Make adverbs from these adjectives.
(i) angry ___________
(ii) happy __________
(iii) merry___________
(iv) sleepy __________
(v) easy ____________
(vi) noisy ___________
(vii) tidy ___________
(viii) gloomy ________
Answer:
Required adverbs are as follows:
(i) Angrily
(ii) Happily
(iii) Merrily
(iv) Sleepily
(v) Easily
(vi) Noisily
(vii) Tidily
(viii) Gloomily
II. 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 lazy and unfit.
5. Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat will pounce on 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:
Answers
1212, Sector 14
Urban Estate
Gurgaon
Date: 15 March, 20xx
M/s. Mindfame Private Limited
1632, Asaf Ali Road
New Delhi
Subject: Order for one set of Isaac Asimov’s revised volume of short stories
Sir,
I have come to know that you have just released a newly revised volume of Isaac Asimov’s short stories. I hereby place an order for one set for the same. Kindly send it by Value Payable Post (VPP) at the address given above.
Yours sincerely
Samir
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 ……
Answer:
Note: Students to do as desired. For a full speech they may expand the following points for and against the motion.
For the motion
- Future to be exclusively scientifically and technologically more and more advanced.
- Life to depend heavily on latest gadgetry.
- New experiments in all fields including education.
- Future schools to have no books, no teachers.
- Concentration of mind more and more.
- Knowledge widespread, more advanced.
- Human teachers to be replaced by mechanical ones.
- Each student’s mechanical teacher to be upgraded as per the mental calibre.
- Individual talents to be sharpened to make him or her utility oriented.
- An important step in scientific progress.
Against the motion
- Future to be governed and controlled by scientific, electronic or technological gadgetry.
- Human side of life totally absent.
- All human beings like machine tools.
- Interaction among them at human, social, emotional level to be negligible.
- Schools and human teachers absent but their absence to be felt greatly.
- Human beings’ growth at human level to be zero.
- They would exist as human beings. But won’t know emotions of fellow-feeling, sympathy, pity, mercy, love, likes/dislikes.
- These emotions very necessary for balanced growth of human personality.
- So future bleak and bad for humans in such an age of science and technology.
- ‘Old is Gold’ saying to be missed greatly.