NCERT Solution Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 1 The Fun They Had
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English Class 9 Beehive Chapter 1 The Fun They Had
Summary
“The Fun They Had” was written by Isaac Asimov. The story is set in the future when schools are conducted digitally through virtual classrooms. The classes are taken by a mechanical teacher instead of a human class teacher. The story starts with two children named – Margie and Tommy. Both of them attend virtual classes given by a mechanical teacher. And books are not known at that time. On 17th May 2157, Margie wrote in her diary about how Tommy found a real book. It was an old book that consisted of stories.
Margie’s grandfather once told her that when he was a young boy, his grandfather informed him that all the stories used to be printed on paper in those days. Both Margie and Tommy started turning the yellow and crumpled pages of the book to discover more about those days. They found it hilarious to read as the words stood fixed in one place instead of moving the way they saw on a computer screen. Tommy exclaims that it is an utter waste to read a book and throw it away once completed. He feels that their television screen has a million books on it and could store a plenty more without throwing it away.
soon , they start reading about a school during the ancient times when the teachers were human beings rather than mechanical teachers. Although Margie hated the concept of school, she was surprised to know actual people taught school. This is because she has only seen robots teaching her at school. Moreover, she is not so fond of the school that is next to her bedroom as she does not have any classmates and the mechanical teacher always gives her loads of homework to do. Once Margie’s mother called the County Inspector to fix the mechanical device on which Margie attends her virtual classes.
He put the big black screen together again on which all the lessons are displayed and the questions are asked. However, the little girl was disappointed about the device getting fixed so soon. She knew she would again need to put homework and test papers into it through a punch code.
Further, as both the children continue reading continue reading the book, Margie’s mother calls her to attend her classes. While Margie attends her school, the mechanical teacher teaches about fractions, but Margie starts thinking about how her grandparents had fun while visiting a school in the olden days. Those days a school used to be a special building and kids of the same age studied together. She imagines how the kids from different areas in the neighbourhood would come together and attend school merrily. Thus, Margie gets fascinated about the fun the children had centuries ago when they went to a real school having a physical existence.
Class 9 Beehive Chapter 1 The Fun They Had
Questions-Answers Class 9 Beehive Chapter 1 The Fun They Had
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 years old.
Question 2:
What did Margie write in her diary?
Answer
Margie wrote in her diary, “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
The pages of the book were yellow and crinkly. The words stood still instead of moving. When they turned back to the page before, it had the same words on it that it had when they read it the first time.
Question 5:
What do you think a telebook is?
Answer
A telebook is a book that gets displayed on the screen of the television.
Question 6:
Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Answer
Margie’s school was next to her bedroom. No, she did not have any classmates.
Question 7:
What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Answer
Margie and Tommy learnt Geography, History and Arithmetic.
Class 9 Beehive Chapter 1 The Fun They Had
II. Answer the following with reference to the story.
- “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
(i) Tommy says these words.
(ii) It refers to the book.
(iii) The speaker compares it with a telebook.
- “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” refers to the students centuries ago.
(ii) “Regular” refers to the mechanical teacher then they had.
(iii) It is contrasted with humans as teachers of earlier times.
Class 9 Beehive Chapter 1 The Fun They Had
III. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).
- What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Answer
Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. They were taught on computers and television screens.
- Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
Answer
Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspector because the mechanical teacher of Margie was not functioning properly. It kept giving Margie Geography tests and Margie was performing worse every time.
- What did he do?
Answer
The County Inspector smiled at Margie and gave her an apple. He took the mechanical teacher away from her.
- 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 questions that were displayed on the screen by the mechanical teacher were too quick for her age.
The County Inspector slowed its speed to an average ten-year level so that Margie would be able to perform satisfactorily.
- 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.
- Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Answer
Yes, Margie had regular days and hours for school because her mother said little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours.
- How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Answer
Tommy says that the old kind of school had special buildings. All the kids went to that building for studying.
- How does he describe the old kind of teachers? [Imp.]
Answer
Tommy tells Margie that the old kind of teachers were humans instead of machines. The human teacher would educate the boys and girls and give them homework and ask questions.
Class 9 Beehive Chapter 1 The Fun They Had
IV. Answer each of these questions in two or three paragraphs (100 –150 words).
- What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story?
Answer
Margie and Tommy have mechanical teachers. They need not go to school for getting a formal education. The mechanical teacher is placed in one of the rooms of the house and they can get the knowledge of various subjects of individually from the mechanical teacher. They don’t have such classrooms where students sit together. They study from the telebooks. So they don’t require books and exercise books. The examination system is very different. They do homework in a different way. Margie has to write them out in a punch code. She learnt it when she was six years old. So the system of their education is technologically advanced and not based on printed books.
- Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?
Answer
Margie hated her school because she had a mechanical teacher. It was in her house. She was supposed to sit in that room alone to complete her homework or assignments. She thought that the old schools must have been fun because the students used to sit together in the classroom. They enjoyed, laughed and shouted in the schoolyard. Children needed company to enhance their skills. If they are isolated, they get depressed and dejected.
- Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer
There is no doubt that today’s schools are more funny than the future schools discussed in the story. This school has nothing but a mechanical teacher with no emotions and sentiments. It does not have the ability to understand the psychology of a child. Moreover, it guides a pupil according to its adjusted modes. But today’s schools work for the overall development of a child. They learn the same thing. The teachers are real human beings. They learn how to adapt themselves to new surroundings and cope with strangers. The students sit and learn together. These activities don’t give vent to the feelings of depression, alienation and segregation.
Class 9 Beehive Chapter 1 The Fun They Had
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