The Fun They Had question answer NCERT Class 9 is for the students of class 9 who wants to completely prepare for the English examination. This will surely help you to get a better concept over questions answers from The Fun They Had, a science fiction written by Isaac Asimov.
Thinking About the Text
1. Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.
1.How old are Margie and Tommy?
Ans. Margie is eleven and Tommy is thirteen-year old.
2. What did Margie write in her diary?
Ans- Margie wrote, “Today Tommy found a real book!”
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?
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.
5. What do you think a telebook is?
Ans. A book that can be displayed on a screen is called a telebook.
6. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Ans- Margie’s school was in her home itself. It was right next to her bedroom. No, she did not have any classmates.
7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Ans. Margie and Tommy learnt geography, history and arithmetic.
The Fun They Had question answer NCERT Class 9
II. Answer the following with reference to the story.
1. “I wouldn’t throw it away.”
(i) Who says these words?
Ans. Tommy said these words.
(ii) What does it’ refer to?
Ans. It’ refers to the television screen.
(iii) What is it being compared with by the speaker?
Ans. Tommy is comparing the television screen to the real books. He thought that after reading such books, one would have to throw them away but he would never throw away his telebooks.
2. “Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”
(i) Who does they’ refer to?
Ans. They refers to the students who studied in the old kind of schools.
(ii) What does regular’ mean here?
Ans. Here, ‘regular’ refers to the mechanical teachers.
(iii) What is it contrasted with?
Ans. The mechanical teacher is contrasted with the human teachers of the earlier times.
III. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).
1.What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Ans. The teachers of Margie and Tommy were different from the teachers of today. They were robotic teachers. They were confined to study rooms and taught mechanically.
2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
Ans- Margie was working hard in geography under the guidance of the mechanical teacher, but there was no improvement in her performance. It only kept getting worse. So Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspector to find out the fault and settle it.
3. What did he do?
Ans- The County Inspector handed Margie an apple and began working on the mechanical teacher. He disassembled it and then checked it. Margie wished that the Inspector didn’t know how to reassemble the mechanical teacher. But he was able to reassemble it. He slowed down the teacher’s geography lesson, which was geared a little faster for an average ten-year-old.
4. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help her?
Ans. Margie was performing poorly in geography since the mechanical teacher’s geography sector was geared a little faster. The County Inspector correctly informed her that she could not be faulted for her poor performance.
The County Inspector slowed down the geography sector of the mechanical teacher to an average ten-year level.
The Fun They Had question answer NCERT Class 9
5. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
Ans. Once the history sector of Tommy’s teacher had blanked out completely.
6. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Ans- 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 every day except Saturday and Sunday.
7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Ans. Tommy describes the old kind of school as a special building where all kids studied together. There were hundreds of students studying and playing together. They used to shout and laugh together in an open yard.
8. How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
Ans- According to Tommy, the old kind of teachers were human beings who taught the students inside a special building. The teachers taught the children in groups and gave them homework and asked them questions.
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?
Ans. Margie and Tommy both have mechanical teachers in their schools. They do not have distinct school buildings. They attend school in the room next to their bedroom. Their teachers are actually robots. They have sectors for different subjects with predetermined text, speed, and level.
The mechanical teachers have a large screen that displays courses and test papers. There is a slot where each child must turn in his homework and test assignments for evaluation. These teachers could quickly analyze the assignment. They could identify how well a youngster was doing but never why they were doing poorly.
2. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?
Ans. Margie did not enjoy her school. The room next to her bedroom served as her schoolroom, where a robotic instructor taught her at a certain hour each day. She didn’t enjoy taking tests every day. Her robotic teacher was administering geography tests one after the other. Her performance deteriorated day by day.
The Fun They Had question answer NCERT Class 9
She learned about the old schools from a book Tommy found. She discovered that the original schools were housed in huge structures. Every child in the neighborhood used to go there together. They laughed, screamed, and played together. They learned the same thing and could help each other with their homework. She assumed that these schools must have been enjoyable.
3. Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the schools in the story. Give reasons for your answer.
Ans- Yes, I agree with Margie. There are no schools mentioned in the story. The room next to their bedroom serves as their school. They are taught by a mechanical instructor. There are no human feelings. Everything is monotonous. The youngster must do their homework and place it in the slot designated for it in the machine. However, modern schools have large facilities where all of the neighborhood’s children go. They are instructed by human teachers. They learn and play together and learn the same things so they may help one other with their assignments.
MORE READING
1.Chapter 10 The Undeserved Reward
2.Chapter 9 Couplets
3.Chapter 6 The Luncheon
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)
Ans- 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.
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 sorrowfuly and sent for the County Inspector.
They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history blanked out completely.
He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, “Centuries ago.” “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.”
I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Margie Said quickly. “May be,” he said nonchalantly.
The Fun They Had question answer NCERT Class 9
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 l complimented Revathi on her succes, 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
Ans. (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.
(v) When l complimented Revathi on her succes, 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) Ifinished my work quickly so that I could go out to play.
The Fun They Had by Isaac Asimov
3. Make adverbs from these adjectives.
(i) angry …- angrily
(ii) merry – merrily
(iii) easy ..- easily
(iv) tidy – tidily
(v) happy – happily
(vi) sleepy- sleepily
(vii) noisy ..-noisily
(viii) glloomy- 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, …………
Ans. 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,……….
Ans. If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, you will miss your evening meal.
3. Unless you promise to write back, I …………
Ans. Unless you promise to write back, I will not write to you.
4. If she doesn’t play any games, ……..
Ans. If she doesn’t play any games, she will become dull and lazy.
5. Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat………
Ans. Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat will pounce on it.