The fun they had
1. MARGIE even wrote about it that night in her diary. On the page headed 17 May 2157, she wrote, “Today Tommy found a real book!”
It was a very old book. Margie’s grandfather once said that when he was a little boy his grandfather told him that there was a time when all stories were printed on paper.
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. And then when they turned back to the page before, it had the same words on it that it had had when they read it the first time.
2. “Gee,” said Tommy, “what a waste. When you’re through with the book, you just throw it away, I guess. Our television screen must have had a million books on it and it’s good for plenty more. I wouldn’t throw it away.”
“Same with mine,” said Margie. She was eleven and hadn’t seen as many telebooks as Tommy had. He was thirteen.
She said, “Where did you find it?”
“In my house.” He pointed without looking, because he was busy reading. “In the attic.”
“What’s it about?”
“School.”
3. Margie was scornful. “School? What’s there to write about school? I hate school.”
Margie always hated school, but now she hated it more than ever. 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.
4. He was a round little man with a red face and a whole box of tools with dials and wires. He smiled at Margie and gave her an apple, then took the teacher apart. Margie had hoped he wouldn’t know how to put it together again, but he knew how all right, and, after an hour or so, there it was again, large and black and ugly, with a big screen on which all the lessons were shown and the questions were asked. That wasn’t so bad. The part Margie hated most was the slot where she had to put homework and test papers. She always had to write them out in a punch code they made her learn when she was six years old, and the mechanical teacher calculated the marks in no time.
5. The Inspector had smiled after he was finished and patted Margie’s head. He said to her mother, “It’s not the little girl’s fault, Mrs Jones. I think the geography sector was geared a little too quick. Those things happen sometimes. I’ve slowed it up to an average ten-year level. Actually, the overall pattern of her progress is quite satisfactory.” And he patted Margie’s head again.
Margie was disappointed. She had been hoping they would take the teacher away altogether. They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.
So she said to Tommy, “Why would anyone write about school?”
6. Tommy looked at her with very superior eyes. “Because it’s not our kind of school, stupid. This is the old kind of school that they had hundreds and hundreds of years ago.” He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, “Centuries ago.”
Margie was hurt. “Well, I don’t know what kind of school they had all that time ago.” She read the book over his shoulder for a while, then said, “Anyway, they had a teacher.”
“Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”
“A
man? How could a man be a teacher?”
“Well, he just told the boys and girls things and gave them homework and asked them questions.”
7. “A man isn’t smart enough.”
“Sure he is. My father knows as much as my teacher.”
“He knows almost as much, I betcha.”
Margie wasn’t prepared to dispute that. She said, “I wouldn’t want a strange man in my house to teach me.”
Tommy
screamed with laughter. “You don’t know much, Margie. The
teachers didn’t live in the house. They had a special building and
all the kids went there.”
“And all the kids learned the same thing?”
“Sure, if they were the same age.”
8. “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.”
“Just the same they didn’t do it that way then. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to read the book.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Margie said quickly. She wanted to read about those funny schools.
They weren’t even half finished when Margie’s mother called, “Margie! School!”
Margie looked up. “Not yet, Mamma.”
“Now!” said Mrs Jones. “And it’s probably time for Tommy, too.”
Margie said to Tommy, “Can I read the book some more with you after school?”
9. “May be,” he said nonchalantly. He walked away whistling, the dusty old book tucked beneath his arm.
Margie went into the schoolroom. It was right next to her bedroom, and the mechanical teacher was on and waiting for her. It was always on at the same time every day except Saturday and Sunday, because her mother said little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours.
The screen was lit up, and it said: “Today’s arithmetic lesson is on the addition of proper fractions. Please insert yesterday’s homework in the proper slot.”
10. Margie did so with a sigh. She was thinking about the old schools they had when her grandfather’s grandfather was a little boy. All the kids from the whole neighborhood came, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting together in the schoolroom, going home together at the end of the day. They learned the same things, so they could help one another with the homework and talk about it.
And the teachers were people…
The mechanical teacher was flashing on the screen: “When we add fractions ½ and ¼…”
Margie was thinking about how the kids must have loved it in the old days. She was thinking about the fun they had.
Word meanings
crinkly: with many folds or lines
awfully: very badly or unpleasantly.
"we played awfully"
attic: a space just below the roof, used as a storeroom
scornful: contemptuous; showing you think something is worthless
sorrowfully: full of or feeling sorrow; grieved; sad
slot: a given space, time or position
geared (to): adjusted to a particular standard or level
pat: touch quickly and gently with the flat of the hand.
past tense: patted; past participle: patted
"he patted him consolingly on the shoulder"
loftily: in a superior way
regular: here, normal; of the usual kind
betcha (informal): (I) bet you (in fast speech): I’ m sure
dispute: disagree with
nonchalantly: not showing much interest or enthusiasm; carelessly
sigh: to breathe out slowly and noisily, expressing tiredness, sadness, pleasure, etc.
I. Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.
1. How old are Margie and Tommy?
Answer: Margie is eleven years old, and Tommy is thirteen years old.
2. What did Margie write in her diary?
Answer: Margie wrote, “Today Tommy found a real book!”
3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?
Answer: No, Margie had never seen a book before.
4. What things about the book did she find strange?
Answer: She found it strange that the words stood still instead of moving like on a screen and that the pages were yellow and crinkly.
5. What do you think a telebook is?
Answer: A telebook is an electronic book that is read on a screen.
6. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Answer: Margie’s school was in her home, right next to her bedroom. She did not have any classmates.
7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Answer: Margie and Tommy learned subjects like geography, history, and arithmetic.
II. Answer the following with reference to the story.
1. “I wouldn’t throw it away.”
(i) Who says these words?
Answer: Tommy says these words.
(ii) What does ‘it’ refer to?
Answer: ‘It’ refers to the television screen that holds millions of books.
(iii) What is it being compared with by the speaker?
Answer: It is being compared with the old physical book that Margie and Tommy found.
2. “Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”
(i) Who does ‘they’ refer to?
Answer: ‘They’ refers to the children who attended school hundreds of years ago.
(ii) What does ‘regular’ mean here?
Answer: ‘Regular’ means the mechanical teachers that Margie and Tommy are used to.
(iii) What is it contrasted with?
Answer: It is contrasted with the human teachers who taught children in the past.
III. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).
1. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Answer: Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers with screens for lessons and slots for homework, programmed to provide individualized education tailored to each student's learning pace and needs.
2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
Answer: Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspector because Margie was struggling with geography, and she was concerned about her consistently poor performance and declining test scores.
3. What did he do?
Answer: The County Inspector examined and adjusted the mechanical teacher, slowed down the geography lessons to a suitable level for Margie, and ensured the machine was working properly.
4. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help her?
Answer: Margie struggled because the geography lessons were too advanced. The County Inspector slowed the lessons to a ten-year-old's level, making them easier for Margie to understand.
5. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
Answer: Tommy's teacher had malfunctioned completely in the history sector, causing it to be taken away for repairs, resulting in Tommy having no lessons for nearly a month.
6. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Answer: Yes, Margie had regular school hours because her mother believed that maintaining a consistent schedule helped her learn more effectively and develop good study habits.
7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Answer: Tommy describes the old school as a place where all children went to a special building to learn together, unlike their isolated home-based learning environment.
8. How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
Answer: Tommy describes old teachers as humans who taught lessons, assigned homework, and asked questions, contrasting with their mechanical, screen-based teachers.
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?
Answer: In the story, Margie and Tommy have mechanical teachers that are essentially robots programmed to deliver lessons and assess students' performance. These teachers have large screens displaying the lessons, questions, and instructions. They also have slots where students insert their homework and test papers, which are then evaluated by the machine. The lessons are personalized, with each student receiving material suited to their learning level and pace.
The schoolrooms are located within their homes, typically next to their bedrooms, making education a solitary activity. The mechanical teachers are always on at specific times each day, except on weekends, ensuring a strict and regular schedule. This setup eliminates the social aspect of traditional schooling, as there are no classmates or human interaction during the learning process. The impersonal and mechanical nature of this education system starkly contrasts with the communal and interactive schooling of the past.
2. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?
Answer: Margie hated school primarily because of the impersonal and monotonous nature of her education. The mechanical teacher's rigid and unforgiving method of teaching made learning a joyless task for her. The constant stream of geography tests and the pressure to perform well despite the challenging material contributed to her frustration. The lack of human interaction and the isolating environment of her home schoolroom further intensified her dislike for school.
Margie thought the old kind of school must have been fun because it was a social environment where children learned together. She imagined students laughing and playing in the schoolyard, helping each other with homework, and enjoying the communal experience of learning. The idea of having human teachers who could interact with and understand the students made the old school seem more engaging and enjoyable. The contrast between her lonely, mechanical education and the lively, human-centered schooling of the past made her yearn for the latter, believing it would be a much more pleasant and fulfilling experience.
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. 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."
2. Carefully: "He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, 'Centuries ago.'"
3. Sorrowfully: "Margie always hated school, but now she hated it more than ever. 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."
4. 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."
5. Completely:"They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely."
6. Quickly: "He said to her mother, 'It’s not the little girl’s fault, Mrs Jones. I think the geography sector was geared a little too quick. Those things happen sometimes.'"
7. Loftily: "He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, 'Centuries ago.'"
8. Nonchalantly: "'Maybe,' he said nonchalantly. He walked away whistling, the dusty old book tucked beneath his arm."
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) The report must be read carefully so that performance can be improved.
(ii) At the interview, Sameer answered our questions nonchalantly, 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 loftily 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.
3. Make adverbs from these adjectives.
(i) angry __________________
(ii) happy __________________
(iii) merry __________________
(iv) sleepy __________________
(v) easy __________________
(vi) noisy __________________
(vii) tidy __________________
(viii) gloomy __________________
Answer:
(i) Angry → Angrily
(ii) Happy → Happily
(iii) Merry → Merrily
(iv) Sleepy → Sleepily
(v) Easy → Easily
(vi) Noisy → Noisily
(vii) Tidy → Tidily
(viii) Gloomy → 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 _______________
Here are the completed conditional sentences:
1. If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, she will be disappointed.
2. If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, we won’t have anything to eat.
3. Unless you promise to write back, I won’t send you another letter.
4. If she doesn’t play any games, she will miss out on a lot of fun.
5. Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat will catch it.
