Chapter 1: The fun they had
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
1. On what date did Margie write in her diary about the real book?
a. 17 May 2057
b. 17 May 2157
c. 17 May 2257
d. 17 May 2155
2. How old was Margie?
a. Eleven
b. Twelve
c. Thirteen
d. Ten
3. Where did Tommy find the old book?
a. In his schoolroom
b. In the library
c. In the attic
d. In the County Inspector's box
4. What did Margie find awfully funny about the book?
a. The pages were yellow and crinkly.
b. It had pictures of old schools.
c. The words stood still instead of moving.
d. It was written in a punch code.
5. What did Tommy think should be done with a printed book once you finish reading it?
a. Keep it in the attic.
b. Give it to a friend.
c. Throw it away.
d. Put it in the telebook screen.
6. How many books did Tommy say their television screen must have had on it?
a. A thousand
b. A million
c. A hundred
d. A billion
7. What subject was Margie doing worse and worse in?
a. History
b. Arithmetic
c. Geography
d. Science
8. What did the County Inspector give Margie before he took the teacher apart?
a. A piece of cake
b. An apple
c. A tool
d. A book
9. What part of the mechanical teacher did Margie hate the most?
a. The big black screen
b. The slot for homework and test papers
c. The dials and wires
d. The arithmetic lessons
10. At what age was Margie made to learn the punch code for her homework?
a. Six years old
b. Ten years old
c. Eleven years old
d. Eight years old
11. Why was Margie performing poorly in her tests?
a. She did not study at regular hours.
b. The geography sector was geared a little too quick.
c. Her mechanical teacher was completely broken.
d. She was not smart enough.
12. To what average age level did the Inspector slow down Margie's teacher?
a. Six-year level
b. Eleven-year level
c. Ten-year level
d. Thirteen-year level
13. Why was Margie disappointed after the Inspector finished his work?
a. She had failed her test.
b. She wanted a new mechanical teacher.
c. She hoped they would take the teacher away altogether.
d. He did not give her an apple.
14. Why was Tommy’s teacher once taken away for nearly a month?
a. The history sector had blanked out completely.
b. The screen was shattered.
c. The arithmetic sector was too fast.
d. He refused to do his homework.
15. What word did Tommy pronounce carefully and loftily when talking about old schools?
a. Decades ago
b. Centuries ago
c. Millennia ago
d. Years ago
16. According to Tommy, who was the teacher in the old kind of school?
a. A mechanical robot
b. The County Inspector
c. A man
d. A special machine
17. Why did Margie think a man could not be a teacher?
a. Men are not patient.
b. Men don't like reading.
c. A man isn't smart enough.
d. Men don't know punch codes.
18. According to Margie’s mother, how should a teacher be adjusted?
a. To fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches.
b. To teach all kids exactly the same thing.
c. To be slower than a human teacher.
d. To teach only arithmetic and history.
19. On what days did the mechanical teacher not turn on at regular hours?
a. Monday and Tuesday
b. Saturday and Sunday
c. Friday and Saturday
d. Sunday and Monday
20. What topic was the mechanical teacher covering when Margie went to her schoolroom?
a. Addition of proper fractions
b. World history
c. Geography of continents
d. The alphabet
MCQ Answers:
1. b
2. a
3. c
4. c
5. c
6. b
7. c
8. b
9. b
10. a
11. b
12. c
13. c
14. a
15. b
16. c
17. c
18. a
19. b
20. a
Assertion and Reason Questions
1. Assertion (A): Margie hated the mechanical teacher more than ever.
Reason (R): The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and she
had been doing worse
and worse.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
(e) Both Assertion and Reason are false.
Answer: (a)
2. Assertion (A): Tommy thought the old physical book was a waste.
Reason (R): He believed you just throw it away when you are done,
whereas a television screen holds a million books and can be kept.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
(e) Both Assertion and Reason are false.
Answer: (a)
3. Assertion (A): The County Inspector took Margie's teacher away for a month.
Reason (R): The geography sector was completely blanked out.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
(e) Both Assertion and Reason are false.
Answer: (e)
4. Assertion (A): Margie had to write her homework out in a punch code.
Reason (R): Margie learned the punch code when she was ten years old.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
(e) Both Assertion and Reason are false.
Answer: (c)
5. Assertion (A): In the old schools, all kids of the same age learned the same thing.
Reason (R): The teachers in the old schools were mechanical robots that were placed in a
special building.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
(e) Both Assertion and Reason are false.
Answer: (c)
6. Assertion (A): Margie's mother sent for the County Inspector.
Reason (R): She noticed that Margie was struggling and doing worse in her geography
tests.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
(e) Both Assertion and Reason are false.
Answer: (a)
7. Assertion (A): Margie hoped the Inspector wouldn't know how to put the teacher back
together.
Reason (R): Margie loved the slot where she had to put her homework.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
(e) Both Assertion and Reason are false.
Answer: (c)
8. Assertion (A): Tommy screamed with laughter at Margie.
Reason (R): Margie thought that the human teachers lived in the students' houses just like
mechanical
teachers.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
(e) Both Assertion and Reason are false.
Answer: (a)
9. Assertion (A): Mrs. Jones believed each kid had to be taught differently.
Reason (R): She believed a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it
teaches.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
(e) Both Assertion and Reason are false.
Answer: (a)
10. Assertion (A): Margie went into her schoolroom with a lot of excitement.
Reason (R): She loved arithmetic and couldn't wait for her lesson on proper fractions.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
(e) Both Assertion and Reason are false.
Answer: (e)
1. Correct Answer: (a)
Explanation: Margie hated the mechanical teacher because it kept giving her one geography test after another, and her performance was getting worse. This made her dislike the teacher even more. Therefore, both the Assertion and the Reason are true, and the Reason correctly explains the Assertion.
2. Correct Answer: (a)
Explanation: Tommy considered the old printed book a waste because, unlike the television screen that could store millions of books, a printed book became useless after being read. Hence, both the Assertion and the Reason are true, and the Reason correctly explains the Assertion.
3. Correct Answer: (e)
Explanation: The County Inspector did not take Margie's mechanical teacher away for a month. He repaired it at her home and only slowed down the geography sector to suit her level. Also, the geography sector was not completely blanked out. Therefore, both the Assertion and the Reason are false.
4. Correct Answer: (c)
Explanation: Margie did write her homework in punch code, so the Assertion is true. However, the story does not mention that she learned the punch code when she was ten years old. Therefore, the Reason is false.
5. Correct Answer: (c)
Explanation: In the old schools, children of the same age studied together and learned the same lessons. However, the teachers were human beings, not mechanical robots. Hence, the Assertion is true, but the Reason is false.
6. Correct Answer: (a)
Explanation: Margie's mother noticed that Margie was performing poorly in geography and called the County Inspector to examine the mechanical teacher. Thus, both the Assertion and the Reason are true, and the Reason correctly explains the Assertion.
7. Correct Answer: (c)
Explanation: Margie secretly hoped that the County Inspector would not be able to repair the mechanical teacher because she disliked studying with it. However, she did not love the homework slot; in fact, she disliked using it. Therefore, the Assertion is true, but the Reason is false.
8. Correct Answer: (a)
Explanation: Tommy laughed because Margie mistakenly believed that human teachers lived in children's homes, just like mechanical teachers. This misunderstanding amused Tommy. Therefore, both the Assertion and the Reason are true, and the Reason correctly explains the Assertion.
9. Correct Answer: (a)
Explanation: Mrs. Jones believed that every child learns differently and that each mechanical teacher should be adjusted according to the student's learning ability. Therefore, both the Assertion and the Reason are true, and the Reason correctly explains the Assertion.
10. Correct Answer: (e)
Explanation: Margie did not enter her schoolroom with excitement. She disliked school and wished she could study in the old-fashioned schools Tommy described. She also did not enjoy her arithmetic lessons. Therefore, both the Assertion and the Reason are false.
Very Short Questions (1 Mark)
- What did Margie write in her diary?
Answer: Margie wrote, "Today Tommy found a real book!". - Who told Margie's grandfather about a time when stories were printed on paper?
Answer: Margie's grandfather's grandfather told him about a time when all stories were printed on paper. - What did the pages of the old book look like?
Answer: The pages of the old book were yellow and crinkly. - Where was the old book found?
Answer: Tommy found the old book in the attic of his house. - What did the County Inspector bring with him?
Answer: The County Inspector brought a whole box of tools with dials and wires. - How did the mechanical teacher calculate Margie's marks?
Answer: The mechanical teacher calculated the marks in no time after she inserted her punch code papers into the slot. - To what level did the Inspector slow down the geography sector?
Answer: The Inspector slowed the geography sector down to an average ten-year level. - What happened to Tommy's teacher in the past?
Answer: Tommy's teacher was taken away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely. - Where was Margie's schoolroom located?
Answer: Margie's schoolroom was right next to her bedroom. - What was the topic of Margie's arithmetic lesson on that day?
Answer: Today's arithmetic lesson was on the addition of proper fractions.
Short Questions (2 Marks)
- Why was Margie doing badly in her geography tests?
Answer: Margie was doing badly in her geography tests because the geography sector of the mechanical teacher was geared a little too quick for her. The material was too advanced until the County Inspector slowed it down. - What was Tommy's opinion about the printed book compared to their telebooks?
Answer: Tommy considered the printed book a waste because once finished, it is just thrown away. He preferred their television screen, which held a million books, was good for plenty more, and didn't need to be thrown away. - Why did Margie find it awfully funny to read the old book?
Answer: Margie found it awfully funny because the words in the book stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to on a screen. Furthermore, when turning back to a previous page, the exact same words remained there. - Why did Margie's mother send for the County Inspector?
Answer: Margie's mother, Mrs. Jones, sent for the County Inspector because the mechanical teacher had been giving Margie test after test in geography. Margie had been doing worse and worse, which caused her mother to shake her head sorrowfully. - What was Margie's reaction when Tommy said the old teachers were men?
Answer: Margie was highly skeptical and stated, "A man isn’t smart enough". She also added that she wouldn't want a strange man in her house to teach her. - According to Tommy, how did the old schools operate regarding location and age groups?
Answer: Tommy explained that teachers didn't live in the house; instead, they had a special building where all the kids went. He also noted that kids learned the same things if they were the same age. - Why did Margie have regular school hours every day except weekends?
Answer: Margie had school at the same time every day except Saturday and Sunday because her mother believed that little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours. - What part of the mechanical teacher did Margie hate most and why?
Answer: The part Margie hated most was the slot where she had to put her homework and test papers. She disliked it because she always had to write them out in a punch code she was forced to learn when she was six. - What did the County Inspector tell Margie's mother about Margie's progress?
Answer: After fixing the machine, the Inspector patted Margie's head and told her mother that it wasn't the little girl's fault. He stated that her overall pattern of progress was actually quite satisfactory. - Why was Margie disappointed when the County Inspector fixed her teacher?
Answer: Margie was disappointed because she had hoped they wouldn't know how to put it together again or would take the teacher away altogether. She recalled how Tommy's teacher had been taken away for nearly a month once.
Short Questions (3 Marks)
- Describe the physical appearance of the County Inspector and his actions upon arriving.
Answer: The County Inspector is described as a round little man with a red face. He brought a whole box of tools with dials and wires to fix the mechanical teacher. Upon arriving, he smiled at Margie, gave her an apple, and then proceeded to take the mechanical teacher apart to diagnose and fix the issue. - Explain the difference between the "regular" teacher Margie knew and the teachers of the past.
Answer: The "regular" teacher Margie knew was a mechanical machine—large, black, and ugly with a big screen—that stayed in her house and gave her tests. In contrast, the teachers of the past were human men who told the boys and girls things, gave them homework, and asked them questions in a special building. - How did Margie imagine the kids felt and behaved in the old days of school?
Answer: Margie imagined that all the kids from the whole neighborhood came together, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard. She thought about them sitting together in the schoolroom and going home together at the end of the day, helping each other with homework because they learned the same things. - Why did Margie think a man wouldn't be smart enough to be a teacher, and how did Tommy counter
this?
Answer: Margie was used to a highly programmed mechanical teacher and doubted a human man could possess that much knowledge, stating "A man isn’t smart enough". Tommy countered this by saying, "Sure he is. My father knows as much as my teacher," implying that human intelligence and knowledge can match that of a machine. - Describe Tommy's attitude towards Margie during their conversation about the old book.
Answer: Tommy acted quite arrogant and knowledgeable during their conversation, looking at Margie with "very superior eyes" and calling her "stupid". He spoke loftily, correcting her misconceptions, and later walked away nonchalantly, showing he felt older and wiser than the eleven-year-old Margie. - What did Mrs. Jones believe about how children should be taught, and how did it conflict with the old
schooling method?
Answer: Mrs. Jones believed that a teacher had to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches, meaning each child must be taught differently. This conflicted with the old schooling method where all kids of the same age learned the exact same thing simultaneously. - How did the County Inspector fix Margie's mechanical teacher?
Answer: The County Inspector diagnosed that the geography sector of the mechanical teacher was geared a little too quick for Margie's age level. He slowed it up to an average ten-year level and successfully put the machine back together in about an hour. - How did the concept of reading a physical book contrast with Margie and Tommy's usual reading
habits?
Answer: Margie and Tommy were used to reading "telebooks" on a television screen where the words moved continuously and the screen could hold millions of books without being thrown away. The physical book, however, had yellow, crinkly pages where the words stood still and remained exactly the same when they flipped back to previous pages. - Describe the mechanical teacher and what Margie hated most about it.
Answer: The mechanical teacher was large, black, and ugly, featuring a big screen on which all lessons were shown and questions asked. The specific part Margie hated most was the slot where she had to insert her homework and test papers, which she had to meticulously write out in a punch code she learned at age six. - Why was Margie scornful about the book's topic at first, and how did her feeling change?
Answer: Margie was initially scornful when Tommy said the book was about school, stating, "What’s there to write about school? I hate school". However, as Tommy explained that it was about an old kind of school with human teachers and a special building, she became curious and quickly stated she wanted to read about those "funny schools".
Long Questions (4 Marks)
- Contrast Margie's schooling experience with the schooling experience of the past as described in the
story.
Answer: Margie's schooling experience is highly individualized, isolated, and technological. Her schoolroom is right next to her bedroom, and her teacher is a mechanical machine configured specifically to her learning level. There are no classmates, and she interacts only with screens and punch codes. In stark contrast, the schooling of the past was communal and human-centric. Tommy describes a system where all children went to a "special building" to learn together. Human teachers taught students, gave them homework, and asked questions. Kids of the same age learned the same things, allowing them to socialize, laugh in the schoolyard, and help one another with homework, making education a shared social experience. - Why did Margie hate school, and how did the discovery of the old book affect her feelings about
education?
Answer: Margie hated school primarily because it was a monotonous, isolating experience centered around a "large and black and ugly" mechanical teacher. She particularly despised the relentless geography tests she was failing and the tedious task of inserting homework into a slot using a punch code. The discovery of the old book shifted her perspective by introducing her to an entirely different educational paradigm. Reading about human teachers, communal school buildings, and children learning and playing together made her romanticize the past. Instead of focusing on her fraction lesson, her mind wandered to how kids must have loved the old days and she nostalgically thought about "the fun they had". - Describe the role and capabilities of the mechanical teacher in Margie and Tommy's society.
Answer: In the society depicted in the story, the mechanical teacher replaces the human educator entirely. It is a large machine with a screen that displays lessons, asks questions, and directs the students. It is highly capable and customizable; as Mrs. Jones notes, it can be "adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches". It possesses a slot for receiving homework and test papers written in punch code and can calculate marks "in no time". However, it is also prone to technical faults, such as Margie's geography sector gearing too fast, or Tommy's history sector completely blanking out, requiring physical intervention from a County Inspector. - Trace Margie's changing thoughts from the beginning of the story to her final reflections on "the fun
they had."
Answer: At the beginning of the story, Margie is deeply frustrated with education; she explicitly states, "I hate school," a feeling worsened by her recent struggles with her mechanical teacher's geography tests. When she finds out the old book is about school, she is scornful, unable to fathom why anyone would write about such a miserable topic. However, as Tommy reveals details about human teachers, special buildings, and kids learning together, her curiosity is piqued. By the time she is forced to return to her lonely schoolroom, her mindset has completely shifted. While her machine flashes math fractions, she completely ignores the lesson, deeply absorbed in imagining the laughter, camaraderie, and mutual help of the old days, longing for "the fun they had". - Explain Mrs. Jones's views on education. How do they align with the function of the mechanical
teacher?
Answer: Mrs. Jones holds strict, disciplined views on education that align perfectly with the structured nature of the mechanical teacher. She ensures Margie's machine is turned on at the same time every day except weekends because she believes "little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours". Furthermore, she strongly supports the highly individualized curriculum provided by the machine. She argues that "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," validating the necessity of a programmable mechanical teacher over a single human instructing a diverse classroom. When Margie struggles, Mrs. Jones promptly calls the County Inspector, showing her active commitment to maintaining this precise, mechanized educational standard. - Analyze the conversation between Margie and Tommy. What does it reveal about their personalities and
relationship?
Answer: The conversation reveals Tommy as the older, more dominant, and slightly arrogant figure, while Margie is inquisitive, slightly naive, and easily influenced. Tommy, being thirteen, flexes his superior knowledge by calling Margie "stupid," looking at her with "very superior eyes," and loftily correcting her timeline by emphasizing "Centuries ago". He views the old book practically, dismissing it as a "waste" compared to his telebooks. Margie, at eleven, is initially defensive and "hurt" by his tone but quickly becomes curious and open-minded. Despite her initial hatred for school, she admits she wouldn't want a "strange man" in her house but quickly pivots to wanting to read more about the "funny schools". Their dynamic is a typical older-younger sibling/friend relationship where the older dictates the flow of information. - Write a character sketch of the County Inspector based on his interactions with Margie and her
mother.
Answer: The County Inspector is portrayed as a pleasant, reassuring, and highly competent professional. Physically, he is described as a "round little man with a red face," carrying a box of tools with dials and wires. Despite the mechanical and cold nature of the society's education system, he brings a touch of human warmth. He smiles at Margie, kindly gives her an apple, and pats her head to comfort her. He is efficient at his job, fixing the complex machine in just "an hour or so". Furthermore, he is empathetic toward Margie's struggles, actively reassuring her mother that the poor grades were "not the little girl’s fault" but a mechanical error, and encouragingly noting that Margie's progress is "quite satisfactory". - Discuss the significance of the physical book in the story. What does it symbolize for the
children?
Answer: The physical book serves as the central catalyst for the story's exploration of past versus future. To the children, who are accustomed to digital telebooks where words constantly move on a screen, the physical book with its yellow, crinkly pages and stationary text is an anomaly. Tommy views it as a primitive "waste" because it cannot be reused for different texts. However, for Margie, the book becomes a symbol of human connection and a forgotten, lively past. The book contains the history of a time when school was a communal, social event led by humans, completely contrasting their isolated, mechanized present. It acts as a window to a world that Margie realizes she deeply longs for. - How does the author highlight the lack of human interaction in the futuristic education system? Provide
examples from the text.
Answer: The author emphasizes the isolation of the futuristic education system through Margie's solitary routine. Margie attends school in a room "right next to her bedroom," completely devoid of classmates or a human teacher. Her sole interaction during school is with a machine that is "large and black and ugly," communicating through flashing screens and demanding homework via a mechanical slot. The lack of human interaction is further highlighted when Margie is horrified by the idea of a "strange man in my house to teach me," showing how alien human instruction has become. Ultimately, the author contrasts this sterile environment with Margie's vivid daydream of the past, where kids were "laughing and shouting in the schoolyard" and going home together, emphasizing the emotional void in her current mechanized reality. - Imagine you are Margie. Write a diary entry at the end of
the day expressing your feelings about the mechanical teacher and the
old schools.
Answer: 17 May 2157. Today Tommy found a real book! It was incredibly strange—the pages were yellow and crinkly, and the words stood completely still. Tommy thought it was a waste, but reading it made me think so much. It was about school, but not our kind. They didn't have mechanical teachers sitting next to their bedrooms. Instead, they had human men as teachers, and all the kids went to a special building together. I was so upset earlier when the Inspector fixed my mechanical teacher; I wished he would just take it away like they did with Tommy's. Sitting alone today, feeding my punch-code homework into that awful slot, I couldn't stop thinking about those old schools. Imagine laughing in the schoolyard and helping your friends with homework! I hate my school. I can't stop thinking about the fun they had.
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