NCERT Solutions Class 9, English, Beehive, Prose, Chapter- 1 , The Fun They Had.
I. Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.
1. How old are Margie and Tommy?
Solution: Margie is eleven and Tommy is thirteen-year-old.
2. What did Margie write in her diary?
Solution: Margie wrote, “Today Tommy found a real book!”.
3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?
Solution: No, Margie had never seen a book before.
4. What things about the book did she find strange?
Solution:
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.
5. What do you think a telebook is?
Solution: A book that can be displayed on a screen is called telebook.
6. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Solution:
Margie’s school was in her home itself, right next to her bedroom. No, she did not have any classmates.
7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Solution: Margie and Tommy learned 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?
Solution: Tommy said these words.
(ii) What does ‘it’ refer to?
Solution: 'It' refers to the television screen, on which you could read over a million books
(iii) What is it being compared with by the speaker?
Solution:
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.
2. “Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”
(i) Who does ‘they’ refer to?
Solution:
They refer to the students who studied in the old kind of schools centuries before the time the story is set in.
(ii) What does ‘regular’ mean here?
Solution: Here, 'regular' refers to the mechanical teachers that Tommy and Margie had.
(iii) What is it contrasted with?
Solution: 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).
1. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Solution:
Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. They were taught on computers and television screens. They didn’t have a living person as a teacher who would teach the pupils in a classroom.
2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
Solution:
Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspector because the mechanical teacher was not functioning efficiently. It had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worse and worse.
3. What did he do?
Solution:
He slowed down the mechanical teacher’s speed upto an average ten-year level. The mechanical teacher’s speed was controlled and adjusted according to the IQ level of Margie.
4. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help her?
Solution:
Margie had been doing badly in geography. This was because the mechanical teacher was very fast in displaying the questionnaire. The County Inspector adjusted its speed upto an average ten-year level. Thus, the mechanical teacher’s speed was controlled appropriately. The County Inspector assured that the overall pattern of Margie’s progress was quite satisfactory.
5. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
Solution:
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.
6. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Solution:
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.
7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Solution:
Tommy described 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?
Solution:
Tommy said that the old kind of teachers was men, who taught the students inside a special building. The teachers taught the children in groups and gave them homework and asked them questions.