The Fun They Had - Beehive - Class 9 - CBSE English
The Fun they Had, Class 9, Beehive, "Discover the future of education in Isaac Asimov's 'The Fun They Had'. Follow Margie and Tommy as they explore the past, present, and beyond."
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Summary - The Fun They Had | Beehive | Class 9 Literature | CBSE English
"The Fun They Had" is a science fiction short story written by Isaac Asimov. The story is set in the year 2157, when traditional schools were replaced by machines that teach children at home. The story follows two children, Margie and Tommy, who find a printed book in Tommy's attic. The book is from the year 1957, and it tells a story about traditional schools, where students go to a physical building to learn and socialize.
As the children read the book, they realize that they would have enjoyed going to a traditional school, where they could have interacted with other students and had real teachers. Margie finds the idea of having a teacher quite fascinating, as the machine that teaches her never changes its tone or expression. She also wonders what it would be like to have real children as classmates instead of just interacting with other children through the screen.
The story ends with Margie thinking about how the children in the book would have played games together and enjoyed recess, unlike the way she learns, which is solitary and without playmates. She expresses her sadness to Tommy, and they both agree that the idea of traditional schools is quite thrilling, but they also know that it can never happen in their time.
Overall, "The Fun They Had" is a thought-provoking story that questions the idea of progress and technology. It explores the notion that while technology can make our lives easier and more efficient, it can also take away certain aspects of our humanity and social interactions. Asimov's story is a warning about the potential consequences of relying too much on technology and neglecting the importance of human connection and experience.
About the Author - The Fun They Had | Beehive | Class 9 Literature | CBSE English
"The Fun They Had" is a science fiction short story written by Isaac Asimov and published in 1951. The story is set in the year 2157 and explores the theme of the future of education, imagining a world where children no longer attend traditional schools, but instead receive all their education through machines. The story follows two children, Margie and Tommy, as they discover a book about a school from the past and become fascinated with the idea of a human teacher and the concept of learning together with other students. Asimov is a renowned science fiction author, famous for his works such as the "Foundation" series and the "Robot" series.
Themes - The Fun They Had | Beehive | Class 9 Literature | CBSE English
Education System
In the story, the concept of education is presented through a futuristic and technological lens. The education system is entirely automated, and students learn in isolation at home. The system is designed to teach children the same information and skills regardless of their individual needs or interests. This theme highlights the potential drawbacks of a one-size-fits-all approach to education.
Technology
Technology is a central theme in the story, as it...
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Symbols - The Fun They Had | Beehive | Class 9 Literature | CBSE English
In "The Fun They Had" by Isaac Asimov, there are a few symbols that help to illustrate the themes and ideas presented in the story. Here are some of the key symbols:
- The Mechanical Teacher - This symbolizes the rigid and impersonal nature of the education system. The Mechanical Teacher is programmed to impart knowledge and information, but it lacks the personal touch and emotional intelligence that a human teacher can provide.
- The Printed Page - The Printed Page symbolizes the loss of human interaction and connection in education. In the story, ....
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Important Lines - The Fun They Had | Beehive | Class 9 Literature | CBSE English
- "Today Tommy found a real book!" - This line is significant because it highlights the rarity of physical books in the futuristic world presented in the story. It emphasizes how technology has replaced traditional forms of education and entertainment.
- "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. Old-fashioned books; they had real paper pages on which real inked words were held." - This line is significant because...
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Vocabulary - The Fun They Had | Beehive | Class 9 Literature | CBSE English
- Diary: A book in which one keeps a daily record of events and experiences.
- Awfully: In an unpleasant or bad manner; badly.
- Telebooks: Books displayed on a screen of a television or a computer.
- Scornful: Feeling or expressing contempt or derision.
- Mechanical teacher: An electronic..
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The Fun They Had - Questions and Answers | Beehive | Class 9 Literature | CBSE English
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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 when they read it the first time. a. Who are ‘they’ in the above extract? b. What did ‘they’ find? What was funny about it? c. The pages were ‘yellow and crinkly’. What does it mean? d. Why were ‘they’ surprised?
a. They refer to Tommy and Margie. b. They had found an old book. The funny thing was, unlike their screens, words in that book they had found remained static and didn’t seem to move at all. c. It means the book was old and had been lying unused for a long time. d. They were surprised, as they had never seen a real book before, and when they turned back the pages, they found the exact words as they had seen earlier.
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Give reasons to justify Tommy’s superior attitude.
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‘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.’ a. What did Tommy think was a waste? Why? b. What according to Tommy cannot be thrown away? c. Where did Tommy find the book and what was it about?
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‘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’. a. Why had Tommy seen more telebooks than Margie? b. What did Margie ask Tommy? Why did he reply without looking at her? c. What was Margie’s reaction when she heard about ‘School’?
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I hate School. 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. a. Did Margie hate school only because the teacher gave her lot of tests in geography? b. Why had her hatred increased for some time? c. Why did her mother feel sad? d. Is the County Inspector a man or a machine? What do you think is his job?
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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. a. Who is ‘He’ in the first line? What did ‘he’ finally tell Mrs Jones? b. What had ‘he’ done with the mechanical teacher? c. What did ‘he’ tell Mrs Jones about Margie’s progress?
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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 teacher 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?’ a. What does ‘that’ in the first line stand for here? b. Why wasn’t Margie prepared to dispute ‘that’? c. What were the two discussing, and why was she surprised?
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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 on the homework and talk about it. a. What did Margie do with a sigh? b. What was she thinking about? c. What did she think about these schools? d. What was the advantage of these schools?
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How old are Margie and Tommy?
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What did Margie write in her diary?
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Had Margie ever seen a book before?
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What things about the book did she find strange?
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What do you think a telebook is?
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Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
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What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
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‘I wouldn’t throw it away’. a. Who says these words? b. What does ‘it’ refer to? c. What is it being compared with by the speaker?
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‘Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.’ a. Who does ‘they’ refer to? b. What does ‘regular’ mean to her? c. What is it contrasted with?
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What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
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Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
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What did the county inspector do?
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Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help her?
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What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
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Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
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How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
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How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
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What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the school Margie and Tommy have in the story?
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Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school was fun?
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Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story? Give reasons for your answer.
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What did Margie write in her diary, and on which day?
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"Tommy found a real book". Can you find a word which may be considered opposite to a real book?
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Had Margie's grandfather read real books when he was young? How do you know?
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How did Margie describe the real book?
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Tommy said, "What a waste!" Why did he say it? Do you agree with him?
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"I wouldn't throw it away". Who wouldn't throw what away? Why not?
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The pages of the book Tommy found were "yellow and crinkly". Why?
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Why was Margie scornful?
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Why did Margie hate school?
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Did Margie and Tommy live in the same house? How can you tell?
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Describe a mechanical teacher in your own words? What did Margie hate most about it?
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What was wrong with Margie's mechanical teacher? Who set it right?
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Why was Margie disappointed?
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Why was Margie hurt?
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What was Margie prepared to dispute? What was it that she was not prepared to dispute? Why?
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Why did Tommy scream with laughter?
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What shows that Tommy thought himself much wiser than Margie?
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"Margie did so" with a sigh." What did she do?
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What Margie thought about the school life of kids in the old days? What did she feel?
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"He can't. A man can't know as much as a teacher". a. Who is the speaker? b. To what instance is this response?
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"School? What's there to write about school?" a. Who is surprised and at what? b. Does the person's opinion change at the end of the story?
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" ... but he knew how all right …” Who was he and what did he know?
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"I wouldn't want a strange man in my house". What does the speaker not realize?
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"Today Tommy found a real book!" wrote Margie in her diary. Why do you think she called it a real book? What kind of a book did Margie herself use?
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What are the differences between the kind of school described in Tommy's book and Margie's school? What kind of a school do you think Margie likes? Why?
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What differences do you find in a (i) School (ii) Book and (iii) Teacher in the 20th century and in the 22nd century?
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Is this story about the past or the future? How do you know?
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Did Margie and Tommy usually read books? How did they read them?
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Is the inspector mentioned in the story a man or a machine? What is his job?
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Imagine you are Margie. Write a diary entry on the page headed 17 May 2157 about Tommy's real book he found in his attic.
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Imagine you are Margie. You keep thinking about how the kids must have loved going to schools in the old days. Record your feelings in your diary.
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Do you think Asimov is warning us about the dangers of too much computerization?
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Give reasons to justify Tommy’s superior attitude.
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Quiz - The Fun They Had | Beehive | Class 9 Literature | CBSE English
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