The Fun they Had

Question Answers
Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.
1. How old are Margie and Tommy?
A. Margie and Tommy live in the future, in the year 2157. They are neighbours and spend time
together. Margie is a girl of eleven years of age while Tommy is a boy of thirteen.
2. What did Margie write in her diary?
A. On 17 May 2157, Margie wrote that that day Tommy had found a real book in the attic of his
house. It was an old book with yellow, crinkly pages.
3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?
A. No, Margie had not seen a book before the one found by Tommy in his house. She had only
heard from her grandfather that his grandfather went to school as a boy and that they read books
that were printed on paper.
4.What things about the book did she nd strange?
A. As Margie lived in an era where students studied from a mechanical teacher and all the books
appeared on the screen, she found it strange that the words on the printed book did not move. It
was strange to see the same words appear on the pages as she ipped them over.
5.What do you think a tele book is?
A. A tele book is an electronic book also known as an e-book. It is stored in a computer and can be
read by scrolling up or down the screen.
6. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
A.Margie’s school was in her house. It was a room next to her bedroom. It was a personal
classroom where the computer was adjusted to her level of learning. She studied by herself and
had no classmates.
7.What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
A.Margie and Tommy learned a lot of subjects like Geography, History and Mathematics.
Answer the following with reference to the story.
1. “I wouldn’t throw it away.”
(i) Who says these words?
A. Tommy says these words.
(ii) What does ‘it’ refer to?
A. ‘It’ refers to the Computer screen on which Tommy reads various books.
(iii) What is it being compared with by the speaker?
A. ‘It’ is being compared to the paper book that Tommy found in his house.
2. “Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”
(i) Who does ‘they’ refer to?
A. ‘They’ refers to the ancestors of the children who went to school and studied from a human
teacher.
(ii) What does ‘regular’ mean here?
A.‘Regular’ means the mechanical teacher which teaches Margie and Tommy.
(iii) What is it contrasted with?
A.The mechanical teacher is contrasted with a human teacher.
Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).
1. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
A. Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. They were computers which had preloaded
lessons on different subjects according to the learner’s level. Whenever they malfunctioned, they
were opened and repaired.
2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
A. Margie’s mother called the County Inspector to check Margie’s teacher. She thought that
probably, Margie’s teacher had a malfunction. Margie was failing the Geography tests repeatedly
which could be due to a fault in the teacher.
3. What did he do?
A. The County Inspector was trained to repair the computer teacher. He opened the machine and
checked it. The Geography sector was set on a higher level. He reset it to Margie’s level and
closed the teacher.
4. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector Do to help her
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A.Margie was failing in the Geography tests as the teacher had developed a fault. The County
Inspector told Margie’s mother that Margie was not at fault. Her progress was good. He reset the
teacher to Margie’s level.
5. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
A. Once Tommy’s teacher had developed a fault as the entire section on History had been deleted.
His teacher had been taken for repairs and it took them a month to set it right.
6.Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
A. Margie studied at the same time everyday, except Saturdays and Sunday. Her mother was very
particular and had told Margie that she would learn better if she studied at the same time every
day.
7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
A. Tommy said that in the old kind of schools, there was a man teacher who told a few things to the
students, gave them home work and then asked them questions. The man teacher was as
knowledgeable as the machine teacher.Tommy said that the old schools were different. They had a
special building and all the kids went there to study. They laughed and shouted in the school yard.
They enjoyed time together in a classroom.
8. How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
A. He says that the old teachers were not the regular kind they had. They were human beings and
not machines who told a few things to the students, gave them homework and then asked them
questions. The man teacher was as knowledgeable as the machine teacher.
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?
A. Margie and Tommy were taught by mechanical teachers. They had large black screens on
which the lessons appeared. The lessons were followed by questions. The students had to insert
homework and test papers in the slots provided. They had to write down the work in a punch code
which was a computing language. The mechanical teacher checked the papers and gave them
marks within a few seconds. These classrooms were in the student’s home itself. Every student
studied from his respective mechanical teacher. Each teacher was adjusted according to the level
of the learner. They did not have classmates. They studied various subjects like Geography,
History and Mathematics. Margie studied everyday at the same time except Saturdays and
Sundays. Her mother said that she would learn better if she studied that way. The learning process
was mechanical, dull and boring for them.
2. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been
fun
A. Margie hated school because it was not fun. There was a mechanical teacher and the learning
process lacked life. It was like a machine carrying out the usual working, there was nothing new, no
fun or laughter. Margie’s mechanical teacher was giving her tests in Geography and she was
performing bad at them. Later it was discovered that the teacher had developed a fault due to
which it was giving her tests of a higher level. Margie’s mother called the County Inspector. He
opened the teacher, found the fault and recti ed it. Margie disliked the teacher and hoped that he
would not be able to repair it. She hated inserting the homework and test papers into the slot
provided.
She thought that the children in the past must have had a lot of fun when they went to school with
fellow children. She found it amazing that all the children studied together, the same things and
could discuss studies and help each other with the homework too. As the teachers were people,
they would not behave like machines. The human aspect of education in the past made her feel
that the school of the past were fun.

3. Do you agree that schools today are better than the schools in the story The Fun They
Had'. Give reasons for your choice.
A.Yes: In the story The Fun They Had writer Isaac Asimov talks about the schools of the future. In
this future, school is a room in the house where each child is taught by a mechanical teacher and
there are tele books on television screens.
After reading the story, I think that we pupils in the present should be satis ed. I agree an
individual teacher for each child can work better and more intensively with the pupil and when the
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parents set the school time a child can have exible school hours. If the school(room) is at home,
the children do not have to walk or drive so far and this saves time and money.
But on the other hand, we lose an opportunity for social contacts. The most important advantage
we have today is we have contact with other kids, in the breaks we can talk to each other and we
have fun with them. Pupils solve problems together - very important for the later life and the
development of a child. And a human teacher is de nitely a better educator than a machine
because he knows the problems of humans and children. A machine will never be able to feel like
a human. Moreover, a human teacher can provide valuable guidance and values that a
mechanical teacher cannot.
No: The Fun They Had by Isaac Asimov is a science- ction story schooling in the twenty-second
century. Margie, an eleven-year-old girl, and Tommy, who is thirteen, live in the year 2157, where
school means learning from a machine teacher at home. Both kids have never seen a printed
book, because they read tele books.
The author shows us how school could be in two hundred years, when everything is managed by
computers and other technology. In his story, in spite of the advances in technology, the two
children are still like kids today. Isaac Asimov shows very clearly the typical behaviour of an
eleven-year-old girl and a thirteen-year-old boy, so in his story their characters are not in uenced
by the technical advancement.
An advantage of a mechanical teacher is that the mechanical teacher can be geared to the mental
level of the student. Thus, it becomes easier for the child to understand the lessons. Di erent
styles of learning of students can be addressed using mechanical teacher and technology.
Mechanical teachers can analyse the speci c mistakes that students make and give instant
feedback which would prove helpful for the students.

The Road Not Taken

Questions and Answers
I. 1. Where does the traveller nd himself? What problem does he face?
Ans: The traveller nds himself in the yellow woods at a point where the two roads diverge.
The problem that he faces is that he cannot decide which road to take to continue his journey.
2. Discuss what these phrases mean to you.
(i) a yellow wood
(ii) it was grassy and wanted wear
(iii) the passing there
(iv) leaves no step had trodden black
(v) how way leads on to way
Ans: (i) Yellow woods refers to the forest in the autumn season.
(ii) The road was full of grass and very few people had used it. It seemed to invite people to tread
on it.
(iii) It implies the use of the path by passersby.
(iv) It implies that the leaves lying on the road had not been crushed under the feet of the
travellers.
(v) Through this phrase the poet refers to the fact that one road always leads on to another and so
on.
3. Is there any di erence between the two roads as the poet describes them
(i) in stanzas two and three?
(ii) in the last two lines of the poem?
Ans: (i) There is no di erence in the roads as the poet describes them in stanzas two and three
except that the road he took was covered with grass looked to be not much used. Otherwise,
both roads were equally covered with uncrushed leaves as if no person had stepped on them.
(ii) In the last two lines of the poem the poet says that there is a di erence between the two roads
because the road he opted for was less travelled by other people.
4. What do you think the last two lines of the poem mean? (Looking back, does the poet
regret his choice or accept it?)
Ans: The last two lines of the poem re ect the courage to accept the challenge and take the right
decisions in life. The poet decided to take the path that was less travelled by the others because
he wanted to do something di erent in his life.
No, the poet does not seem to regret his choice.
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 II. 1. Have you ever had to make a di cult choice (or do you think you will have di cult
choices to make)? How will you make the choice (for what reasons)?
Ans: No, I have not had to make any di cult choice till now in my life. But I think in future I will
have di cult choices to make in my academic and professional career. After 10th standard I will
have to decide which stream to take for further studies. I think it will be a di cult decision to make
as it will have an impact on my career. Then I will have to make a choice of profession whether I
should become an engineer or a doctor or something else. At that time, I will make a choice
according to my capabilities and strong points. It will be better to choose a path that will give me
satisfaction and mental peace. I think it will be good not to join the rat race for money. I will
choose a challenging and unexplored path in my life like the poet did in the poem.

2. After you have made a choice do you always think about what might have been, or do you
accept the reality?
Ans: It is not always easy to make choices in life because either both the options look fair enough
or we don't know which one is better. However, we have to take the decision to go with any one
of the two alternatives. Any decision should be taken wisely according to our experience and
interest.
After making a choice, I accept the reality. Reconsidering a decision or regretting it is not a
positive approach towards life. Such thoughts would not allow us to be happy with what we have
gained from our decision. Therefore, it's better to stick to your decisions.

Literary Devices
1. Rhyme Scheme: abaab
2. Symbolism: two roads that represent two or more choices in our life
3. Anaphora: ‘and’ repeated at the beginning of lines 2, 3 and 4
4. Alliteration: Wanted Wear ‘w’ sound is repeating
• ‘ rst for’ – ‘f’ sound is repeating
• ‘though, that’- ‘th’ sound is repeating
5. Repetition: ‘Ages’ is repeated. ‘Two roads diverged in a wood’- this sentence is repeated in
stanzas 1 and 4.

The Lost Child

Think about it
Q1. What are the things the child sees on his way to the fair? Why does he lag behind?
Ans: The child sees toys in the shops that lined the way, a owering mustard eld which looked
pale like melting gold, dragon ies with purple gaudy wings, a lone black bee or butter y uttering
and apping up into the air , little insects and worms teeming out from their hiding places , doves
who making cooing sound, wild capers round the banyan tree, a huge crowd of people entering
the fair, sweet shops, garlands of gulmohar, rainbow-coloured balloons, a snake charmer and a
roundabout swing.
He lags behind because he is fascinated by the things he sees on his way to the fair. His parents
constantly call him so that he does not get lost in the crowd. He would stop at the shops with a
wish to buy them and sometimes would be amazed at the beauty of nature. That’s why he lags
behind.
Q2. At the fair, he wants many things. What are they? Why does he move on without waiting
for an answer?
Ans: The child wanted many things in the fair, when he saw a sweet meat seller selling di erent
varieties of sweets which were decorated with leaves of silver and gold, his mouth watered for the
bur as it was his favourite sweet, but moved on without waiting for an answer as his parents
would say he is greedy.He also seemed irresistibly drawn towards a garland of gulmohar but did
not wait an answer as he knew they would refuse and say those are cheap. Further he was drawn
towards the rainbow glory of the silken coloured balloons and had overwhelming desire to
possess them all but knew that his parents would say he is too old to play with them. He also
wanted to hear the music played by the snake charmer but his parents have forbidden him to
listen to such coarse music. Ultimately he wanted to take a ride on a roundabout and made a bold
request.
Q3. When does he realise that he has lost his way? How have his anxiety and insecurity
been described?
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 Ans: When the child intently saw the roundabout in a full swing, on which men ,women and
children, shrieked and cried with dizzy laughter ,he made a bold request to his parents to take a
ride on it. But, there was no reply. When he turned to look at his parents, there was no one. That is
when he realised that he had lost his way.
His anxiety and insecurity have been described in a very heart-warming way. When he realised
that he had lost his way, a full deep cry rose within his dry throat and with a sudden jerk of his
body, he ran from where he stood. His face was convulsed with fear, and his eyes were full of hot
and erce tears. He runs in search of his parents in all directions wailing , “Mother, Father”. His
turban came united and clothes became muddy ,stood defeated, cries suppressed into sobs.
Q4. Why does the lost child lose interest in the things that he had wanted earlier?
Ans: The lost child loses interest in the things that he had wanted earlier because the only thing
that he wants at that moment is his parents. He is panic-stricken and he just wants to be united
with them again. The things which were so fascinating to him and had overwhelming feelings to
possess them all suddenly becomes meaningless because the sense of security he felt with his
parents was suddenly ripped away.
Q5. What do you think happens in the end? Does the child nd his parents?
Ans: I think the child would have found his parents in the end.
While he was lost, his parents would also have searched for him when they would have realised
that he is not with them. The gentleman who was trying to console the child would have also
asked for the description of his parents and would have looked around for them. Finally, the child
would have been united with his parents with everyone’s collective e ort.
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