The Fun They Had - Class 9th - English - Lesson 5 - Tulip Series

The Fun They Had | Prose 5| English | Tulip Series | Class 9th |

English | Tulip Series | jandkncert | Free NCERT Solutions

Lesson 5 – The Fun They Had (Issac Asimov)

Thinking about the Text

I. Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.

Q1. What did Margie write in her diary?

Ans. In her book, Margie wrote, “Today Tommy found a real book!”.

Q2. Had Margie ever seen a book before?

Ans. Margie had only seen some of tele books, she hadn't seen a paper book before, because it was the time of techno savvy.

Q3. What things about the book did she find strange?

Ans. Pages of the book were yellow and crinkly and the word Stood Still and the same on the next page.

Q4. What do you think a telebook is?

Ans. A telebook is an electronically composed digital book, which is used to read on telescreens.

Q5. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?

Ans. Margie’s school was in her house and her schoolroom was right next to her bedroom.

Q6. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?

Ans. Margie and Tommy learned history, geography, and arithmetic mathematics.

II. Answer the following with reference to the story.

1.“I wouldn’t throw it away.”

(i) Who says these words?

Ans. Tommy says these words.

(ii) What does ‘it’ refer to?

Ans. “It” in the sentence refers to the television screen.

(iii) What is it being compared to by the speaker?

Ans. The speaker compares it to the television screen books. He says that he cannot throw telescreen books away as their words do not stand still just like the paper books.

2. “Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”

(i) Who does ‘they’ refer to?

Ans. “They” refers to children who were studying in old kinds of schools when there were no telescreens.

(ii) What does ‘regular’ mean here?

Ans. Regular means the mechanical teacher who takes no leaves and is always ready to teach.

(iii) What is it contrasted with?

Ans. “It” is contrasted with the teacher of the olden times, who was a man rather than a machine.

III. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).

1. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?

Ans. The lesson from which these characters are taken is about the school In the future, which has telescreen books. Tommy and Margie are reading in some kind of school. Both of them have a mechanical teacher. The mechanical teacher works in a machine and is fast in calculating and testing. These mechanical teachers are just like robots.

2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?

Ans. Margie was not good in geography, as the mechanical teacher was giving her tests regularly. There was some kind of defect in the machine, so her mother sent the County Inspector to repair it.

3. What did he do?

Ans. County Inspector gave Margie an apple and then took the teacher apart. The inspector repaired the geography sector. He slowed the slot up to an average of a ten-year level.

4. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help her?

Ans. Margie was doing badly as there was a defect in the machine. County inspector repaired the machine by slowing the slot to an average of ten-year level.

5. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?

Ans. Once Tommy’s teacher was taken away for nearly a month because the history of the sector was blanked out completely.

6. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?

Ans. Margie had regular days and hours for school as the mechanical teacher always turned on at the same time every day except Saturdays and Sundays. She had regular days and hours because her mother said that little girls learn better when they learn at regular hours.

7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?

Ans. Tommy says that the old kind of school is hundreds and hundreds of years ago school or school of centuries ago. The old school had a teacher who was teaching the students in a special kind of building.

8. How does he describe the old kind of teachers?

Ans. He says that the old kind of teacher was a human being who used to teach in a special kind of building. He was not just like a mechanical teacher. He gave homework to the children and interact with them face to face. He says that he was not more efficient than today's teacher.

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?

Ans. Mechanical teachers are the teachers of the future school. They are not human beings. They are machines that need a person to operate. They need to be repaired whenever they show errors or get damaged. They are emotionless. They can be kept in a room all the time. They never sleep and never get tired. The work on electricity. They do not eat and never get hungry. They need a disk to keep records safe. Mechanical teachers are not more efficient than a human being. They are created and operated by human beings. Their records may be erased manually. They may have a limited kind of memory.

2. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?

Ans. Margie hated a new kind of school, because she was bored with the continuous homework and assignments by the mechanical teacher. Although, the machine was repaired to the normal level, but still she thought about the old kind of school because the old kind of school had a special kind of building and had a time table to work. She thought about the classmates of her father that he had when he was a boy. She thought about the joy they had after the closing of the school and the holidays. She thought about the children who learned together and helped each other when in need.

3. Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story? Give reasons for your answer.

Ans. School in the story is a kind of imagination of the writer. It may happen or may not happen. Schools of today are more than the school in the story. From the school in the story, children are confined to a room in front of a screen but schools of today let us enjoy the taste of nature. We feel happy by playing and learning with our classmates together and by helping them when in need. We talk to our friends in whatever way we want. So, schools of today are more fun than school in the story.

Language Work

An ideal student is the one who is an all-rounder. By all-rounder we mean one who is good at studies, play, and at-home tasks. Discipline, obedience, respect for elders, and hard work are his guiding principles. An ideal student rises early in the morning. He refreshes his body by going out for a morning walk regularly. He understands that only a sound body can harbor a sound mind. He is not a mere bookworm but exposes himself to various plays and games. He is an adventure lover and this makes him enterprising. He never puts off any work for tomorrow because he believes in today. He values friendship and relationships. His good behavior is a hallmark of his personality.

He loves everyone and tries to be helpful to everyone. He goes to the library regularly and adds to his knowledge. He keeps a hobby and is also interested in fine arts such as painting, music, sculpture, and literature. He has a thirst for knowledge that he wants to quench by reading different books, thereby enriching his imagination. He is an embodiment of hard work, commitment, and humility.

Fill in the blanks

Close to perfection________________

A student who is good at studies, play and other curricular activities____________

Behaviour, outlook, presentation and mental make-up comprise our__________________

Painting, music, and sculpture are _______________________

Enterprising means_____________

Ans.

Close to perfection ideal.

A student who is good at studies, play, and other curricular activities all-rounder.

Behaviour, outlook, presentation and mental make-up comprise our personality

Painting, music, and sculpture are arts.

Enterprising means imagination.

I.  Adverbs

Read this sentence taken from the story:

They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because of the history sector

had blanked out completely.

The word complete is an adjective. When you add – ly to it, it becomes an adverb.

1. Find sentences in the lesson which form the adverbs are given below.

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.

Sorrowfully: 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.

Completely: They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.

Loftily:      “He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, “Centuries ago.”

Carefully: “He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, “Centuries ago.”

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.”

Quickly: “I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Margie said quickly.

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 raised his head and spoke______________

(viii)I finished my work so that I could go out to play______________.

Ans.

(i) The report must be read carefully so that performance can be improved.

(ii) At the interview, Sameer answered our questions loftily, 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 forgot about it completely.

(vi) When I complimented Revathi on her success, she just smiled and turned away nonchalantly.

(vii) The President of the Company raised his head and spoke awfully.

(viii)I finished my work so that I could go out to play quickly.

Remember:

An adverb describes the action. You can form adverbs by adding –ly to adjectives.

Spelling Note: When an adjective ends in –y, the y changes to 'i' when you add –ly to

form an adverb.

For example 'angr-y' 'angr-i-ly'

3. Make adverbs from these adjectives/nouns.

(i) Angry – Angrily

(ii) Happy – Happily

(iii) Merry – Merrily

(iv) Sleep – Sleepily

(v) Ease – Easily

(vi) Noise – Noisily

(vii) Tidy - Tidily

(viii) Gloomy – Gloomily

(ix) Thoughtful – Thoughtfully

(x) Beautiful – Beautifully

II. If Not and Unless

Imagine that Margie’s mother told her, “You’ll feel awful if you don’t finish your history

lesson.”

She could also say: “You’ll feel awful unless you finish your history lesson.”

Unless means; if not. Sentences with unless or if not are negative conditional sentences.

Notice that these sentences have two parts. The part that begins with if not or unless tells us

the condition. This part has a verb in the present tense (look at the verbs don’t finish, finish in the

sentences above).

The other part of the sentence tells us about a possible result. It tells us what will happen (if

something else doesn’t happen). The verb in this part of the sentence is in the future tense (you’ll

feel/you will feel).

Complete the following conditional sentences. Use the correct form of the verb.

1. If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, she will be angry.

2. If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, you will miss your meal.

3. Unless you promise to write back, I will not write to you.

4. If she doesn’t play any games, she will grow obesity.

5. Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat will pounce on it.

Writing Work

Write an e-mail to the bookseller asking for a newly revised volume of Issac Asimov’s short stories, Ignited Minds by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

From

shafanshafiq@gmail.com

To

jkbookseller@gmail.com

Subject: Need for the newly revised volume of Isaac Asimov’s short stories, Ignited Minds by A.P.J Abdul Kalam.

Respected ………

I am fine and I hope you for the same. As you know I read all the previous volumes of Isaac Asimov’s short stories and have heard about the arrival of its new volume. These stories have inspired me a lot and have learned a lot from these stories. I am writing this letter to you, as I know that you are selling the books at discount rates. If you have the new volume of that book, please send me it on my address. Please attach the bill with your account number and name. The money will be transferred to your account through net banking. Thanking you.

 

Regards

JKANSWERS

Web: jandkncert.blogspot.com

 

Discussion

What is fiction and what is science fiction?

Ans. Fiction is a literature in the form of prose, especially short stories and novels, that describes imaginary events and people and places. In other words, it is an inventive construction of an imaginary world. On the other hand science, fiction is based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes, frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other places, just like Isaac Asimov has portrayed an imaginary future scientific technology in his fiction, ‘The Fun The Had’.

How do you imagine the future world is going to be?

Ans. Classwork for students……..

Have you ever seen a science fiction movie? Describe it.

Ans. Classwork for students……..