• भविष्य की शिक्षा: 2157 में, बच्चे घर पर ही कंप्यूटर स्क्रीन और मैकेनिकल टीचर से पढ़ते हैं।
• पुरानी किताब: टॉमी को एक असली किताब मिली, जिसे पढ़कर वे हैरान हुए क्योंकि उसमें शब्द स्थिर (fixed) थे, स्क्रीन की तरह चलते नहीं थे।
• पुराने स्कूल: मार्जी को पता चलता है कि पुराने जमाने में स्कूल एक अलग इमारत में होते थे, जहाँ सभी बच्चे साथ जाते थे, एक साथ सीखते थे और इंसान उन्हें पढ़ाते थे।
• मार्जी की सोच: मार्जी, जिसे अपने मैकेनिकल टीचर और बोरिंग स्कूल से नफरत थी, पुराने स्कूलों के बारे में सोचती है कि वहाँ कितना मजा आता होगा।
• शीर्षक का अर्थ: "द फन दे हेड" (जो मज़ा उन्हें आया) का मतलब पुराने जमाने के बच्चों द्वारा साथ मिलकर सीखने और मजे करने से है। 

कहानी टॉमी को मिली एक पुरानी किताब के बारे में मार्गी द्वारा अपनी डायरी में लिखने के साथ शुरू होती है। मार्गी को अपने दादा की याद आई, जिन्होंने एक बार अपने दादा के बारे में बात की थी, जो एक वास्तविक स्कूल में गए थे जहाँ छात्रों को मानव शिक्षकों द्वारा पढ़ाया जाता था।
हालाँकि, मार्गी और टॉमी भविष्य की दुनिया में रहते थे, वर्ष 2157 में जहाँ शिक्षा पूरी तरह से कंप्यूटराइज्ड थी। वे स्कूल नहीं जाते थे । इसके बजाय, उनके पास एक विशेष अध्ययन कक्ष था जहाँ एक कंप्यूटर उन्हें पढ़ाता था
कंप्यूटर शिक्षक को प्रत्येक बच्चे की आवश्यकताओं के अनुसार क्रमादेशित और समायोजित किया गया था। कभी-कभी कंप्यूटर शिक्षक में दोष आजाता था जो एक काउंटी निरीक्षक द्वारा ठीक किए जाते थे।
टॉमी और मार्गी दोनों आश्चर्यचकित थे इस पुस्तक पे जिसे टॉमी ने अपने घर की कोठरी में पाया था। वे हैरान थे क्यूंकि वे तो अपने कंप्यूटर शिक्षक की स्क्रीन पर किताबें पढ़ते थे ।
मार्गी ने महसूस किया कि कंप्यूटर शिक्षक उबाऊ था; वह मैकेनिकल टीचिंग और लर्निंग को नापसंद करती थी।

उसने यह भी सोचा कि एक स्कूल में पढ़ने में कितना मज़ा आएगा। मज़ेदार तरीके से पढ़ाई, दूसरे बच्चों के साथ मेलजोल और वो भी एक इंसानी टीचर से पढ़ना कितना अलग अनुभव होगा ।

The Fun They Had Explanation

Passage: MARGIE even wrote about it that night in her diary. On the page headed 17 May 2157, she wrote, “Today Tommy found a real book!”

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie is the main character of the story. She is a girl of 11 years of age. She writes a diary on the night of 17 May 2157. (Right now, we are living in 2026. As told earlier, the story is set in the future and it is set in the year 2157, so almost one and a half century that is 131 years from now). At that time, Margie writes an entry in her diary and she writes that ‘Tommy found a real book’ and she is feeling so strange because in her times, real books do not exist. They only have e-books, the virtual books. So, books in the format of print on paper are extinct and so, Margie is astonished to see a real book.

Passage: It was a very old book. Margie’s grandfather once said that when he was a little boy his grandfather told him that there was a time when all stories were printed on paper.

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie is reminded of her grandfather. He told her that his grandfather studied all the books that were printed on paper. So, this kind of a book is historical or ancient for them. Something which they cannot believe, they can’t imagine.

Passage: 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.

Word Meaning
crinkly: with many folds or lines, something that is crushed.

Explanation of the above Passage:  Margie is talking about the book that Tommy had found. She says that the pages of the book had turned yellow, and they had been crushed as it was very old. The children found it very funny to read the words which stood still. (Now what does it mean by that words that stood still? As the words were printed on the pages, they did not move). On the other hand, the books that Margie and Tommy read were online (e-books). So, in the e-books how it happens, the text keeps on moving as your screen moves but it was different in the books printed on paper.

Passage: And then when they turned back to the page before, it had the same words on it that it had had when they read it the first time.

Explanation of the above Passage: This was a very strange experience for these children. When you have a book, which is printed on paper, whenever you flip the pages, you to get to see the same thing written on the pages. On the other hand, in an e-book, the text keeps on changing on the screen. The screen is same. You have the same screen in front of you, but the text keeps on changing. So, whenever you go back the text is different.

Passage: “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.”

Explanation of the above Passage: Tommy disliked the printed book. He said that it was a waste because he felt that whenever you complete reading a book, you have to throw it away. You cannot have some different story written on the same book. On the contrary, he felt that the Computer screen was very good, because the same screen had shown him many books and still he could read many more on it. He would not have to throw that screen away when once he had read a particular story.

Passage: “Same with mine,” said Margie. She was eleven and hadn’t seen as many tele books as Tommy had. He was thirteen.

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie agreed with Tommy opinion. Margie was 11 years of age and she has not read as many books as Tommy had because Tommy was older to Margie, he was thirteen years of age.

Passage: She said, “Where did you find it?”

Explanation of the above Passage:  Margie asked Tommy that where had he found the printed book.

Passage: “In my house.” He pointed without looking because he was busy reading. “In the attic”.

Word Meaning
attic: a space just below the roof, used as a storeroom

Explanation of the above Passage: Tommy replied to Margie that he found the printer book in the storeroom of his house. He was so busy reading the book that he did not remove his glance from the book.

Passage: “What’s it about?”

Explanation of the above Passage:  Margie asked that what the book was about.

Passage: “School”

Explanation of the above Passage: Tommy replied that the book was about school. About going to school, about the life at school.

Passage: Margie was scornful.
“School?  What’s there to write about school? I hate school.”

Word Meaning
scornful: contemptuous; showing you think something is worthless, show your dislike for something

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie hated the word ‘school’ and so, she said that what was there to write about it that an entire book had been written about school.

Passage: Margie always hated school, but now she hated it more than ever.
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.

Explanation of the above Passage: What is Margie’s school? Margie’s school is a mechanical teacher. (A mechanical Teacher that means the machine which teaches you and not that school where we all go).
Now why did Margie hate school? Margie’s school was a virtual classroom. It was not a real school like we have today. So, in the future, we are thinking that the schools will be virtual classrooms. There will be machines that will be teaching the children. Margie hated this machine because it was giving her so many tests in geography which were very difficult for her and she was performing very bad. Finally, her mother thought that there was something wrong with the machine and so, she had called the County Inspector to check it

Passage: He was a round little man with a red face and a whole box of tools with dials and wires.

Explanation of the above Passage:  The County Inspector came to check the mechanical teacher. He was a round little man and he had a red face. He was carrying a big box full of tools with dials and wires.

Passage: He smiled at Margie and gave her an apple, then took the teacher apart.

Explanation of the above Passage: So, this man opened the machine. He was there to repair the computer.

Passage: Margie had hoped he wouldn’t know how to put it together again, but he knew how all right, and, after an hour or so, there it was again, large and black and ugly, with a big screen on which all the lessons were shown and the questions were asked.

Explanation of the above Passage: Once he had opened the computer, Margie wished that he would be unable to close it back because she did not like the computer, she did not like to study from this teacher. But the man was an expert and within an hour he had repaired the computer and had closed it and made it ready to teach Margie once again. Margie gives a description of the computer. She feels that it is very huge, it is black in colour and she dislikes its appearance. It has a big screen and all the lessons appear on the screen and many questions are asked on the same screen which are difficult for Margie.

Passage: That wasn’t so bad. The part Margie hated most was the slot where she had to put homework and test papers.

Word Meaning
slot: a given space, time or position

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie hated this mechanical teacher the most because she had to submit her homework and test papers to it.

Passage: She always had to write them out in a punch code they made her learn when she was six years old, and the mechanical teacher calculate the marks in no time.

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie had to write her homework and her test papers in a particular punch code that is a computing language. She had learned the language at the age of 6. The machine checked the papers and calculated her marks in a few seconds.

Passage: The Inspector had smiled after he was finished and patted Margie’s head. 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.

Word Meaning
geared (to): adjusted to a particular standard or level

Explanation of the above Passage: So, the County inspector said that Margie was getting bad marks in Geography because the Machine was not working properly. It was geared to a higher level.

Passage: Those things happen sometimes. I’ve slowed it up to an average ten-year level.

Explanation of the above Passage: He said that sometimes machines malfunctioned and that is what had happened. He had slowed it down and set is to the pace of a learner of ten-years of age.

Passage: Actually, the overall pattern of her progress is quite satisfactory.” And he patted Margie’s head again.

Explanation of the above Passage: He said that Margie was learning at a good pace. He again patted Margie’s head in order to cheer her up.

Passage: Margie was disappointed. She had been hoping they would take the teacher away altogether.

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie was sad because she did not want to learn, she did want to study from this machine.  And she wanted that the inspector should take it away.

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

Word Meaning
blanked out: it has been erased

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie is reminded of the time when Tommy’s Mechanical teacher had been taken away for repair for almost one month and he was enjoying his time as he didn’t have any teacher. It had been taken away because the History sector the portion of the machine that taught the History subject had been wiped out. So, the mechanical teacher did not have any memory of it and had to be taken away for repair.

Passage: So she said to Tommy, “Why would anyone write about school?”

Explanation of the above Passage: Now we know the reason for Margie’s dislike for school. So, she asked Tommy that why would anyone write about school.

Passage: Tommy looked at her with very superior eyes. “Because it’s not our kind of school, stupid. This is the old kind of school that they had hundreds and hundreds of years ago.

Explanation of the above Passage: Tommy was looking at Margie with superior eyes because he knew something that Margie was not aware of. He said that Margie was silly because she did not know that many years ago, the school was not the kind they had.

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

Word Meaning
loftily: in a superior way

Explanation of the above Passage: Tommy wanted to stress on the time period and said that centuries ago, the school were not like the once they had.

Passage: Margie was hurt. “Well, I don’t know what kind of school they had all that time ago.” She read the book over his shoulder for a while, then said, “Anyway, they had a teacher.”

Explanation of the above Passage:  Margie was hurt at Tommy’s behavior and she said that she did not know what kind of schools they had centuries ago. She was curious and imagined a group of children being taught buy a human teacher. She looked over Tommy’s shoulder, trying to read the book and said that perhaps they had a teacher.

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

Word Meaning
regular: here, normal; of the usual kind

Explanation of the above Passage:  (Tommy is referring to a machine teacher as a regular teacher because that is what they are used to. That is the teacher they had, a Machine). He said that it wasn’t the machine, it was a man (human being) who taught them.

Passage: “A man? How could a man be a teacher?”

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie could not believe that a man was a teacher because she had always seen a machine doing that.

Passage: “Well, he just told the boys and girls things and gave them homework and asked them questions.”

Explanation of the above Passage: Tommy tells that the man who taught the class discussed many things with the students, gave them homework and then asked them different questions based on it, just like their mechanical teacher did.

Passage: “A man isn’t smart enough.”

Explanation of the above Passage:  Margie said that a man teacher is not as smart (intelligent) as the machine teacher.

Passage: “Sure he is. My father knows as much as my teacher.”

Explanation of the above Passage: Tommy asks Margie not to underestimate the human teacher. He said that he is as knowledgeable as the machine. He compares the machine to his father and says that his father knows as much as his machine teacher.

Passage: “He knows almost as much, I betcha.”

Word Meaning
betcha(informal): (I) bet you (in fast speech): I’m sure

Explanation of the above Passage: Tommy could bet on it that the human teacher knew as much as a mechanical teacher did.

Passage: Margie wasn’t prepared to dispute that. She said,“I wouldn’t want a strange man in my house to teach me.”

Word Meaning
dispute: disagree with when you are opposing something,

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie did not want to discuss this further and added that she did not want a strange man, the human teacher to come to her house to teach her.

Passage: Tommy screamed with laughter. “You don’t know much, Margie. The teachers didn’t live in the house. They had a special building and all the kids went there.”

Explanation of the above Passage: Tommy found it very funny when Margie said that she did not want a strange man to come to her house to teach her. He said that teachers didn’t come to the students’ house to teach them. They had a special building; a school and the students went to the school to study.

Passage: “And all the kids learned the same thing?”

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie was astonished and asked that did all the children learn the same thing.

Passage: “Sure, if they were the same age.”

Explanation of the above Passage: Tommy said that all the children of the same age studied the same thing.

Passage: “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.”

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie refers to a machine teacher. She says that her mother told her that the machine had to be tuned to the level of each boy or a girl who was studying form it. So, each child had to be taught separately depending on their level.

Passage: “Just the same they didn’t do it that way then. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to read the book.”

Explanation of the above Passage: Tommy replied that in the past they did not do it that way. He got irritated at Margie and said that she need not read the book.

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

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie is interested in the book. She is curious to know what kind of schools were there.

Passage: She wanted to read about those funny schools.

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie was inquisitive. She wanted to know what kind of schools therein were the past as she felt that they were fun.

Passage: They weren’t even half-finished when Margie’s Mother called, “Margie! School!”

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie had read just half of the book when her mother called her as it was time for her to attend her virtual school.

Passage: Margie looked up. “Not yet, Mamma”

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie’s school was in the next room, next to her bedroom. She said to her mother that not yet, she did not want to go to school.

Passage: “Now!” said Mrs Jones. “And it’s probably time for Tommy, too.”

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie’s mother said to Tommy that it was time for him to go to school too.

Passage: Margie said to Tommy, “Can I read the book some more with you after school?”

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie was so interested in reading the book that she asked Tommy if she could read the book with him after school.

Passage: “May be,” he said nonchalantly.

Word Meaning
nonchalantly: not showing much interest or enthusiasm; carelessly

Explanation of the above Passage: Tommy tried to ignore her and said that maybe she could read it.

Passage: He walked away whistling, the dusty old book tucked beneath his arm.

Explanation of the above Passage:  Tommy was feeling very great because Margie was interested in reading the book. He placed the book under his arm and he went off to his home.

Passage: Margie went into the schoolroom. It was right next to her bedroom, and the mechanical teacher was on and waiting for her.

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie reached her school. It was a room, next to her bedroom. It was a virtual classroom. There was a machine teacher for Margie. It was on and it was waiting for her to begin teaching her.

Passage: It was always on at the same time every day except Saturday and Sunday, because her mother said little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours.

Explanation of the above Passage:Margie studied all the days except Saturdays and Sundays,at the same time from this mechanical teacher. Margie’s mother was very particular. She had told Margie that she would learn better if she would study every day at the same time.

Passage: The screen was lit up, and it said: “Today’s arithmetic lesson is on the addition of proper fractions. Please insert yesterday’s homework in the proper slot.

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie sat in front of the machine similar to a computer and the machine was turned on. It said that the lesson of the day was in Arithmetic and the topic was addition of proper fractions. Further, it instructed her to insert the homework of the previous day in the slot for inserting the homework.

Passage: Margie did so with a sigh.

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie’s life is also very mechanical just like a machine. There is no fun in her classroom. It is very dull and boring just like a machine.

Passage: She was thinking about the old schools they had when her grandfather’s grandfather was a little boy.

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie is thinking of the story told to her by her grandfather.  Her Grandfather told her that his grandfather used to go to school when he was a little boy. As Margie is bored with this machine, she is reminded of that life.

Passage: 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.

Explanation of the above Passage: (This is the life that you all are living at present, but for the future kids it will be just a memory of the past. For them it will be history because their life will be very different. They will study from machines.)
When Margie comes to know that in the past, children used to go to school, they sat together, laughed and shouted in the school, she gets curious about it and wants to go to school. (The writer wants us to realize the importance of schools in our life. Children sometimes get bored and fed up of going to school, but if you don’t have a school you won’t get to meet friends. Your life will be very dull and boring).

Passage: hey learned the same things, so they could help one another with the homework and talk about it.

Explanation of the above Passage: Margie feels that school is so much fun, children get together, they study in a fun way, they get the same homework, and they can discuss it, take help and talk about it also. So, all the students become friends and study in a fun way.

Passage: And the teachers were people…

Explanation of the above Passage: She found it very strange that the teachers were not machines, but they were human beings.

Passage: The mechanical teacher was flashing on the screen: “When we add fractions ½ and ¼…”

Explanation of the above Passage: As Margie had inserted her homework, the machine started with the lesson. There was no pause, no time for fun, no time for chatting, and no time for interacting with friends.

Passage: Margie was thinking about how the kids must have loved it in the old days. She was thinking about the fun they had.

Explanation of the above Passage: The author ends the story with the title of the chapter ‘The Fun They Had’. (The fun the students had when they went to real schools). Margie is just thinking about the kids of the past who went to school and enjoyed studies.

• Chapter 1: The Fun They Had

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

Question 1. How old are Margie and Tommy?

Answer: Margie is eleven and Tommy is thirteen years old.

Question 2. What did Margie write in her diary?

Answer: Margie wrote in her diary “Today Tommy found a real book!”

Question 3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?

Answer: No, Margie had never seen a book before.

Question 4. What things about the book did she find strange?

Answer: The things about the book that she found strange were the following:

i) The pages of the book were yellow and crinkly.

ii) The words stood still instead of moving.

iii) When they turned back to the previous page, it still had the same words on it that it had when they first read it.

Question 5. What do you think a telebook is?

Answer: I think the telebook must be a book that gets displayed on the screen of the television.

Question 6. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?

Answer: Margie’s school was next to her bedroom. No, she did not have any classmates.

Question 7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?

Answer: Margie and Tommy learnt Geography, History and Arithmetic.

II. Answer the following with reference to the story.

Question 1. “I wouldn’t throw it away.”

(i) Who says these words?

(ii) What does ‘it’ refer to?

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

Answer: (i) Tommy says these words.

(ii) “It” refers to the books.

(iii) The paperback book is being compared with the telebooks by the speaker.

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

(i) Who does ‘they’ refer to?

(ii) What does ‘regular’ mean here?

(iii) What is it contrasted with?

Answer: (i) “They” refers to the students centuries ago.

(ii) “Regular” means the usual for the people in 2157. Here, regular teacher means the mechanical teacher.

(iii) The mechanical teacher is contrasted with humans as teachers of earlier times.

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

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

Answer: Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. The mechanical teachers had big screens on which all the lessons were shown and questions were asked. The children were taught through computer and television screens. They did not have humans as teachers.

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

Answer: Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspector because the mechanical teacher of Margie was not functioning properly. It kept giving Margie Geography tests and Margie was performing worse every time. Margie’s mother was concerned and thus sent for the County Inspector.

Question 3. What did he do?

Answer: The County Inspector smiled at Margie and gave her an apple. He took the mechanical teacher away from her. Then he fixed the mechanical teacher. He told Margie’s mother that the geography sector of the mechanical teacher was geared a little too quick and that he has slowed it up to an average ten-year level.

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

Answer: Margie was doing badly in geography because the questions that were displayed on the screen of the mechanical teacher were too quick for her age.

The County Inspector slowed its speed to an average ten-year level so that Margie would be able to perform satisfactorily.

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

Answer: Tommy’s teacher had to be taken away altogether for a month as the history sector had blanked out completely.

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

Answer: Yes, Margie had regular days and hours for school because Margie’s mother believed that little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours.

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

Answer: Tommy says that the old kind of school had special buildings. All the kids went to that building for studying.

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

Answer: He tells Margie that the old kind of teachers were humans instead of machines. The human teacher would educate the boys and girls and give them homework and ask questions.

IV. Answer each of these questions in two or three paragraphs (100 –150 words).

Question 1: What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story?

Answer: The main features of the mechanical teachers that Margie and Tommy have are as follows:

The mechanical teachers have big black screens on which lessons are displayed and questions are asked. The students need to put their homework and test papers in a slot that is present in the mechanical teacher. The students write answers in punch code and the mechanical teacher calculates the results right away.

The main features of the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have are given below:

In the story, the schools are there in the homes. For instance, Margie’s school was right next to her bedroom. The students do not have classmates. They study subjects like arithmetic, history, geography, etc. The mechanical teacher would turn on at the same time every day except on the weekends.

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

Answer: Margie hated school because she felt it boring. The mechanical teacher started the class at the same time regularly. Margie’s mechanical teacher was giving her test after test on Geography and she was performing badly.

Margie also did not like inserting homework and test papers in the slot on the mechanical teacher.

She thought that the old kind of school must have been fun because it would have had kids from various places of the neighbourhood. It would have been so interesting to sit together in the classroom and leave the school together at the end of the day. All the kids learned the same things so they could help each other in studies and homework.

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

Answer: Yes, I agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story. In the story, the schools are in the students’ homes. This gives no space for interaction between students. Studying from screen and taking up tests sounds boring. Inserting homework and test papers in a slot on a mechanical teacher every day is monotonous. Writing answers in punch codes is even more draining.

Learning together in a class gives students a wider view of the people. Students also get familiar with others and learn how to interact and socialize. Getting taught by human teachers is way more dynamic than being taught by a machine. If there is any issue with any lesson or concept, the student can ask the human teacher then and there. But, mechanical teachers are programmed with a certain lesson and concept for a particular day. When the student solves homework, he/she can get help from classmates. That’s how the schools today are more fun than the school in the story.

Thinking about Language

I. Adverbs

Read this sentence taken from the story:

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

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

Question 1. Find the sentences in the lesson which have the adverbs given in the box below.

awfully sorrowfully completely loftily carefully differently quickly nonchalantly

Answer:

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. She wanted to read about those funny schools.

nonchalantly:

“Maybe,” he said nonchalantly.

Question 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 is ________ busy and will not be able to meet you.

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

Answer:

(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 completely forgot about it.

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

(vii) The President of the Company is awfully busy and will not be able to meet you.

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

Question 3. Make adverbs from these adjectives.

(i) angry (ii) happy

(iii) merry (iv) sleepy

(v) easy (vi) noisy

(vii) tidy (viii) gloomy

Answer:

(i) angry – angrily (ii) happy – happily

(iii) merry – merrily (iv) sleepy – sleepily

(v) easy – easily (vi) noisy – noisily

(vii) tidy – tidily (viii) gloomy – gloomily

II. If Not and Unless

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

1. If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, _________.

2. If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, __________.

3. Unless you promise to write back, I __________.

4. If she doesn’t play any games, ___________.

5. Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat _________.

Answer:

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

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 you another letter.

4. If she doesn’t play any games, she will become lazy.

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

Writing

Question: A new revised volume of Issac Asimov’s short stories has just been released.

Order one set. Write a letter to the publisher, Mindfame Private Limited, 1632 Asaf Ali Road, New Delhi, requesting that a set be sent to you by Value Payable Post (VPP), and giving your address. Your letter will have the following parts.

• Addresses of the sender and receiver

• The salutation

• The body of the letter

• The closing phrases and signature

Answer:

416, Sector 18
Nagpur, Maharashtra

04/08/2020

Mindfame Private Limited, 1632
Asaf Ali Road, New Delhi

Dear Sir/Madam,

I recently came to know that a new revised volume of Issac Asimov’s short stories has been released. This is to request you to send me a set of the same by Value Payable Post (VPP) on my mailing address given above. I shall be highly obliged if you could send me the book at the earliest.

Yours sincerely,

Adwait Tiwari

Speaking

In groups of four discuss the following topic.

‘The Schools of the Future Will Have No Books and No Teachers!’

Your group can decide to speak for or against the motion. After this, each group will select a speaker to present its views to the entire class.

You may find the following phrases useful to present your argument in the debate.

• In my opinion . . .

• I/we fail to understand why . . .

• I wholeheartedly support/oppose the view that . . .

• At the outset let me say . . .

• I’d/we’d like to raise the issue of/argue against . . .

• I should like to draw attention to . . .

• My/our worthy opponent has submitted that . . .

• On the contrary . . .

• I firmly reject . . .

Answer:

For the motion

I would like to put forth my views in favour of the motion “The Schools of the Future Will Have No Books and No Teachers!”

The emergence of digital technologies like computers, laptops, mobile phones, etc. has brought about a lot of changes in the way education is imparted and received. Now itself, we can see how important the electronic gadgets and internet have become. We learn so many things through Google, YouTube and other platforms. The concept of online classes is getting more acknowledgement than ever. The internet speed is improving with time and usage. More and more people are being drawn towards the limitless possibilities of learning online. Gradually, we might see the schools teaching the students online with soft copies of books.

When the robots become a part of our lives, we shall see the time when the schools will have no real books and no human teachers. Instead, we will have online books and robots as teachers!

Access answers to NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 1 Poem The Road Not Taken

Thinking about the Poem

I.

Question 1. Where does the traveler find himself? What problem does he face?

Answer: The traveler finds himself at a point in the woods where two roads diverge. The problem is that he cannot travel both the roads and thus he has to choose one between them.

Question 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

Answer:

(i) The phrase “a yellow wood” indicates a forest during the autumn season.

(ii) The phrase “it was grassy and wanted wear” means that the road was full of grass as it has been less travelled. As people haven’t walked on it, it is yet to wear out.

(iii) The phrase “the passing there” refers to people walking on that road.

(iv) “Leaves no step had trodden black” indicates that the fallen leaves had not been crushed under the feet of the travelers.

(v) The phrase “how way leads on to way” means that one road leads to another. So once the poet has made a choice between the two roads, he wonders if he will ever be able return to the same spot and choose the other road.

Question 3. Is there any difference between the two roads as the poet describes them:

(i) in stanzas two and three?

(ii) in the last two lines of the poem?

Answer:

(i) No, there is no difference between the two roads as the poet describes them in stanzas two and three as he says “the passing there had worn them really about the same” and that “equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black…”

(ii) In the last two lines of the poem, the poet indicates a difference between the two roads as he says that he took the road that was less travelled by and that has made a huge difference in his journey.

Question 4. What do you think the last two lines of the poem mean? (Looking back, does the poet regret his choice or accept it?)

Answer: The last two lines of the poem talk about taking a decision and accepting its consequences- good or bad. The poet chose the road that was less travelled by, which indicates he took a decision that people would not take generally.

He says in the last line of the poem that his choice of taking the road less travelled by has made all the difference. He does not seem to regret his choice.

II.

Question 1. Have you ever had to make a difficult choice (or do you think you will have difficult choices to make)? How will you make the choice (for what reasons)?

Answer: We all make choices on a daily basis. But I have not had to make a difficult choice till date.

I will have to face challenges in the years to come as I grow up. Then, I will have to make difficult choices. I will have to choose my profession, my area of interest, etc.

I think when such a situation comes, I will not just follow the herd. I will think it through and just like the poet, if required, I will take up the unexplored paths.

Question 2. After you have made a choice do you always think about what might have been, or do you accept the reality?

Answer: There is no point in regretting or thinking about what might have been. Such thoughts will always keep us in the hold of the past and never let us see the benefits of the choices we made. Accepting reality is the best way to overcome any situation.