The Fun They Had Summary Class 9th

This lesson The Fun They Had Summary is all set in the future and makes you laugh and love your school and teachers. This story is regarding school and how those children go to school, study, miss school days and your teachers. The setting is done when in future there will be no school buildings and no books.

These children miss those things which were done by their ancestors, they missed the fun they had while going to school, meeting, sharing lunch, and playing and helping each other. At the end of the story, we will be fortunate enough to have teachers and school and the fun we enjoyed being students and going to school.

Contents

1 About The Author: The Fun They Had
2 Central Theme: Summary Of The Fun They Had

About The Author: The Fun They Had

The story has been written by an American writer and professor at Boston University. He was known for his works related to science fiction and was a prolific writer. The fun they had is written and set in the future and first, it appeared in the children’s newspaper in 1951 where the future children Margie and Tommy felt that their ancestors were very fortunate to have physical teachers and how much they have enjoyed while going to schools and reading and learning from books.

Central Theme: Summary Of The Fun They Had

The story is all set in the future where the Protagonist Margie and Tommy live in the year 2157, where children get an education through computers and robotic teachers at their home. One day they came to know about and saw some books and learn that there were school buildings that existed hundreds of years ago and children go to that building to learn and study from physical teachers.

Characters Sketches: The Fun They Had Class 9th

1. Margie

She was 11 years old and was taught by a mechanical teacher in her home itself in a separate room. She used to pen down her feelings about the schooling system she is facing and not able to enjoy her learning. She also wrote when she learned about a real book. She collected all the information about those schools and children from Tommy and his Grandfather.

2. Tommy

Tommy was a smart lad and friend of Margie. He is older than Margie and was 13 yrs old. He has seen many tale books and has more knowledge than her. He also told her about those schools that existed many centuries ago and tries to extinguish the curiosity of Margie.

Let’s dive into the detailed analysis of the lesson set shortly and see what fun the posterity was lacking even after being scientifically advanced.

Summary of The Fun They Had

The story is set in the year 2157 and Margie pen downs her diary which reveals that Tommy, her best friend, had found a ‘real book’ of whose pages had turned yellow with wrinkled pages. The book belongs to many centuries ago and the words written on the book were not moving like that of their telebook or computer screen.

Tommy calls it a waste because only it can be used only once and after that one had to throw it away. Though Margie feels the same, she is still curious to know more about it. Tommy tells her about the schools. Margie made some faces as she used to hate schools and her mechanical teacher, who continuously gives her tests in geography even when she is doing worse and worse.

Her mother sent her mechanical teacher for the county inspector who looks like a very small and round man. He takes that teacher apart and tells her mother that the fault was not with Margie but the geography sector of the robot was set too high that an 11-year-old was unable to cope with.

He assures her that further there would be no such problem. Margie shows curiosity about knowing the schools of that time. The students had physical teachers who taught them, made them understand, and gave them homework too. Margie in a very argued position states that the man is not smarter than a robot.

Tommy tells her that the teachers didn’t live in their house, rather all students had to go to a particular building, and teachers used to teach them. The kids of the same age learn together. Now it is Margie’s school time. She did not go to any special place, rather her schoolroom was next to her bedroom and the mechanical teacher was waiting for her so that she put her homework in the slot.

She is still thinking about those schools centuries ago when their grandfather’s great grandfather was a little boy and used to go to the same type of schools. All kids came from the neighborhood and used to have fun while going. They all were together and came back laughing and shouting from the school. Those schools were far better than the schools today because they offered great fun and learning together to the kids.

NCERT Solutions For Class 9th The fun they had

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

Today Tommy found a real book! 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.

The old book was found by_______
Margie was surprised to see the book because______
Pick out a word from the following which means ‘small’

a) old b) once c) little d) very

Answers- 1. Tommy 2. all the stories were printed on paper 3. little

Q2. 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. They turned the pages, whcuih were yellow and crinkly, and it was awful to read words that stood still instead of moving the way that were supposed to on a screen.

Why the pages of the book were yellow?
Did Margie see the book for the first?
trace a word from the passage that means’ with many folds or lines.

Answers- 1. the pages of the book were yellow because the book was quite old. 2. yes, Margie saw the book for the first time. 3. Crinkly.

Margie went into the schoolroom. It was right next to her bedroom and the mechanical teacher was on and waiting for her. It was always on at the same time every day except for Saturday and Sunday because her mother said little girls learned better if they learned at irregular hours.

Where was Margie’s schoolroom?
Explain mechanical teacher was on?
Write the opposite of regular

Answers- 1. Margie’s schoolroom was next to her bedroom 2. computer was on 3. irregular.

Short Answer Type Questions

Q1. How was the book that Tommy found different from his own books?

The book that Tommy found was an old, real book that belonged to his grandfather’s grandfather. it had crinkly, yellow pages whereas, Tommy’s Books were telebooks by mechanical teachers, computers.

Q2. What kind of book did Tommy show to Margie?

the book that Tommy showed to her was an old real book that belonged to his great grandfather’s time. it had crinkled yellow pages and at that time stories were printed on the paper not like the telebooks that they were using now.

Q3. Why did Margie hope that the County Inspector would take away her mechanical teacher?

Margie hoped that the county inspector would take away her mechanical teacher because she had performed poorly in all the geography tests and had developed a strong disliking for the school.

Q4. Tommy thought the old books were funny and a big waste. why?

Tommy thought that the old books were a waste because the words stood still and did not run. he also thought that they were a big waste because they could not be reused like the screen of their mechanical teacher.

Q5. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?

Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers, computers, and telebooks. their school had no special building. they gad robotic teachers showing lessons and testing papers. their teachers were always on and kept waiting for them.

Q6. Why did Margie find the book strange?

The book had yellow and crinkly pages and the words standing still unlike moving on a screen. when they turned back to the pages read before, there were the same words on it when they read it for the first time. all these things were strange for Margie.

Long Answer Type Questions

Q1. In spite of all comforts and luxuries in today’s world, our grandparents still cherish their own time when life was quite tough. Give your own views regarding this in 80-100 words.

Our grandparents lived during the year 1950- the 1970s and at that time life was very simple yet tough. they had time to explore the surroundings and the world. they had parks to play with less pollution around them. Mechanical gadgets were there but were used only for necessary activities. there were rivers where they could go for picnics and treks. the school was more of a fun place where they all met their friends. They studied but without the fear of competition. in today’s world, we are competing against our friends. we have all the facilities of life but we do not have time for our family and friends. we like to play but on computers and play station rather than with our siblings and friends.

Q2. How was Margie’s school different from the schools that existed hundreds of years ago?

Margie’s school was at home. she had a mechanical teacher, telebooks, no other students were there in the class, and work was fed in by the mechanical teacher by pinch codes. whereas, the old schools had proper buildings, many students, human teachers who gave homework and asked questions. everyone learned the same things and books were on paper. so, it is clearly visible that Margie’s school was totally different from the schools that existed hundreds of years ago.

Value-Based Question

Q1. ‘Machines can’t replace human beings. Explain this in 80-100 words with reference to the lesson ‘ThE FUN THEY HAD.

In the context of the lesson’s fun, they had’ do you think mechanical teachers or computers instructors cannot replace humans as teachers.

A teacher not only has to teach and explain things but also has to understand the mindset of the students and their cognitive level. A computer instructor will only be able to deliver the lesson not be able to understand the problems of the students. a teacher emotionally connects to the students to make the child comfortable this is not only will they be able to pass on the correct values and lessons to the students.

Multiple Choice Questions The Fun They Had

1. Margie’s grandfather once told her that there was a time when all stories were?

Printed on plastic
printed on paper
not printed
narrated

Ans- printed on paper

2. What did Margie do with a sigh?

entered her school room
began to read the text flashing on the screen
thought about the old kind of schools
entered the previous day’s homework in the proper slot.

Ans- entered the previous day’s homework in the proper slot.

3. Where did Tommy find the book?

in his grandfather’s wardrobe
in Margie’s room
under his pillow
in the attic

Ans- in the attic

4. Why was Margie excited to find a real book?

because she had never seen a real book
because she did not know how to read
because she thought reading books would be a good pastime
because Tommy had found it

Ans- because she had never seen a real book

5. what was the book about?

grandfather’s childhood
school
printing press
computers

Ans- school

6. Why hadn’t Margie seen as many telebooks as Tommy?

since she did not know about them
since her parents were partial to Tommy
since she was younger than Tommy
since she was not interested in reading

Ans- since she was younger than Tommy

7. why was Margie thinking about it during her lesson?

the lively schools during the time of her grandfather’s grandfather
the punch code required to write her homework
her brother Tommy
the duration of the arithmetic lesson

Ans- the lively schools during the time of her grandfather’s grandfather

8. Why did the mother say the teacher has to be adjusted?

because the teacher was not teaching well
the kids were complaining about the teacher
the teacher was large, black, and looks ugly
the teacher had to be adjusted to fit the mind of each kid.

Ans- the teacher had to be adjusted to fit the mind of each kid

9. How old were Margie and Tommy?

11 and 13 years old
13 and 11 years old
10 and 13 years old
13 and 10 years old

Ans- 11 nad 13 years old

10. Which subjects were taught by the mechanical teacher?

science, history, geography
history, geography, and arithmetic.
science, English, and arithmetic
Hindi, English, and arithmetic

Ans- history, geography, and arithmetic

Conclusion

Through this lesson, writer Isaac Asimov tries to explain that even after so much development and the advent of technology in every field some changes are not easily accepted. The same thing happened with Margie as soon as she got to know about the schools of their ancestors she unusually developed so much interest in knowing about those kids and the way they learn and had fun.