The Fun They Had Short Answer Type Question

This page offers The Fun They Had Short answer type question for Class 9 from the book Beehive. We’ve put together a bunch of Short answer type question based on assumption, creativity, extrapolation and critical thinking. These types of questions are introduced after 2024 in CBSE Board. So, practice to understand The Fun They Had Short answer type question

1. Why do you think Margie was fascinated by the old book Tommy found?

Answers : Margie was fascinated because she had never seen a real book before. The old book’s physical pages and printed words were a novelty to her, unlike the telebooks she was used to.

2. What might be the advantages of learning from a mechanical teacher compared to a human teacher? Ref. “The Fun They Had”

Answers : A mechanical teacher can match how fast or slow you learn and give you lessons just for you. It’s ready to help anytime and can teach lots of different things.

3. How do you think Margie felt about her mechanical teacher before and after reading the old book?

Answers : Before reading the book, Margie might have accepted the mechanical teacher as normal, but after reading the book, she likely felt a sense of loss for the interactive learning experiences of the past.

4. Why do you think the story “The Fun They Had” is set in the future?

Answers : The story is set in the future so that the writer can show us how using too much technology in schools might make us miss out on learning from real people. It helps to understand how human teachers are important.

5. What could be the disadvantages of the education system shown in Margie’s world?

Answers : In Margie’s world, learning alone without friends, not talking to real people, and everyone learning the same things might make it hard to make friends, think in new ways, and work well with others.

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6. What would a normal school day from old time school look like compared to Margie’s school day?

Answers : In an old-time school, kids would learn together in a group, talk and work directly with teachers and classmates, and do lots of different and fun activities. Margie’s day is mostly just her alone, learning from a screen.

7. What do you think Margie and Tommy learned about human teachers and schools from the old book?

Answers : They found out that old schools were about learning together, having real teachers to help them learn, and making friends, which they don’t get much of now.

8. How do you think technology has changed the way children like Margie and Tommy view education?

Answers : Technology has made learning more personal and quick, but it has also made us forget how important it is to learn together and talk to each other in regular schools.

9. Why do you think the author chose children as the main characters to explore the theme of education? Ref. “The Fun They Had”

Answers : Kids are naturally curious and like to ask “why” many times. This habit of children makes them great for showing us how technology in schools can be good and bad. They help us think more about these changes.

10. If you could design a mechanical teacher, what features would you include to improve upon the one in the story? Ref. “The Fun They Had”

Answers : I would include features that allow for more interaction, such as virtual group discussions, feedback sessions, and gamified learning modules to make education more engaging and social.

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11. How do you think Margie’s perception of ‘fun’ in school might change after reading the old book? Ref. “The Fun They Had”

Answers : Margie might start to think ‘fun’ in learning isn’t just the lessons. It’s also about chatting and doing things with other kids and teachers. Her robot teacher can’t offer this.

12. How do you think the concept of homework might differ in Margie’s world compared to traditional schools?

Answers : Homework might focus more on using the robot teacher to go over lessons again. There might be less group work and learning with friends.

13. If all schools were like Margie’s, what could happen to people in the long run?

Answers : People might not get as good at talking to each other or understanding how others feel. Everyone might end up feeling more alone and separate from one another.

14. If Margie could visit a traditional school for a day, what do you think she would find most surprising?

Answers : Margie might be really surprised to see how kids and teachers talk and work together in class, how a real teacher can help and inspire students, and how fun it is to learn with friends.

15. Why do you think Margie was surprised in the beginning to see a real book?

Answers : Margie was surprised because in herschool , all books were on screens. She wasn’t used to a book you could hold, with pages you could turn. It was strange for her because she always read from screens where the words could change.

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16. How might Margie and Tommy’s education be different if they had human teachers instead of mechanical ones?

Answers : With human teachers, Margie and Tommy might have experienced more emotional support. Human teachers could teach lessons based on students’ emotions and interests, making learning more engaging and less isolating than with mechanical teachers.

17. Why do you think the County Inspector gave Margie an apple?

Answers : The County Inspector might have given Margie an apple as a friendly gesture to make her feel comfortable and less anxious about the inspection and repairs of her mechanical teacher. It’s a traditional symbol of goodwill between students and teachers.

18. Why was Margie not doing well in geography before the mechanical teacher was fixed?

Answers : Margie had been struggling because the robot teacher was going too fast. It was hard for her to keep up and really understand the lessons which were not age appropriate for her.

19. Why do you think Margie wished that the mechanical teacher should be taken away altogether?

Answers : Margie wished to remove the mechanical teacher because it felt cold and made her stressed, especially with all the tests and homework. She probably wanted learning to be more fun and hands-on.

20. How would Margie and Tommy’s social skills differ if they attended a traditional school with other children?

Answers : If Margie and Tommy went to a regular school with other kids, they would get better at talking to people, working together, and making friends. These are things they don’t learn as much when they study alone with their robot teachers.

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21. Why do you think people started using robot teachers instead of human teachers in Margie and Tommy’s world?

Answers : People might have started using robot teachers because new technology was made and everyone thought it was a faster and better way to learn. This made schools change from normal classrooms with human teachers to learning with robots.

22. Why did Margie wish she could go to an old-time school after she found out about it?

Answers : Margie thought an old-time school was more fun and different because she could be with the other kids of her age and real teachers. This was exciting for her, unlike learning alone with her robot teacher.

Note- Following are the old stylish questions. These were asked before 2023-24. Actually these questions focus more on memory rather than creative thinking, imagination and extrapolation.

1. Who are Tommy and Margie? How old are they? (Textual)

Answers : Tommy and Margie are students from the year 2157. They are neighbours and spend time together like children of their age usually do. Tommy is a thirteen-year-old boy and Margie is an eleven-year-old girl.

2. Did Margie like the printed book? Why/Why not?

Answer- Yes, Margie liked the printed book. She thought it was special and different from the books on screens she was used to. She even wrote about it in her diary.

Q 3 . What things about the book did Margie find strange? (Textual)

Answer- Margie used to read books from screens, where words could move around and change. That’s how she learned. So, when she saw a paper book for the first time, where the words stayed in one place, it was really strange and new to her.

Q4. “What a waste!” What is Tommy referring to as a ‘waste’? Is it a waste?

Answer- Tommy thinks that the paper books with words printed and fixed on them are a waste. Once a book is read, it becomes useless and must be thrown away because it has the same content. Printed books are not a waste. They can be read by many people over and over again and should be preserved for the future generations.

Q5. What do you think a telebook is? (Textual)

Answer- A telebook is like a small book inside a computer. You can read it on a screen by moving the pages up, down, or to the side.

Q6. How does Tommy find the telebooks of his own time to be better?

Answer– Tommy felt that his telebooks were better than the printed books of old times because they could be stored on television and read again and again. They took very little space as compared to the printed books and need not be discarded once they had been read.

Q11. Why had Margie started hating her school?

Answer– Margie never liked school. But recently her hate increased because of her poor performance in geography tests. Her mechanical teacher gave her one test after another and her performance went on becoming worse and worse.

Q 12. Which part of her school did Margie hate the most?

What did Margie hate the most about her school?

Answer- Margie really didn’t like the part where she had to put in her homework and tests. She had to use a special code she learned when she was six. The robot teacher would quickly check her work, so she couldn’t take it easy after turning in her tasks.

Q13. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have? (Textual)

Answer- Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. They were not real people but televisions which had different subject sectors. These teachers were customised to the level of a student. In case of malfunction, they were disbanded and repaired.

Q14. What views did Margie’s mother have about teachers and learning?

Answer- Margie’s mother cared a lot about her studies. She made sure Margie went to her online school on time every day. She thought each kid should learn in their own way. If something went wrong with Margie’s online teacher, her mom would call for help so Margie wouldn’t miss any learning.

Q15. What idea do you form of the County Inspector as a person?

Answer- The County Inspector seems really nice. He didn’t blame Margie when she had trouble. Instead, he gave her an apple and fixed her online teacher to make it easier for her. He even told her mom that Margie was doing okay and was kind to Margie before he left.

Q16. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why? (Textual)

Answer- Yes, Margie had a fixed schedule for her school. From Monday to Friday every week. It was installed in the room next to her bedroom so she had to attend to it daily. Her mother believed that her daughter will learn things faster if they study daily on a fixed schedule.

Q17. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school? (Textual)

Answer- Tommy describes the old school as a special building where all the children went to study together. The students of the same age group learned the same things which were taught by human teachers.

Q18. How does Tommy describe the old kind of teachers?

Answer- Tommy tells Margie that the teachers in olden times were not mechanical but real men. They taught various things to boys and girls, gave them homework, and also asked them questions. The teachers went to a special building called the school where they taught the children in the classrooms.

Q19. Why did Margie think that children must have loved to go to school when her grandfather’s grandfather was a little boy?

Why did Margie feel that children in old times had fun while studying in school?

Why does Margie feel that learning was fun in the schools of the past?

Answer- Margie’s school was on a computer in the next room, and she’s always alone. She imagines old schools were better, with real teachers and books you could touch. Those schools had big places where kids did fun stuff together. She finds her computer school boring and tough, and she really doesn’t enjoy it.

Q 20. Why did Tommy pronounce the word ‘centuries ago’ carefully?

Ans. Tommy pronounced the word carefully because he wanted to lay stress on the fact that the school was very old and it was quite different from theirs.

Q 21 . Evaluate ‘The Fun They Had’ as a futuristic story.

Ans. The Fun They Had’ is a futuristic story. It tells us about the major changes that will come in the field of education in the 22nd century. Technology will replace the concept of old schools and printed books. Margie and Tommy are students in the year 2157. They are taught in their bedrooms serving as virtual classrooms. A mechanical teacher will replace a human teacher. Computers and e-books will replace old printed books.