(Extra Questions and Answers)
1) What did Margie write in the diary and why?
~ Margie wrote about the real book Tommy found in his attic on May 17, 2157.
The story is set up in utter future. Margie and Tommy being geeks had no idea about old books, schools and classrooms. Going through the book that Tommy found, Margie was really fascinated when the words over the pages didn’t move a bit and remained the same even after they have turned the pages. The schools had a human teacher and he used to check their homework, asked questions just like a machine. There were intervals in between classes. Out of this the thing that surprised Margie the most was the separate building which was called the school where a bunch of students used to go for schooling. They could interact, enjoy
and had fun. Studying then was not a mundane or tedious job. All these
overwhelmed Margie and no wonder, she had to write this down.
2) What did Margie’s grandfather tell about the book?
~ Established in the era of 2157, the story talks about the time when books and schools existed and education was not through any electronic device. When Margie came to know about the book, she recalled what her grandfather told about the books. He told about how all the stories were printed on paper when he was a little boy.
Basically, he wanted to focus on the fact that at his time, normal schools like now existed and education wasn’t this mundane or dull. It used to be the best part of his life.
3) How did they find the book different from the other book?
~ The book was in all way different from any of the study materials used by Margie and Tommy. The crinkly, yellow pages of the book had words written over it which were moving unlike on a screen. The words were
printed in the paper and therefore no matter how many pages you’ve already turned, the words on each page would always stand the same. It’d be like the way it was when Margie and Tommy saw it for the first time. All these make the whole idea of books awfully funny and quite interesting to them.
4) What had been the reactions of Tommy and Margie?
~ Having been discovered by chance, Tommy was really happy about the book he had found. The words printed over the pages of the book initially surprised both Tommy and Margie. They thought it to be a waste of pages since once a book is read, it can no more be used, unlike a computer screen which can be used over and over again. The concept of old school also amazed Tommy. He was excited to learn about the schools which were
rather fun and not dull. But Margie, unaware of the fact, showed reluctance to give a read when offered by Tommy. But once she got to learn about the book from Tommy, we found her quite interested in reading the book.
5) Where did Tommy find the book? What the book was about?
~ Tommy had found the book in his house, in the attic. The book was about old Schools and not like the schools Margie and Tommy went. The book upholds the fact that earlier, there had been buildings where students used to go to study and a single man used to teach and assign them works. There had been a breeze of entertainment in education and no compulsion. The school was for fun and there had not been any hardcore compulsions on them. The interaction was the key to their happy days and no machine learning could ever replace the mirth the students had then.
6) What was Margie’s opinion about school? What had recently been going on in the geography class and what did her mother read?
~Margie had no idea that school could also be a place of fun. For her, school meant studies, assignments, homework and tests. She almost freaked out when she learnt that the old book, found in Tommy’s attic was written about schools.
Margie had been giving her geography tests and she was totally dissatisfied with the results she had been getting. With days, it was getting worse.
Her mother, with her terrible results, thought there must be some malfunctioning in the system and therefore called for the county inspector.
7)Who is a county inspector? What did he do with the mechanical teacher?
~A county inspector is probably a person of that era who checks and repairs the mechanical teachers that the children of that time have.
The county inspector was a round little man with a red face equipped with a whole box of tools with dials and wires. He smiled at Margie and gave her an apple and took the teacher apart in order to check and fix it. Margie had hoped that the inspector wouldn’t be able to reassemble the parts together but all her expectations of getting rid of that machine went in vain. The inspector put back all the pieces together and slowed down the geography sector because it was geared a little too quick for an average eleven-year-old child to grasp in.
8) Which part of the mechanical teacher did Margie hate the most?
~ Margie being vexed by the daily workload given by her mechanical teacher was reluctant to sit to study. She almost hated all the activities she needed to go through for studying. The tests, marks, continuous interaction with the machine without any kind of interval is what bothered her the most. Besides, her degraded marks in geography made her hate the mechanical teachers and classrooms to the utmost.
9)What explanation did the county inspector give about Margie’s
result in geography? Did he fix the fault? How?
~Margie’s mother called for the county inspector when she saw the never-ending degrading result of Margie. The county Inspector realised the fault and adjusted the geography sector according to Margie’s incorporate. He also comforted Mrs. jones with the knowledgeable and satisfactory progress Margie had been showing.
The inspector smiled at Margie and gave her an apple and took the teacher apart in order to check and fix it. The inspector put back all the pieces together and slowed down the geography sector because it was geared a little too quick for an average eleven-year-old child to grasp in.
10)Why was Margie disappointed with what happened to the mechanical teacher?
~Margie had hoped that the inspector wouldn’t be able to reassemble the parts together but all her expectations of getting rid of that machine went in vain. Margie was annoyed by the daily workload given by the mechanical teachers.
Her ever degrading marks in geography tests taken by the teacher daily shaken her head sorrowfully. Seeing no improvement in the geography sector, Margie’s mother called for the county inspector. The inspector put back all the pieces together and slowed down the geography sector because it was geared a little too quick for an average eleven-year-old child to grasp in.
11) ” Why would anyone write about school?”- what did
Tommy answer for this question?
~The probable question that popped up in Margie’s head when he encountered the diary Tommy had found was “Why’d anyone write about school?”. Margie, being a girl of eleven was a bit impatient and reluctant to hear what the diary holds. For her, school means like the schools she had been going. She had completely no idea that school can be fun and different as well. Tommy, on the other hand, being mature, quench her thirst by answering all the questions. He was keen about what the book is holding and have already read it. He tells her about the schools when there had
been a human teacher who taught almost forty-fifty students in a building. He checked all their papers, gave Homeworks and also taught them new lessons. There used to be fun in studying as well in schools like those. At the end of the story, we find Margie to be really fascinated by the words of Tommy.
12)What was Tommy and Margie’s opinion about a man being a teacher?
~From the story we find that both Tommy and Margie were taken aback when they learned that it was a human being who taught around fifty students and not a machine. A special building was the then classroom where numbered kids used to come and study. A single man used to give
homework, checked them and asked questions. No wonder Tommy found the then teachers as knowledgeable as the mechanical teachers they have now. Margie, on the other hand, initially found it funny and hard to believe. But as we find Tommy vividly explaining to her, she was well fascinated by the flow of education at that time.
13)What did Tommy say about the old school building and talking classes?
~Tommy, being elder, had a special corner for old school days. He was curious about the book that he found in his attic the other day. Tommy said that in the old kind of schools, there was a man(human being) teacher who taught around forty to fifty students together, gave them homework and asked them questions flawlessly. He also added loftily the presence of a special building where all kids went for education. Unlike Margie who had no or a little interest, Tommy’s take on the old school was applaudable.
14) What did Margie say about her mother’s opinion about teachers
and school?
~Margie comes from an era where the only means to access education is through the computer system. She was worried about the degrading result of Margie and therefore asked for a county inspector. Margie, on the other hand, enjoyed the old schools. According to her, the school during her the time of her mother and ancestors were good. She must have heard it from
her mom that there used to be fun at old schools and no machine learning
the process can ever replace them.
15)How was Margie’s school? Could she concentrate on school that day? Give logic to support your answer.
~ After having known about how old schools used to work, we find Margie to get lost in the book and shows barely any interest in her class where arithmetic was being taught. She didn’t found any of the lessons jovial and all she could think about was the fun and life old schools used to hold. She thought about the lucky students who could meet each other almost every day in a building, interact with each other and share their personal space. She thought about the small talks that the students used to have with the human teacher and here she can’t even take a short break in between classes. All these made Margie fall in love with the concept of old schools and we find her highly distracted in the class which was set up in her
bedroom.
16) As Margie thought about the old school, do you think she wished to study in the school of 2157 or the past school? Why?
~ The concept of the old school had totally shaken Margie. She was lost in the aura and was unable to concentrate in her class. As we move forward in the story, we find that Margie was more interested in attending the old schools and not the one she’d been attending.
For Margie, schools of the past are way lot better than the one she’d been going. Margie found old schools to be whole lot amazing and enthusiastic. The fact that all students used to study together, a human teacher taught then that too in a special building surprised her to the utmost. Students there helped each other with homework too. Human interaction seemed much more fun to her because there were intervals in between classes. Overall, Margie comprehended the idea of old school and was totally
fascinated by it.
17)Evaluate the story to be a science fiction story.
~ The prose “The Fun they had”, compiled by Issac Asimov, is a story about two totally different time zones. Tommy and Margie no matter how hard they try would never be able to cherish the old school days. They can’t help but only hear and get fascinated by it. The only way they can connect with it is by reading old books. On the contrary, their lives revolved around their own bedroom wherein their schooling took place. They had no benches, chalks or boards. They had a computer screen, revolving chair and punch code by which they wrote and submitted their answers. Teaching is but a boring mode of education for them. They don’t wake up to a chaotic school environment but to the homework of a mere machine. Learning is mundane and dull for them. Here, we talk about a story which is set up in 2157. No wonder the story is science fiction with the details mentioned above.
18)Do you think education will take a turn in the future the way it had shown in the story?
~ The story completely upholds how education is going to stand for children twenty years from now. The story talks about the real side of the posterity. Funny how we never realise the fact that this could be the last generation witnessing the old schools. Today, people are working all day. There’s no pause. Everybody is at a great pace. In the utter future, people would not be able to cut out a bit of their time from the busy schedule and teach children. The world is getting digitized and so are we. We prefer phone screen over the paper, YouTube over books, a machine for learning over a human teacher at school. I see every possible way by which education could take
a sudden turn just like explained in the story and we would be left with
nothing but a token of memories about the old schools and times. We could only read it out loud and tell stories about our time to our posterity and cherish them generation after generation.
19) “The story The Fun THEY HAD – reflect the kind education
we are moving into where there is no fun and enjoyment and happiness in learning ” – Discuss with reference to the text.
~ The story is set up in 2157 where education is accessed through electronic devices unlike the schools today which is controlled and organised by manual teachers.
Schools today are indeed more energetic, funnier and vibrant than the
school being talked about in the story. The disparity arises right from the
time when students sit in a traditional classroom to sitting in front of a
vague computer screen. This discrepancy is created over time. Schools today are one of the reasons students get to socialise, interact and a method of living their childhood. At a point in the story, we find Margie and Tommy getting really fascinated by the old school concept. They wondered how education used to be fun earlier and now a mere piece of burden. The interaction between teachers and students is lively. It’s much better when we get to learn something from a similar human being than just from a machine. Here, students do their homework in pen and paper and not in any punch code. Besides, sharing problems and enduring the topsy turvy life becomes much easier. The friends that we make at this age in schools is probably one of the best memories one could make from school. If compared, such intimate conversations can never be done with a mere mechanical teacher which is only programmed to teach in a particular manner.No wonder we are dragging ourselves to a future where there
would be no trace of old schools, building, books or human beings. The world is getting digitized and so are we. We prefer phone screen over the paper, YouTube over books, a machine for learning over a human teacher at school. I see every possible way by which education could take a sudden turn just like explained in the story.
20. “Paperless book is ideal for saving trees, but do you think that paper books make a positive impact on the students ” -Discuss
the statement with reference to the story.
~ We are at present in a situation where the whole system of transportation process, privacy, finance administration, market price regulation are getting digitalised. Education is one of the many things which has paved its way to be digitised as well. No wonder with electronic devices, trees would be saved. But tell me, twenty years from now, would they be able to understand the real concept of education the way we do?
The disparity arises right from the time when students sit in a traditional classroom to sitting in front of a vague computer screen. The posterity would never get to know the smell of a new book, the contentment of attending schools and engaging oneself in various aspects. The various qualities including obedience, manner, respect and kindness for our teachers and others, taking part in sports and various activities are a part of
the school education today. The interaction between teachers and students is lively. It’s much better when we get to learn something from a similar human being than just from a machine. Students doing their homework in pen and paper is definitely more applaudable than in any punch code. The adrenaline rush before the result and waiting for marks is something which students as talked in the story “The Fun they had” would never understand. The mechanism is to give and take in those schools. But in today’s schools, students wait for that very day when results would be declared and all these things make modern schools worth remembering. Funny how the posterity would never get to live the best part of their childhood which not only consists of education but also a healthy environment.
21. Compare the two types of learning as we find in the story.
Which one do you think is better and why? Discuss with reference to the incident from the story.
~ I strongly take the side of the education that’s been taught through manual learning and not engaging machines.
Schools today are indeed more energetic, funnier and vibrant than the school being talked about in the story. The disparity arises right from the time when students sit in a traditional classroom to sitting in front of a vague computer screen. This discrepancy is created over time. Schools today are one of the reasons students get to socialise, interact and a method of living their childhood. The interaction between teachers and students is lively. It’s much better when we get to learn something from a similar human being than just from a machine. Here, students do their homework in pen and paper and not in any punch code. Besides, sharing problems and enduring the topsy turvy life becomes much easier. The friends that we make at this age in schools is probably one of the best memories one could make from school. If compared, such intimate conversations can never be done with a mere mechanical teacher which is only programmed to teach in a particular manner. The adrenaline rush before the result and waiting
for marks is something which students as talked in the story “The Fun they
had” would never understand. The mechanism is to give and take in those
schools. But in today’s schools, students wait for that very day when results
would be declared and all these things make modern schools worth remembering. The various qualities including obedience, manner, respect and kindness for our teachers and others, taking part in sports and various activities are a part of the school education today. Funny how the posterity would never get to live the best part of their childhood which not only consists of education but also a healthy environment