Q. Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.
1. How old are Margie and Tommy?
Ans. Margie is eleven and Tommy is thirteen years old.
2. What did Margie write in her diary?
Ans. Margie wrote in her diary. “Today 17 May, 2157 Tommy found a real book.”
3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?
Ans. No, Margie had never seen a book before.
4. What things about the book did she find strange?
Ans. The book had yellow and wrinkled pages. The words of the book were still. They did not move as the words move on computer screen. She found these things strange.
5. What do you think a telebook is?
Ans. A telebook is displayed on the television screen and the text of a telebook is similar to a book.
6. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Ans. Margie’s school has her own house. She did not have any classmate.
7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Ans. Margie learnt Geography and Mathematics, Tommy learnt History and Mathematics.
Q. Answer the following with reference to the story.
“I wouldn’t throw it away.”
(i) Who says these words?
Ans. Margie says these words.
(ii) What does ‘it’refer to?
Ans. It refers to the real book that Tommy found.
(iii) What is it being compared with by the speaker?
Ans. The speaker compares it with a telebook.
Q. Answer the following with reference to the story.
“Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”
(i) Who does ‘they’ refer to?
Ans. ‘They’ refer to the people of the old times.
(ii) What does ‘regular’ mean here?
Ans. ‘Regular’ implies normal; of the usual kind.
(iii) What is it contrasted with?
Ans. It is contrasted with a mechanical teacher.
Q. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).
1. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Ans. Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. They were taught by computers and television screens. They didn’t have a human being who addresses the pupils in a classroom.
2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
Ans. Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspector because the mechanical teacher was not functioning efficiently. It had been giving her test after test in Geography and she had been doing worse and worse.
3. What did he do?
Ans. He slowed the mechanical teacher upto an average ten year level. The mechanical teacher’s speed was controlled and adjusted according to the IQ level of Margie.
4. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help her?
Ans. Margie had been doing badly in Geography. This was because the mechanical teacher was very fast in displaying the questionnaire. The County Inspector adjusted its speed upto an average ten year level. Thus the mechanical teacher’s speed was controlled appropriately. The County Inspector assured that the overall pattern of Margie’s progress was quite satisfactory.
5. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
Ans. Tommy’s teacher was taken away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely. So Tommy had nothing to do during that period. He only relaxed and enjoyed.
6. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Ans. Yes, Margie had regular days and hours for school because her mother said little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours.
7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Ans. Tommy says that the old schools were different. They had a special building and all the kids went there to study. They laughed and shouted in the schoolyard. They enjoyed life together and learned lessons together in a classroom.
8. How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
Ans. He says that the old teachers did not live in the house. They had a special building and all the kids went there. They gave homework to students. They were not mechanical teachers but human beings.
Q. Answer each of these questions in two to three paragraph.
1. What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story?
Ans. Margie and Tommy have mechanical teachers. They need not go to school for getting formal education. The mechanical teacher is placed in one of the rooms of house and they can get knowledge of various subjects individually.
They don’t have classrooms where students sit together. Their teacher has many telebooks. So they don’t require books and exercise books. The examination system is very different. They are to do homework in a different way. Margie has to write them out in a punch code they made her learn when she was six years old, and the mechanical teacher calculated the marks in no time. So the system of Margie’s education is technologically advanced and not based on printed books.
2. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?
Ans. Margie hated school because she had a mechanical teacher. It was in her house. She was supposed to sit in that room alone to complete her hometask or assignments. The part Margie hated most was the slot where she had to put homework and test papers. The mechanical teacher gave the best after test in Geography and she had been doing worse. So she hated it more than ever.
She thought that the old schools must have been fun because the students used to sit together in the classroom. They enjoyed, laughed and shouted in the schoolyard. Children need company to home their skills. If they are isolated, they get depressed and dejected. Margie also felt alienated.
3. Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans. There is no doubt that today’s schools are more fun than the school discussed in the story. This school has nothing but a mechanical teacher that has no emotions and sentiments. It does not have the ability to understand the psychology of a child. Moreover it guides a pupil according to its adjusted modes.
But today’s schools work for the overall development of a child. They are given training in leadership, sports, politics and science. They learn how to adept to the new surroundings and how to cope with strangers. The students sit and learn together forgetting their caste, colour and creed. These activities don’t give vent to the feelings of depression, alimation and segregation.
Q. Find the sentences in the lesson which have the adverbs given in the box below.
awfully, sorrowfully, completely, loftily, carefully, differently, quickly, nonchalantly
Ans. Sentences are:
- awfully: … and it was awfully funny… (para 1)
- sorrowfully: … until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully… (para 3)
- completely: … the history sector had blanked out completely (para 5)
- loftily: He added loftily… (para 6)
- carefully:… pronouncing the word carefully,… (para 6)
- differently: … each kid has to be taught differently. (para 8)
- quickly: I didn’t say I didn’t like it’, said Margie quickly. (para 8)
- nonchalantly: ‘May be’, he said nonchalantly. (para 9)
Q. Now use these adverbs to fill in the blanks in the sentences below.
- The report must be read _______ so that performance can be improved.
- At the interview, Sameer answered our questions ________, shrugging his shoulders.
- We all behave _________ when we are tired or hungry.
- The teacher shook her head _______ when Ravi lied to her.
- I _______ forgot about it.
- When I complimented Revathi on her success, she just smiled ________ and turned away.
- The President of the Company is ________ busy and will not be able to meet you.
- I finished my work ________ so that I could go out to play.
Answer
- loftily
- carefully
- differently
- sorrowfully
- completely
- nonchalantly
- awfully
- quickly
Q. Make adverbs from these adjectives.
- angry
- happy
- merry
- sleepy
- easy
- noisy
- tidy
- gloomy
Answer
- angry — angrily
- happy — happily
- merry — merrily
- sleepy — sleepily
- easy — easily
- noisy — noisily
- tidy — tidily
- gloomy — gloomily
Q. Complete the following conditional sentences. Use the correct form of the verb.
- If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, __________.
- If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, __________.
- Unless you promise to write back, I ________.
- If she doesn’t play any games, ___________.
- Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat __________.
Answer
- If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, she will get annoyed.
- If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, you will have to go there for taking dinner.
- Unless you promise to write back, I shall keep requesting you.
- If she does not play any games, she will become lethargic and unfit.
- Unless that little bird flies away quickly, it will become a prey to the other animal.
Q. 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.
516, Sec. 15
Panipat
11th Oct, 20××
M/s Mindfame Private Ltd.
1632, Asaf Ali Road
New Delhi
Sir
It is a well known fact that a new revised volume of Issac Asimov’s short stories has just been released. You are requested to send one set of this volume as early as possible at the address given above.
Yours faithfully
Rahim Khan
Encl: 1. A DD for ` 2000/- (State Bank of India DD No. 131205 payable at New Delhi.