CLASS 9
About the Author – Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) was a famous American science fiction writer and scientist. He wrote hundreds of books on science and technology. In “The Fun They Had”, he imagines a future school system to show the importance of human teachers and real classroom learning.
Tone:
The tone of The Fun They Had is nostalgic and reflective. It shows Margie’s curiosity about the old school system, contrasting it with her dull, mechanical learning.
Theme:
The main theme of The Fun They Had is the value of human connection in education. The story contrasts future robotic learning with traditional schooling to show that real joy in learning comes not just from lessons, but from shared experiences, friendships, and the guidance of human teachers. It raises a powerful question — can technology ever replace the warmth and interaction of real classrooms?
SUMMARY:
The Fun They Had by Isaac Asimov is set in the future where children learn at home through mechanical teachers. Margie, a young girl, discovers a real book about schools in the past, where children learned together in classrooms with human teachers. She finds the idea exciting and wonders how much fun it must have been. The story highlights the importance of social learning and human interaction in education. The story begins with Margie writing in her diary about a strange discovery her friend Tommy made: an old printed book. In their world, books are digital and shown on screens. The idea of paper pages that don’t move or change is completely foreign to them. Tommy tells her that the book is about school from the past, which surprises Margie, as she never imagined school could be any different.
Margie and Tommy live in a futuristic society where education is fully automated. Each child is taught at home by a mechanical teacher, a large screen programmed to deliver customized lessons. Margie dislikes her mechanical teacher, especially because it recently gave her geography tests that were too difficult, and she kept failing. Her mother had to call a County Inspector to fix the machine.
Tommy explains that the book describes an old-fashioned school where students came together in a building, sat in classrooms, and were taught by a human teacher. The idea fascinates Margie. She can’t believe that children used to laugh and learn together, all being taught the same things at the same time. It seems very different from her isolated experience.
As Tommy reads more from the book, Margie becomes increasingly intrigued. When it’s time for her lesson, she reluctantly goes to her schoolroom, a small room next to her bedroom with her mechanical teacher already flashing on the screen. The mechanical teacher starts a lesson in arithmetic, but Margie is distracted. Her mind keeps wandering back to the book, and she imagines how much fun it must have been when children learned together, shared experiences, and had a human connection in education.
यह कहानी वर्ष 2157 की एक भविष्य की दुनिया में घटती है, जहाँ बच्चे किसी स्कूल भवन में नहीं जाते, बल्कि उन्हें घर में ही मशीनी शिक्षकों (Mechanical Teachers) से पढ़ाया जाता है।मार्जी, एक 11 साल की लड़की, एक दिन अपने दोस्त टॉमी के साथ एक पुरानी किताब पाती है, जिसमें काग़ज़ पर छपा हुआ होता है। टॉमी बताता है कि यह किताब पुराने ज़माने के स्कूलों के बारे में है, जहाँ बच्चे एक साथ बैठकर क्लासरूम में इंसान शिक्षक से पढ़ते थे।मार्जी को यह सुनकर बहुत आश्चर्य और उत्सुकता होती है क्योंकि उसके लिए स्कूल का मतलब है — एक मशीन जो उसे रोज़ काम देती है।
उसे उसका मशीनी शिक्षक बिल्कुल पसंद नहीं है, क्योंकि वह लगातार भूगोल के टेस्ट ले रहा है और मार्जी के नंबर बहुत खराब आ रहे हैं। उसकी माँ को चिंता होती है और वह County Inspector को बुलाती है, जो मशीन को उसकी उम्र के हिसाब से फिर से सेट करता है।जब मार्जी, टॉमी की उस किताब को पढ़ती है और पुराने स्कूलों की कल्पना करती है, तो उसे लगता है कि वो स्कूल कितने मज़ेदार रहे होंगे — बच्चे एक साथ बैठते थे, हँसते थे, बातें करते थे, और इंसानों से सीखते थे। उसे एक ऐसी चीज़ के लिए नॉस्टेल्जिया होता है जो उसने कभी अनुभव ही नहीं की।
📘 The Fun They Had – Textbook Questions & Answers (NCERT Beehive)
Q1. How old are Margie and Tommy?
Ans: Margie is 11 years old and Tommy is 13 years old.
Q2. What did Margie write in her diary?
Ans: Margie wrote in her diary:
“Today Tommy found a real book!”
Q3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?
Ans: No, Margie had never seen a real printed book before. She was surprised to see its yellow, crinkly pages.
Q4. What things about the book did she find strange?
Ans: Margie found it strange that the words in the book didn’t move as they did on a screen. Also, once a book was read, it became useless, unlike a telebook that could be updated.
Q5. What do you think a telebook is?
Ans: A telebook is an electronic book that appears on a screen. It is read digitally and the text can change or be updated.
Q6. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Ans: Margie’s school was in her home, right next to her bedroom. She studied alone and had no classmates.
Q7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Ans: Margie and Tommy learned Geography, History, and Arithmetic.
Q8. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Ans: Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers—big computers with screens that displayed lessons and gave tests. They were programmed to adjust to the student’s level.
Q9. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
Ans: Margie was doing poorly in geography. Her mother thought something was wrong with the mechanical teacher and called the County Inspector to fix it.
Q10. What did the County Inspector do?
Ans: The County Inspector adjusted the geography sector of Margie’s mechanical teacher to a slower pace that matched her learning level.
Q11. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector say?
Ans: Margie was doing badly because the lessons were too fast for her. The Inspector said that the machine was not faulty but had been set too quickly.
Q12. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
Ans: Once Tommy’s mechanical teacher had malfunctioned completely, and it was taken away for nearly a month for repairs.Q13. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Ans: Yes, Margie had regular school hours every day except Saturday and Sunday. Her mother insisted on a schedule to develop discipline.
Q14. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Ans: Tommy says the old schools were buildings where all kids went together and were taught by human teachers. Everyone learned the same things if they were the same age.
Q15. How does Margie react to the idea of old schools?
Ans: Margie is curious and finds it strange. She thinks learning together with other children and being taught by a human must have been fun. She wishes she could experience that feeling.
Long answer (descriptive) questions :
Q1. Describe the future school system as portrayed in the story “The Fun They Had”. How is it different from today’s schools?
Answer: In “The Fun They Had”, Isaac Asimov presents a futuristic education system set in the year 2157, where children no longer attend traditional schools. Instead, they are taught by mechanical teachers—robots or machines installed at home. These machines are programmed to match the learning pace and level of each child. Lessons are delivered via screens, and students submit their homework through a slot. The mechanical teacher evaluates and records their performance immediately.
This futuristic setup contrasts sharply with the schools of the past (and present), where students learn together in classrooms, guided by human teachers. There is peer interaction, shared activities, and emotional support. Margie, the protagonist, feels lonely and disconnected, and she dislikes her school because of the lack of social engagement and enjoyment. When she hears about the old schools from Tommy, she becomes fascinated by the idea of learning with others and begins to realize what she is missing.
Q2. What did Margie think of the old schools? Why did she feel that the children had fun learning in the past?
Answer: Margie, an 11-year-old girl living in 2157, is surprised and intrigued when she hears about the old-style schools from her friend Tommy. In her world, education is an isolated experience handled by mechanical teachers at home. The idea of a school building where children went together to learn in groups, taught by human teachers, is entirely foreign to her.
She feels the children of the past had more fun learning because they had the company of other students, which made education more engaging. Margie imagines children laughing, playing, and discussing lessons together. She is particularly fascinated by the fact that teachers were human beings, not machines, and that they interacted emotionally with students.
Margie’s realization leads her to feel that the old schools had something meaningful and enjoyable that her futuristic system lacks. Although she has never experienced a traditional school, her imagination and curiosity make her long for the kind of learning environment where learning was a shared joy, not a mechanical routine.
Q3. How does Isaac Asimov contrast the past and the future of education in “The Fun They Had”? What message does he convey?
Answer: Isaac Asimov contrasts the past and future of education by depicting two very different schooling systems. The future, represented by Margie and Tommy’s world, features robotic, home-based education, where children learn individually through mechanical teachers. Lessons are tailored but monotonous and emotionally distant, with no classmates or classroom interaction.
In contrast, the past (our present-day schools) is described through Tommy’s discovery of a printed book that tells about a time when children went to school together, taught by human teachers. Margie is both surprised and fascinated. She starts to imagine the joy and warmth of learning in a group, the playfulness and social bonds that such schools fostered.
Asimov uses this contrast to highlight the importance of human connection in education. The story suggests that while technology can enhance learning, it cannot replace the emotional and social elements that are crucial to a child’s development. His message is clear: education is not just about content delivery—it is also about relationships, empathy, and shared experience.
Q16. Do you think Margie was happy with the mechanical teacher? Why/Why not?
Ans: No, Margie was not happy. She found the mechanical teacher boring and impersonal. She longed for the warmth and fun of human interaction that she read about in the old book.
Character Sketch of Tommy
Tommy is a 13-year-old boy who lives in the future world of the year 2157. He is smart, curious, and enjoys reading and learning new things. One day, he finds a real printed book in his attic, which is a rare thing in his time because everything is done on screens. Tommy is quite proud of his knowledge and sometimes acts a little bossy or overconfident, especially when talking to Margie. He explains to her how schools worked in the past. Although he calls the old school system “stupid,” it is clear that he is interested in it. Tommy is a confident and intelligent boy who represents curiosity and the love for discovery.
Character Sketch of Margie
Margie is an 11-year-old girl who studies at home using a mechanical teacher. She does not enjoy her school, as she finds it boring and difficult, especially after her teacher gives her more and more tests. Margie becomes very curious when Tommy tells her about real books and how children used to go to school together in a building. She is amazed by the idea of a human teacher and children learning in groups. Although she has never seen such a school, she starts to feel that the children in the past had more fun. Margie is a sensitive and thoughtful girl who dreams of a better, more joyful way of learning with others.
