NCERT Solutions For Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 1 The Fun They Had
Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 1 – The Fun They Had is a science fiction story by Isaac Asimov set in the year 2157. It tells the story of two children, Margie and Tommy, who live in a future where schools are virtual and teachers are machines. When Tommy discovers an old printed book, both children are fascinated by it and begin wondering about the old kind of school — where children studied together in real buildings with human teachers. The story contrasts the cold, mechanical education of the future with the warm, social experience of traditional schools.
This chapter is the opening story of the CBSE Class 9 English Beehive textbook and is frequently tested in school examinations. Questions from this chapter cover comprehension, character analysis, vocabulary (adverbs), grammar (conditional sentences), and letter writing. Mastering this chapter gives students a strong foundation for the rest of the Beehive syllabus and develops both reading and writing skills essential for board-level preparation.
NCERT Solutions For Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 1 The Fun They Had
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Question 1. Discuss three things that you like best about your school and three things you would like to change.
Answer:
Things I like best about my school:
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My school has a well-equipped library with thousands of books.
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My school gives importance to co-curricular activities like sports, art festivals, and social service programmes.
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All the teachers are well qualified and give personal attention to each student's needs.
Things I would like to change:
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I would like arts and sports to be compulsory subjects in the curriculum rather than optional.
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I would like more freedom for students on the school campus instead of very strict discipline.
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I would also like some professional and practical skills to be included in the academic curriculum.
Question 2. Have you ever read words on a television or computer screen? Can you imagine a time when all books will be on computers? Would you like such books better?
Answer:
I often read words on a television or computer screen. Today, soft copies of books are available in PDF format and digital libraries exist where one can access thousands of titles. We can carry hundreds of books on a smartphone and read them at our convenience.
I believe books may exist only on computers and smartphones in the future. However, I personally prefer printed books as I can hold them, feel the pages, and read without straining my eyes on a screen.
Question 3. Calculate how many years and months ahead from now Margie's diary entry is.
Answer:
As on 1 January 2020, Margie's diary entry is 36 years and 7 months ahead of the present time. (The story is set on 17 May 2157.)
Question 4. How old are Margie and Tommy?
Answer:
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Margie is eleven years old.
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Tommy is thirteen years old.
Question 5. What did Margie write in her diary?
Answer:
Margie wrote: "Today Tommy found a real book."
Question 6. Had Margie ever seen a book before?
Answer:
No, Margie had never seen a real printed book before.
Question 7. What things about the book did she find strange?
Answer:
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The words printed in the book stood still instead of moving like on a computer screen.
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The text did not change or update like telebooks.
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Each page had a limited number of words, unlike a computer screen.
Question 8. What do you think a telebook is?
Answer:
A telebook is an online book displayed on a computer or television screen — the digital equivalent of a printed book.
Question 9. Where was Margie's school? Did she have any classmates?
Answer:
Margie's school was at her home itself — a virtual classroom right next to her bedroom. She did not have any classmates, as each child had their own individual mechanical teacher at home.
Question 10. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Answer:
The story mentions that Margie and Tommy learned geography, history, and arithmetic from their mechanical teachers.
Question 11. Answer the following with reference to the story: "I wouldn't throw it away."
(i) Who says these words? Tommy said these words.
(ii) What does 'it' refer to? 'It' refers to the television screen on which one could read over a million telebooks.
(iii) What is it being compared with by the speaker? Tommy is comparing the television screen to real printed books. He felt that after reading a printed book one would have to throw it away, whereas a telebook could be kept forever.
Question 12. "Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn't a regular teacher. It was a man."
(i) Who does 'they' refer to? 'They' refers to the students who studied in the old type of schools centuries ago.
(ii) What does 'regular' mean here? 'Regular' refers to the mechanical teachers that Tommy and Margie were used to.
(iii) What is it contrasted with? The mechanical teacher is contrasted with the human teacher — a real man who could think, feel, and respond individually.
Question 13. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Answer:
Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers — large machines with black screens on which all lessons were displayed. Students put homework into a slot and wrote answers in punch code. The machine calculated scores immediately.
Question 14. Why did Margie's mother send for the County Inspector?
Answer:
Margie had been given test after test in geography but showed no improvement. Her mother was worried and sent for the County Inspector to check if the problem was with Margie or the mechanical teacher.
Question 15. What did he do?
Answer:
The County Inspector gave Margie an apple and examined the mechanical teacher. He found the geography sector was geared too quick for a ten-year-old. He slowed it down and assured her mother that her progress was otherwise satisfactory.
Question 16. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help her?
Answer:
Margie was doing badly because the geography sector was set at a pace too fast for her age. The County Inspector slowed it down to suit an average ten-year-old and reassured her mother.
Question 17. What had once happened to Tommy's teacher?
Answer:
The history sector of Tommy's mechanical teacher had once blanked out completely. The machine had to be taken away for nearly a month for repairs.
Question 18. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Answer:
Yes. Her mechanical teacher turned on at the same time every day except Saturdays and Sundays because her mother believed regular learning hours helped little girls learn better.
Question 19. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Answer:
Tommy described it as a special building where hundreds of students studied and played together. They would shout and laugh in an open yard, were grouped by age, and taught the same lessons by human teachers.
Question 20. How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
Answer:
Tommy said the old teachers were human beings — men who taught in groups, gave homework, and asked questions. He felt even a regular person back then knew as much as his mechanical teacher.
Question 21. What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have?
Answer:
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Large black screens showing lessons and questions.
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Slot for homework and test papers; answers written in punch code.
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Immediate scoring.
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School at home, no classmates.
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Subjects: geography, history, arithmetic.
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Regular hours except weekends.
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Each teacher adjusted to the child's learning pace.
Question 22. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?
Answer:
Margie hated school because it was lonely and boring — no classmates, a mechanical teacher, and she performed poorly due to the fast pace.
She thought old schools were fun because Tommy described kids laughing, shouting, playing together in an open yard, sitting in classrooms with human teachers, and going home together — full of warmth and companionship.
Question 23. Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story?
Answer:
Yes. Today's schools have human interaction, sports, festivals, group learning, and teachers who respond to emotions. A machine cannot replace the holistic development that real schools provide — friendship, teamwork, and personal attention.
Question 24. Find the sentences in the lesson which have the adverbs given in the box.
Answer:
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awfully — "...it was awfully funny to read words that stood still."
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sorrowfully — "...her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully."
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completely — "...the history sector had blanked out completely."
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loftily — "He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully..."
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carefully — "...pronouncing the word carefully..."
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differently — "...each kid has to be taught differently."
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quickly — "Margie said quickly."
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nonchalantly — "Maybe,' he said nonchalantly."
Question 25. Use the adverbs to fill in the blanks:
Answer:
(i) The report must be read carefully so that performance can be improved.
(ii) At the interview, Sameer answered our questions loftily.
(iii) We all behave differently when we are tired or hungry.
(iv) The teacher shook her head sorrowfully when Ravi lied to her.
(v) I completely forgot about it.
(vi) She just smiled nonchalantly and turned away.
(vii) The President is awfully busy.
(viii) I finished my work quickly so that I could go out to play.
Question 26. Make adverbs from these adjectives:
Answer:
(i) angry → angrily
(ii) happy → happily
(iii) merry → merrily
(iv) sleepy → sleepily
(v) easy → easily
(vi) noisy → noisily
(vii) tidy → tidily
(viii) gloomy → gloomily
Question 27. Complete the following conditional sentences:
Answer:
(i) If I don't go to Anu's party tonight, she will be sad.
(ii) If you don't telephone the hotel to order food, you will go hungry this evening.
(iii) Unless you promise to write back, I will never again write to you.
(iv) If she doesn't play any games, she will lack physical exercise.
(v) Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat will kill it.
Question 28. Write a letter to the publisher ordering a new volume of Isaac Asimov's short stories.
Answer:
D – 180, Sector 63
Noida, U.P.
17 April 20XX
The Manager
Mindfame Private Limited
1632 Asaf Ali Road
New Delhi
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to request that a set of the newly released revised volume of Isaac Asimov's Short Stories be sent to me at the address mentioned above by Value Payable Post (VPP). I shall pay the price of the set to the postman upon delivery.
Kindly confirm the dispatch at your earliest convenience.
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,
Naveen Gupta
FAQs – Chapter 1: The Fun They Had
Q1. What is the central theme of The Fun They Had?
The central theme is the contrast between mechanical, isolated education of the future and the warm, social, human experience of traditional schooling.
Q2. Who wrote The Fun They Had?
The story was written by Isaac Asimov.
Q3. What is the significance of the old book in the story?
The old printed book sparks curiosity about the old kind of school and makes Margie nostalgic for human connection and companionship in education.
Q4. What does the story suggest about the future of education?
Technology can make education efficient but cannot replace the human element — the warmth of a teacher, friendship, and shared experience.
Q5. Why is the story titled The Fun They Had?
The title refers to Margie's imagination about the fun children in old schools must have had — laughing, playing, learning together — which she herself never experiences.