9th std THE FUN THEY HAD BY ISAAC ASIMOV

THE FUN THEY HAD BY ISAAC ASIMOV

 Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow:-

PASSAGE 1

 Margie even wrote about it that night in her diary. On the page headed 17 May 2157, she wrote, ‘Today Tommy found a real book!’ It was a very old book. Margie’s grandfather once said that when he was a little boy his grandfather told him that there was a time when all stories were printed on paper. They turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to — on a screen, you know. And then when they turned back to the page before, it had the same words on it that it had had when they read it the first time.

Questions :

 (i) What did Margie write in her diary?

 (ii) Had Margie ever seen a book before?

(iii) ‘They’ turned the pages. Who does ‘They’ refer to?

(iv) What was funny about the book?

(v) Why had the pages of the book turned yellow and crinkly?

Answers :

(i) On the page headed 17 May 2157, Margie wrote, ‘Today Tommy found a real book!’

(ii) No, Margie had never seen a book before.

(iii) They are Margie and Tommy.

(iv) The words in the book stand still instead of moving.

(v) The pages of the book had turned yellow and crinkly because it was very old.

 

PASSAGE 2

‘Gee,’ said Tommy. ‘What a waste. When you’re through with the book. you just throw it away. I guess. Our television screen must have had a million books on it and it’s good for plenty more. I wouldn’t throw it away.’ ‘Same with mine,’ said Margie. She was eleven and hadn’t seen as many telebooks as Tommy had. Ile was thirteen. She said, ‘Where did you find it ?’ ‘In my house.’ He pointed without looking because he was busy reading. ‘In the attic.’ ‘What’s it about ?’ ‘School.

‘ Questions :

 (I) What is a waste for Tommy?

(ii) What sort of books did Margie and Tommy have in their schools?

(iii) How old were Margie and Tommy?

(iv) Where did Tommy find the book?

(v) What was that book about?

 Answers :

 (i) Printing books on paper is a waste for Tommy.

(ii) They have moving books on their mechanical screen.

(iii) Margie was eleven and Tommy was thirteen years old

(v) Tommy found the book in his house in the attic.

(v) It was about ‘School’.

PASSAGE 3

Margie was scornful. ‘School? What’s there to write about school? I hate school.’ Margie always hated school, but now she hated it more than ever. The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worse and worse until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully and sent for the County Inspector.

Questions :

(i) Name the writer of the story ‘The Fun They Had’.

(ii) What was Margie’s opinion about school?

 (iii) What had been doing her mechanical teacher?

 (iv) What were Margie’s responses?

 (v) Why was the County Inspector sent for?

Answers :

  (i) The writer of the story ‘The Fun They Had’ is Issac Asimov.

  (ii) Margie hated school.

(iii)Her mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography.

(iv)Margie’s responses were very poor.

 (v) The County Inspector was sent to check the mechanical teacher.

 

PASSAGE 4

 He was around the little man with a red face and a whole box of tools with dials and wires. He smiled at Margie and gave her an apple, then took the teacher apart. Margie had hoped he wouldn’t know how to put it together again, but he knew how all right, and, after an hour or so, there it was again, large and black and ugly, with a big screen on which all the lessons were shown and the questions were asked. That wasn’t so bad. The part Margie hated most was the slot where she had to put homework and test papers. She always had to write them out in a punch code they made her learn when she was six years old, and the mechanical teacher calculated the mark in no time.

Questions :

§  Who was around little man?

§  What did he do to the teacher?

§  What had Margie hoped?

§  Which part of the mechanical teacher did she hate most and why?

§   How did she write her test papers?

 Answers :

(i) The County Inspector was a round little man.

(ii) He took the mechanical teacher into pieces.

(iii) Margie had hoped that the County Inspector would not know how to put it together.

(iv) She hated the slot most because she had to put her homework and test papers in it.

(v) She wrote her test papers in a punch code.

 

PASSAGE 5

The Inspector had smiled after he was finished and patted Margie’s head. He said to her mother, ‘It’s not the little girl’s fault, Mrs Jones. I think the geography sector was geared a little too quick. Those things happen sometimes. I’ve slowed it up to an average ten-year level. Actually, the overall pattern of her progress is quite satisfactory.’ And he patted Margie’s head again.

Margie was disappointed. She had been hoping they would take the teacher away altogether. They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely. So she said to Tommy, ‘Why would anyone write about school?’

Questions :

(i) ‘The Inspector smiled after he was finished’. What was finished?

 (ii) What was the problem with the mechanical teacher?

 (iii) At what level did the Inspector set it?

 (iv) The mechanical teacher was set right but Margie was disappointed, why?

(v) What trouble had been there once with Tommy’s teacher?

 Answers :

(i) He had reassembled the mechanical teacher all right.

(ii) Its geography sector was geared a little too quick.

 (iii) He set it up to an average ten-year child level.

(iv) She had hoped that she would get a long vacation until her mechanical teacher was repaired.

(v) Its history sector had completely blanked out.

 

PASSAGE  6

‘Maybe’ he said nonchalantly. He walked away whistling, the dusty old book tucked beneath his Margie went into the schoolroom. It was right next to her bedroom, and the mechanical teacher was on and waiting for her. It was always on at the same time every day except Saturday and Sunday because her mother said little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours. The screen was lit up, and it said: ‘Today’s arithmetic lesson is on the addition of proper fractions. Please insert yesterday’s homework in the proper slot.’

Questions :

(i) ‘Maybe’, he said nonchalantly. Who does ‘he’ refer to?

(ii) Where was Margie’s school situated?

 (iii) What was the routine of Margie’s mechanical teacher?

 (iv) What topic was Margie going to learn that day?

(v) Find a word from the passage which has the meaning same as ‘showing not any

       interest’.

 Answers :

 (i) ‘He’ refers to Tommy.

(ii) In her house in the room next to her bedroom.

 (iii) It flashed at the right time daily except on Saturday and Sunday.

 (iv) She was going to learn the addition of proper fractions.

(v) Nonchalantly.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS (to be answered in about 30 – 40 words each)

Q1. Who are Tommy and Margie? How old are they?                                                                      

Ans. 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.

 Q2. What did Margie write in her diary?                                                                                             

 Ans. On 17 May 2157 Margie recorded in her diary the discovery of a real book by Tommy. It was a very old paper book with yellow and crinkly pages.

Q3. Describe the book that Tommy had found in the attic.

Ans. Tommy found a real book in the attic of his house. The pages had turned yellow and crinkly because it was at least two hundred years old. Moreover, it was all covered with dust as it had been lying in the attic for ages.

Q4. Had Margie ever seen a book before?                                                                                          

Ans. No, Margie had never seen a book before till she saw the one that Tommy had found in the attic of his house. She had only heard about books from her grandfather who himself had not seen any. He too had heard about a printed book from his own grandfather.

 Q5. Did Margie like the printed book? Why/Why not?

Ans. Margie was so excited to know that Tommy had found a ‘real’ book which was unlike the on-screen books the two were used to reading, that she recorded the discovery in her diary. As she turned the yellow and crinkly pages of the book with Tommy, she found it awfully funny to read it. While Tommy found it a waste, Margie was fascinated by it and liked it.

Q6. What things about the book did Margie find strange?                                                          

 Ans. Margie lived in an era of mechanical education with telebooks stored in a machine. So she found it strange that the words in the printed book remained fixed unlike the moving ones on her television screen.

Q7. “What a waste!” What is Tommy referring to as a ‘waste’? Is it really a waste?

Ans. 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. Actually, printed books are not a waste. They can be read by many people over and over again and should be preserved for future generations.

 Q8. What do you think a telebook is?                                                                                                  

Ans. A telebook is a compact book in an electronic form. It is stored in a computer and can be read by scrolling its pages up, down or sideways on a screen.

Q9. How does Tommy find the telebooks of his own time to be better?

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

Q10. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?                                            

Ans. Margie’s school was inside the comfort of her house. It was just next to her bedroom. It was a customised school, set up exclusively for her according to her level and needs. No, she did not have any classmates.

Q11. Why had Margie started hating her school?

 Ans. Margie never liked school. But recently her hatred had 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.

Q12. What did Margie hate the most about her school?

Ans. The part that Margie hated most was the slot where she had to put homework and test papers. She always had to write them in a punch code that she was made to learn at the tender age of six. Besides, the mechanical teacher calculated her marks in no time which left no scope for Margie to relax after submitting the assigned tasks.

Q13. What subjects did Tommy and Margie learn?                                                                         

 Ans. Tommy and Margie learnt a lot of subjects like History, Geography and Mathematics.

Q14. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?                                                          

 Ans. Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. They were not real persons 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.

 Q15. Why did Margie’s mother shook her head one day and send for the County Inspector?

Ans. Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspector because Margie had been performing poorly in Geography. The repeated fall in her daughter’s performance disappointed her. So, she decided to call a specialist, the County Inspector, who could locate the problem and correct it.

Q16. What views did Margie’s mother have about teachers and learning?

 Ans. Margie’s mother was very particular about her child’s education and made sure that Margie attended her tele-school regularly and studied properly and punctually. She believed that a tele-teacher had to be adjusted to the mind of each student and that each student had to be taught differently. Whenever she noticed a snag in Margie’s tele-teacher, she sent for the County Inspector to get the snag removed so that Margie did not miss Out of her school and learning.

Q17. What was the County Inspector trained to do?

Ans. The County Inspector worked as a technical expert. He was trained to identify and rectify errors in the functioning of the system installed in the mechanical teachers.

Q18. What idea do you form of the County Inspector as a person?

Ans. The County Inspector was certainly a kind-hearted man. Instead of finding fault with Margie, he gave her an apple and told her mother that if Margie was not performing well, it was not her fault, but the fault of the mechanical teacher. He aligned the speed of the geography sector keeping in mind the level of the girl. Before leaving, he patted Margie on the head and expressed satisfaction at her performance.

 Q19. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help her?

Ans. Margie was doing badly because the speed of the geography sector had been fixed too fast for her level. The County Inspector slowed down the speed to suit the level of an average ten-year-old. As Margie was of eleven years, she was comfortable with the new level set by the County Inspector.

Q20. How did the County Inspector disappoint Margie?

Ans. Margie was disappointed because she hated school and hoped that her mechanical teacher would be taken away for repairs as Tommy’s teacher was once taken away for a month. But when the County Inspector promptly repaired and reset it at her home itself, she was unhappy.

Q21. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?                                                                    

Ans. Once, Tommy’s mechanical teacher had developed a fault and its history sector had blanked out absolutely. The teacher had to be taken away for repairs and it had taken a month to put it in order.

Q22. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?                                     

Ans. Yes, Margie had regular days and hours for school. She studied from Monday to Friday at the same time every day. Although her school was a large black television screen installed in her own house, she had to attend it regularly. Her mother thought that young girls learnt things better if they studied them at regular hours.

Q23. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?                                                             

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

Q24. How does Tommy describe the old kind of teachers?

Ans. 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.

Q25. Why did Margie remark, “How could a man be a teacher”?

Ans. Margie made this remark when she heard Tommy mention that children were taught by human teachers in the times gone by. She could not believe the truth of Tommy’s comment because she had not seen any human teacher; she was used to studying with the help of her mechanical tele-teacher only. Moreover, she believed that a human teacher could not match the mechanical teacher in intelligence and knowledge.

Q26. Who interrupts Margie and Tommy’s conversation? Why?

Ans. Margie and Tommy were lost in unravelling the exciting mystery of the ‘real’ book that the latter had found in his attic, when Margie’s mother interrupted them saying “Margie! School!” and she even suggested to Tommy that it was time for him to attend school, too.

 Q27. When Margie went to her school, what did the teacher on the screen teach?

Ans. When Margie went to her school, which was a room next to her bedroom, the mechanical teacher taught an arithmetic lesson on the addition of proper fractions. It taught her how to add the fractions 1/2 and ¼.

Q28. Why couldn’t Margie concentrate on the Arithmetic lesson?

Ans. Margie could not concentrate on the arithmetic lesson because her mind was pre-occupied with the thoughts about the school that Tommy had just described her. She was awestruck to learn that children studied together and were taught by real persons in these old schools. She thought how much fun those students must have had while studying together.

Q29. Why does Margie feel that learning was fun in the schools of the past?

Ans. Margie attends a tele-school, which is just a machine in the room next to her bedroom and she studies alone unlike students of the schools in the bygone times. She feels that learning was more fun in those days because hundreds of children had the opportunity of congregating and studying together with the help of human teachers and printed books. Schools were huge buildings where a lot of activities could be carried out by students in groups. Compared to that, her present school is much too mechanical, boring, monotonous and demanding, and she hates it.

Q30. What was Tommy’s opinion about the ‘real book’?

Ans. Tommy found the ‘real book’ a waste as once read you, just throw it away. It did not seem interesting and useful. The words were fixed on it and not any other thing can be printed on it.

Q.31. How does Tommy 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.

Q32. Who was the Country Inspector? What was his work?

Ans. The country Inspector was the man who repaired the mechanical teacher. He adjusted the level of the teacher as per the child’s requirements and intelligence.

Q33. Why was Margie doing worse in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help her?

Ans. Margie had been doing worse in geography because the mechanical teacher was very fast in displaying the questionnaire. The County Inspector adjusted its speed up to 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.

Q.34. 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.

Q35. 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.

Q36. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?

Ans. Once Tommy’s teacher was taken away for about a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.

Q37. What is the ‘slot’? Why does Margie hate it?

Ans. ‘Slot’ was a space in the mechanical teacher where each student is to put his homework and test assignments for marking. Margie hates it the most because she has to work hard to punch code for answering homework.

Q38. Evaluate ‘The Fun They Had’ as a futuristic story.

Ans. The Fun They Had’ is a futuristic story. It tells us about the revolutionary 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 the students of 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.

Q39. How will the e-books be different from the old books that existed centuries ago?

Ans. The very concept of ‘the books’ will change in the 22nd century. The e-books will replace old books. The books will not be printed on papers. The words will move on a TV/computer screen. The television screen may have more than a million books on it.

Q40.What did Margie’s mother think about the teacher’ and ‘the school’?

Ans. Margie’s mother thought that every child had a different intelligence and capacity to understand things. The mechanical teacher should be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it taught. Each kid had to be taught differently. She thought that little girls and boys would learn better if they learned at regular hours at the ‘school’.

Q41. Describe the characteristics of the old school? How did it influence Margie?

Ans. The old school had several characteristics — the children went to a big building. The man worked as a teacher and taught the boys and girls. The teacher gave them homework. He also asked them questions. They sat together and studied the same subject. In the old school, children studied and played together. It was quite opposite to the school that has been talked about in the chapter. Margie was very much influenced by the old school. In her class, she was busy thinking about the fun the children had at that time.

Q42. Will future schools be completely devoid of humans and human values? Give a reasoned answer.

Ans. Certainly, a revolutionary change will come in the field of education in future. The mechanical teachers and tele-books will dominate the scene. Every student will be taught by the mechanical teacher according to his or her ability. However, the institution of schools will remain in one form or the other. Human teachers will not disappear altogether. Education will never be completely devoid of humans and human values.

Q43. Why did Tommy and Margie think the old book a wastage of resources?

Ans. Tommy and Margie thought the old book was a wastage of resources  because they found the words in the old book were not moving. The pages had turned yellow and crinkly. Moreover, the old book could not last long.

Q44. What difference did Margie’s mother find in the old school?

Ans. Margie’s mother was of the opinion that children should be taught according to their individual needs. But in the old school, the children of the same age group studied the same things.

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS (to be answered in about 120 – 150 words each)

Q1.How did a chance discovery of a paper book leave Margie and Tommy awestruck?

Ans. Margie was 11 and Tommy was 13 and are neighbourhood friends in the year 2157. It is an age of total automation, mechanisation, digitalisation and computerisation. Children do not go to a school building and they are not taught by a human teacher. Instead, their teacher is a tell teacher, a computer like a machine that has millions of books. It can be customised according to the age and learning needs and abilities of individual students. Reading is done on a screen that displays movable text. So, one day when Tommy finds an old, dusty paper book in the attic of his house, he shares the exciting news with his friend Margie and together they are awestruck, for they had hitherto never seen or heard about a book that had no screen but only fixed text on pages that had to be flipped with fingers. As the duo kept reading the book further and further, their excitement kept growing. They were awestruck to discover that ancient schools were huge buildings where hundreds of children studied together with the same syllabus, the same subjects and carried out the same activities and tasks. They were taught by real human teachers with the help of real books. Margie believes that students those days must have had a lot of fun studying together.

Q2. What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story?                                                                                                                  

Ans. Tommy and Margie are young schools going children in the year 2157. Schools and teachers have an entirely different form from the ones in the twentieth century. Margie and Tommy’s school is not in a separate special building but in a room in their respective houses where the television or the mechanical teacher is placed. Each student has to sit and study alone with the help of the mechanical teacher. The ‘teacher’ assigns tests to the students and assesses their progress. The speed of the different subject sectors is fixed according to the age level of each student. There is a special slot in the tele-teacher where students have to insert their homework. If the mechanical teacher develops any fault, there are engineers to repair it. Sometimes the fault may be a major one and it takes longer to repair it, as was the case when Tommy’s history teacher developed a snag.

 Thus, the mechanical teachers and schoolrooms of Tommy and Margie are fully computerised and are completely different from the present day schools.

Q3. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?

Ans. Margie hated school because it did not have any fun. Her schedule was too regimented and she had to study at a fixed time on all days of the week except Saturdays and Sundays. She did not have any classmates to study with and seek help from. Her mechanical teacher sometimes developed a snag and assigned the tests that were quite difficult for her. Constant failure to perform well in such tests was disappointing for her. There were times when she wanted a break, but the technical advancement of 2157 did not give her a chance. The County Inspector took just a little while to set right the Geography sector of her teacher.

 She thought that the old kind of school must have been fun because unlike her school, the ancient schools were in special buildings where the students from the whole neighbourhood came laughing and playing. Students of the same level would be in the same room and were taught by human teachers. The students would sit together in the schoolroom, go home together, learn the same things, help one another with the homework and talk about it. Hence, schools in olden days did not restrain their students but gave them a chance to grow up together.

 Q4. Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story? Give reasons for your answer.                                                                                                                               

Ans. Margie’s school, as described in the story, seems to be a boring place where learning in a mere task. In comparison, schools today are more fun. Students get a chance to come out of their homes and travel to reach school. On their way, they laugh, play and have so much fun. The schoolyard too is a great open place where the students get a chance to interact informally with each other. They get an opportunity to share their experiences and help each other. Their learning schedule is also flexible and gives them enough time to have fun. They have so many extra-curricular activities which teach a lot of skills in a fun-filled way. Their teacher is a real person who makes them sit together and teaches them the same topic. In this way, they learn to adjust and adapt which helps them develop the values of tolerance and cooperation. Hence, Margie’s view that schools today are more fun than her school is totally justified.

Q5. Suppose you are Margie. Write a diary entry dated 17th May 2157 about Tommy’s real book that he found in his attic.

Ans.

Tuesday,

 17^th May 2157

10.00 p.m.,london

                                                                                                                                                             

Dear Diary

 It has been a wonderful day for me as I have seen a real, hard-bound printed paper book. In fact, Tommy found the book in the attic of his house when he was cleaning the cupboard of his grandfather. It consists of about 200 pages which have become yellow and crinkly with time. It is a strange experience to read the words fixed on its papers unlike the ones in my telebooks that keep moving as I scroll.

 When I turn the page, I find the same words again. The book is about a school from olden times, about two centuries ago. Can you believe that in those times a school was not a room in one’s own house but a special building dedicated to the purpose of teaching and learning! The students of the same level studied the same things sitting together in the same classroom. It is really wonderful to think that the teachers were men and not machines. I really believe that it must have been great fun for children to go to such schools together, laughing, joking, playing, and teasing each other. How wonderful it must have been that the students helped each other with lessons as well! I wish I could travel back in time and study in one of those schools.

 Margie

Q6. 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 at her house. She was supposed to sit in that room alone to complete her home task or assignments. The part Margie hated the most was the slot where she had to put homework and test papers. 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, going home together at the end of the day. They learned the same things so that they could help one another with homework and talk about it. All the teacher were people. Children needed a company to enhance their skills. If they are isolated, they get depressed and dejected.

Q7. The old schools are considered fun by the modern generation. Explain.

 Ans. The ancient schools consisted of Gurukuls in which the students stayed in the building with the guru. Then with the change of time Gurukuls changed into schools. Hence the teacher and the student have a formal relationship. In these schools, teachers are human beings and books are real ones made of paper. Now with times, the modern generation’s school replaced by e-text and computers. The future generation would envy when they come to know about the old system of education in which all the kids went to school together. They studied together, played together. They could have better innovative minds as they got a chance to discuss things with each other. The old system of education in which ‘man’ as a teacher could influence his students by the charisma of his personality. Future generation would utter what fun the schools were long ago.

Q8. 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 have more fun than the school discussed in the story. This school has nothing but a mechanical teacher with 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 adapt themselves to the new surroundings and 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, alienation and segregation.

Q9. Will the existing schools and teachers become totally irrelevant in future ‘school’? Give a reasoned answer.

Ans. Naturally, schools that existed centuries ago will not be the same in the coming centuries. The system of education will be highly computerised and mechanical. The ‘school’ will have no separate building. Nor will they be taught the same thing together. The mechanical teacher will be a big TV screen, good for a million books. The mechanical teacher will be adjusted according to the age and capacity of the student. But it will be an exaggeration to say that everything about the old schools will disappear. Even the future schools can’t be completely devoid of the human angle. Perhaps the institution of the old schools and teachers will remain. Human involvement can’t disappear altogether.

Q10. Describe the characteristics of old schools. How did they arouse so much interest in Margie and Tommy?

Ans. The good old students reflected the charm and romance of their times. Every school had its own buildings. Students from different parts of the town went there for studies. All the students in a class were taught the same things. They received the same kinds of homework. Hence, students could help one another. The teachers were real human beings. The books were printed on papers.

 There was an air of romance about the old schools. Margie’s interest was around about them. She got the relevant information about them from Tommy. In comparison to her mechanical teacher and her ‘school’, the old schools charmed Margie. She was fascinated by the way children went to their schools. They studied together. They were taught the same things. It was easier for them to help one another. Margie was rather envious of the fun the children had in old schools.

Q11. Can you imagine a school without teachers and books? Give your opinion on the basis of the lesson ‘The Fun They Had’.

Ans. No one can deny the role of modern technologies in our lives and in our studies. Nowadays education is changing but schools without teachers and without books are beyond imagination. Without teachers, teaching would not be good because no one would be there to explain and to teach as well. No student would like the environment, it would be like an office. Teachers are very important for education. Teachers not only teach us different subjects but they also teach us to live in discipline and to live together. Teachers resolve the student’s problem and doubt and if they aren’t in schools the students don’t study enough. As in the lesson Margie does not like her school, she finds it tedious as she does not have the opportunity to be with other students and to do every work together. Modern technologies can be taken as an aid to improve the standard of studies but the schools without books and teachers will never be preferred.

Q12. What is the role of a teacher in the life of a student? How is a human teacher better than a mechanical teacher?

Ans. Teachers play a very important role in the life of a student. They not only provide bookish knowledge but also inspire their student to live a meaningful and successful life. They burn themselves like a candle throughout their lives to remove the darkness and ignorance from their student’s life. This can be done by a human teacher only. A mechanical teacher can provide ample knowledge on various subjects but he/she can not boost up their student to do something distinguished. There is a single mechanical teacher having various sectors geared up according to the level of the child. There is no companion, no playground and no fun at all. The teaching is mechanical and monotonous. Thus the human teachers are better than the mechanical teachers in many ways. They know individually intellect of their students which help them to guide them individually according to the mental level of students.

9th Std SLUMBER DID MY SPIRIT SEAL

Extra questions

1. What does ‘a slumber’ refer to?
A slumber refers to the deep sleep.

 2. What did the slumber do to the poet’s spirit?
The slumber sealed the poet’s spirit. He could not feel any human fear.

3. What had sealed the poet’s spirit?
The death of a loved one sealed the poet’s spirit.

4. What is meant by ‘human fears’?
‘Human fears’ mean the common worries and fears that everyone faces in the world.

5. What is meant by earth’s diurnal course’?
‘Earth’s diurnal course’ means the regular movement of the earth around the sun.

Q.6. ‘A slumber did my spirit seal,’ says the poet. That is, a deep sleep “closed off” his soul (or mind). How does the poet react to his loved one’s death? Does he feel bitter grief? Or does he feel a great peace?

Ans. The death of his loved one has given him a great shock. It has made his soul a root. He is in a great grief. But he also feels relieved. It is so because this child has now become a part and parcel of nature and moves in the cosmos.

Q.7. ‘The passing of time will no longer affect her’, says the poet. ‘Which lines of the poem say this?

 Ans. The lines which tell about this are—`She seemed a thing that could not feel the touch of earthy years.’

 Q.8. How does the poet imagine her to he, after death? Does he think of her as a person living in a very happy state (a `heaven’).? Or does he see her now as a part of Nature? In which lines of the poem do you find your answer?

Ans. The poet imagines that the child has become now a part of nature. She moves around in this cosmos. The following lines tell us about this
‘She neither hears nor sees
Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course
 With rocks and stones and trees’.

Q9. What changes were brought about in the feelings of the poet on the death of his
loved one?
The poet was grieved at the death of his loved one but the thought that she was
now beyond earthly matters and was one with nature and moving with the earth,
gave him peace.

Q10. How will the poet’s loved one not feel the touch of the earthly years?
The poet’s loved one is dead. Time will not affect her. She has neither motion
nor force. She neither hears nor sees. She has become a part of the rocks, stones
and trees and moves with the regular motion of the earth.

Q11.
How does the poet pay tribute to his loved one in the poem ‘A Slumber Did My Spirit
Seal’?
The poet is grieved and troubled on the death of his loved one. He realises that
his loved one has gone into deep slumber where worldly matters will not affect
her. She is unaffected by passing time. She cannot hear or see anything. She has
become a part of the rocks, stones and trees. The earth moves regularly around
the sun and on its axis. The poet’s beloved also moves along with the earth. She
will live forever like other objects of nature and has become immortal.

9th Std THE BEGGAR

THE BEGGAR 

EXTRACT BASED QUESTIONS 

Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow in one or two lines.

(I)

 For eight years I was a village schoolteacher and then I lost my place through intrigues. I fell a victim to calumny. It is a year now since I have had anything to do.

1.Who is “I” in this extract? Whom is he telling about himself?

I here refer to the beggar, Lushkoff. He is telling advocate Sergei about himself.

2.What was his occupation and why did he lose it?

According to Lushkoff, he was a village schoolteacher and he lost his occupation because of scheming and lies against him.

3.What does he do now?

 He hasn’t had anything to do for a year now. However, he begs in order to survive.

4.What does the speaker expect from the listener?

The speaker appeals to the listener’s kindness and sympathy in order to get words of kindness and monetary help.

(II)

“This is dishonesty, my dear sir!” he cried angrily. “This is swindling -I shall send the police for you, damn you!”

1.Who speaks these lines to whom?

 Sergei, an affluent advocate, says these words to Lushkoff, an alcoholic beggar.

2.Why was the speaker angry?

The speaker, Sergei, was angry because Lushkoff was being dishonest and had been cheating people in order to get money as alms.

3.What, according to the speaker, was ‘dishonesty’ and ‘swindling’?

According to the speaker, Sergei, concealing real identity and telling lies by Lushkoff was dishonesty and swindling.

4.Why did the speaker threaten to send the police for the listener?

 The speaker, Sergei, threatened to send the police for the listener, Lushkoff, because the latter was reluctant to admit that he had adopted unfair means to gain sympathy and monetary help from people.

(III)Olga glared wrathfully at her companion, shoved him aside with her elbow, unlocked the shed, and angrily banged the door.

1.Who was Olga and who was her companion?

 Olga was the cook of advocate Sergei and her companion was Lushkoff, the beggar.

2.How did Olga look at her companion and why?

 Olga looked at her companion, Lushkoff, with wrathful glare because his appearance with tattered clothes and drunken eyes was much too disgusting.

3.Why did Olga unlock the shed?

Olga unlocked the shed to take out the wood and give it to Lushkoff for chopping as instructed by her master, advocate Sergei.

4.Why did Olga bang the door angrily?

Olga banged the door angrily because the sight of the drunkard beggar repulsed her. By banging the door, she expressed her displeasure.

(IV)On the first of the month the waif made his appearance and again earned half a rouble, although he could barely stand on his legs. From that day on he often appeared in the yard and every time work was found for him.

Who was the waif and where did he make his appearance?

 The waif was Lushkoff, the beggar, and he made his appearance at the house of advocate Sergei.

2. How did he earn half a rouble?

Lushkoff earned half a rouble by chopping wood for Sergei.

3. Why could he barely stand on his legs?

 Lushkoff could barely stand on his legs because his addiction to alcohol had made him very weak and he did not have any source of regular income to feed himself.

4. What work was found for him every time?

 Various odd tasks were found every time for Lushkoff. These included shovelling snow, putting wood-shed in order, and beating the dust out of rugs and mattresses.

Q.1. How did Sergei recognise the beggar?

Ans. Sergei looked at the beggar. His face appeared familiar to him. He tried to recollect where he had seen him. Suddenly, his eyes fell on the beggar’s shoes. One shoe was high and the other was low. Now he clearly remembered where he had seen the beggar before. He had seen the beggar in the Sadovya Street

2. The beggar was a liar. What two lies did he tell Sergei?

Ans. When the beggar met Sergei for the first time, he told him that he was a student and had been expelled from the college. When he met Sergei, for the second time, he told him that he had been offered a position in Kaluga, but he had no money for the fare to get there

 Q.3. What kind of work was given to Lushkoff initially? Why did he agree to do it?

Ans. Sergei refused to give alms to Lushkolf, the beggar. lie offered to give him work. He took him home and gave him the work of chopping wood. Lushkoff agreed to do this work, not because he was hungry and scanted work. He agreed to do it because of pride and shame and because he had been trapped by his own words.

Q.4. How did Olga treat Lushkoff in the beginning? Why did she do this?

Ans. In the beginning, Olga treated Lushkoff callously. She called him a drunkard. She rebuked him. Then she would sit before him and grow sad. She looked into his face and wept. Then she chopped wood for him. She did so because she felt pity for him. Secondly, she wanted to put him on the right path.

Q.5. Where did Sergei send Lushkoff? What advice did he give him?

Ans. Sergei wanted to give Lushkoff better, cleaner employment. His friend needed a copywriter. As Lushkoff was able to write, so Sergei sent him to his friend. Sergei advised him to work hard and not to drink. He asked him not to forget his advice

Q.6. Where did Sergei see Lushkoff after two years? What work was he doing then?

Ans. One day, after two years, Sergei came across Lushkoff standing at the ticket window of a theatre, paying for a seat. He was wearing a coat collar of curly fur and sealskin cap. Sergei recognized him. Lushkoff told him that now he was a notary and was paid thirty-five roubles a month.

Q.7.  Was Lushkoff not good at chopping wood ?

Ans. No, Lushkoff was not good at chopping wood. He pulled a piece of wood towards him. Ile put it between his legs. lie hit the wood feebly with the axe. The piece of wood became unsteady and fell down. Ile again pulled it and struck it. The piece of wood again fell down. This shows that Lushkoff did not know how to chop wood.

8. Write a brief character-sketch of Olga.

 Ans. Olga was the maidservant of Sergei. She was stem looking. But she was kind at heart. She rebuked Lushkoff. But then she took pity on him as he was weak and hungry. She did the chopping work for Lushkoff. Olga’s kindness had great effect on Lushkoff. He gave up drinking and started taking interest in work. Thus Olga’s kindness saved Lushkoff’s life. 

Q 9. What plea does Lushkoff make to Sergei when he appears at his yard?

Ans:-Lushkoff pleads to Sergei to have pity on him. He says that he has not eaten anything for three days and does not have five copecks for lodging. He further tells Sergei that he had been a village school teacher for eight years and had lost his job due to scheming and lies.

Q10.Describe the physical appearance of Lushkoff when Sergei observes him in his yard.

Ans:- Sergei observed Lushkoff closely when the latter came to his yard asking for alms. At that time, Lushkoff had a ragged appearance. He had worn a fawn-coloured overcoat and his eyes were dull and drunken. There was a red spot on either cheek. He looked every bit a disgusting beggar.

Q 11. Why does Lushkoff want to go to Kaluga?

Ans:- Lushkoff wants to go to Kaluga because he claims that he has an offer of a position in this province, after having lived without work for nearly a year. However, he cannot go there because he does not have any money.

Q 12. Has Lushkoff become a beggar by circumstance or by choice?                  (Textual)

Ans:-Lushkoff has become a beggar not by choice but by circumstance. He was a singer in a Russian choir but was sent away for his drunkenness. Alcoholism had made him weak and he could not toil, so he took to begging for survival.

Q13. How did Sergei come to remember that he had met the beggar before?

Ans: –A close look at the beggar’s face made Sergei think that he had seen the man somewhere before. Then his eyes fell on his overshoes, one of which was high and the other was low. This made Sergei remember suddenly that he had seen this beggar in Sadovya Street a couple of days before.

 Q 14. Why was the beggar taken aback when Sergei asked if he remembered having met him earlier?

Ans:- The beggar was taken aback because he knew that his lies were going to be caught soon. The repercussions of extracting money by exploiting the sympathy of people could be very harsh for him. He could even be handed over to the police.

Q15. How did Sergei react when the beggar lied about his identity?

Ans:-Sergei got infuriated when the beggar lied about his identity. He turned from the ragged creature with an expression of disgust and reprimanded him for dishonesty and swindling. He threatened to call the police as well.

Q 16. What lies did Lushkoff tell people to beg?

Ans:- In order to beg alms and earn sympathy, Lushkoff told different lies to people. He would claim to be a student who had been expelled or a village schoolteacher who had lost his job because of intrigues and lies of others.

Q 17. What reason does Lushkoff give to Sergei for telling lies?                       (Textual)

Ans:- Lushkoff tells Sergei that he was telling lies because no one would help him if he told the truth about his drunkenness. Instead, lies helped him get both sympathy and money that he required desperately to keep himself alive.

Q18. What offer was made by Sergei to the beggar in order to discourage him from begging? Why?

Ans:- Sergei offered Lushkoff to chop wood for him and earn money instead of telling lies and begging. Sergei made this offer because he believed that people could be reformed by hard work and not by giving sympathy or alms.

Q19.Is Lushkoff a willing worker? Why, then, does he agree to chop wood for Sergei?                                                                                                                    (Textual)

Ans:-Luskhoff is not a willing worker since alcohol has made him very weak, both physically and emotionally. Still, he agrees to do the menial job of chopping wood because of his pride and shame. Earlier he had expressed his willingness to do any work provided he was offered one and now he could not go back on his words.

Q20. Who was Olga? What task did Sergei assign to her?

Ans:-Olga was Sergei’s cook. She appeared to be ill-tempered but eventually played an instrumental role in reforming Lushkoff with her words and noble deeds. Sergei told her to take Lushkoff to the wood-shed and make him chop wood for them.

Q21. How did Lushkoff follow Olga to the wood-shed? What did this reveal about his willingness to work?

Ans:- Lushkoff followed Olga in a gait that showed his reluctance to work. It was obvious that his strength had been destroyed by ‘vodka’ and he was too weak to do any type of hard physical labour.

Q22. Why did Sergei hurry into the dining-room? What did he see from there?

Ans:-Sergei hurried into the dining-room because he wanted to check the beggar’s behaviour while chopping wood. He saw both Olga and Lushkoff walking towards the shed. He also saw Olga’s expression of wrath towards the beggar and the manner in which he struggled to chop wood in the acute cold.

Q23. How did Olga behave with the beggar while taking him to the wood-shed?

Ans:-Olga behaved with Lushkoff in a very shabby manner. She looked at him angrily and even shoved him aside with her elbow while unlocking the shed. She threw an axe at his feet and scolded him all the time as he tried to chop wood.

Q24. Who was the ‘pseudo-teacher’ and why did he sit on a log?

Ans:-The ‘pseudo-teacher’ was the beggar Lushkoff. He sat on a log, lost in his thought as his frail health did not allow him to undertake the hard task of chopping wood but he could not get away from it either.

Q25. Describe Lushkoff’s attempt to chop wood.

Ans:-In order to chop wood, Lushkoff irresolutely pulled a billet of wood towards him, set it up between his feet; and tapped it feebly with the axe instead of hitting it hard. As a result, the billet wavered and fell down. He again pulled it to him, blew on his freezing hands, and tapped it with his axe cautiously. The billet again fell to the ground without being chopped.

Q26. How did Sergei feel after he saw Lushkoff chopping wood?

Ans:- Sergei didn’t feel angry anymore after he saw Lushkoff chopping wood. Instead, he felt a little sorry and ashamed at having given the tough task of wood-chopping to Lushkoff who seemed to him a spoiled, drunkard and probably a sick man. It was difficult for him to do such a menial task in the severe cold.

 Q27. What remuneration was paid to Lushkoff for chopping wood for the first time? What additional offer was made at this time?

Ans:-Sergei paid a rouble as remuneration to the beggar for chopping wood and instructed Olga to tell him that if he wanted, he could come back and chop wood on the first day of each month.

 Q28. Why did Lushkoff return to the yard on the first of the month? Why did he reappear often?

Ans:-Lushkoff returned to the yard on the first of the month in order to chop wood and earn one rouble in return. He reappeared often because every time he used to be given odd jobs like shovelling snow, putting the wood-shed in order and beating the dust out of rugs and mattresses. The money he thus got helped him survive.

Q29. When and why did Sergei hire Lushkoff? How did he appear at this time?

Ans:-Sergei hired Lushkoff when he moved into another house. He hired him to help in packing and hauling of the furniture. This time Lushkoff appeared sober but gloomy and silent.

Q30. Why did Lushkoff become embarrassed when he came to assist Sergei move to another house?

Ans:- Lushkoff became embarrassed when he came to assist Sergei move to another house because he could not help in any way. He simply walked behind the wagons hanging his head and shivered in the cold. The other carters mocked at his idleness, feebleness and his tattered fancy over-coat.

Q31. Sergei says, “I am happy that my words have taken effect.” Why does he say so? Is he right in saying this?                                                                                 (Textual)

Ans:-Sergei says so because Lushkoff looked sober and seemed to have helped in the packing and hauling of furniture. He is partially right in saying this because his constant support had at least given Lushkoff an option to quit his disgusting life as a beggar.

Q32. What revelation was made by Lushkoff to Sergei at the theatre?

Ans:- Lushkoff revealed to Sergei that he did not chop even a single stick of wood at his yard. All the toil was done by the good and noble cook, Olga, who tried to help him and underwent misery and shed tears for his sake.

Q33. “Thank you, too”. Why does Lushkoff say this to Sergei?

Ans:- Lushkoff says this to Sergei because although Olga was the one who had actually reformed him but Sergei’s contribution too was important. He had taken interest in the life of a disgusting beggar and helped him drag himself out of the mess he was in.

Q34. Where did Sergei send Lushkoff? What was his parting advice?

Or

Which cleaner employment did Sergei arrange for Lushkoff? How?

Ans:-Sergei sent Lushkoff to his friend with a letter of recommendation for some copying work. This was a cleaner employment in comparison to wood-chopping. As a parting advice, he told Lushkoff to work hard and not to drink.

Q35. How and why did Sergei express his pleasure before parting from Lushkoff?

Ans:-Sergei expressed his pleasure by tapping Lushkoff gently on the shoulder and shaking hands with him at parting. He expressed pleasure in this manner because he was convinced that the beggar was now a reformed person and deserved respect and honour.