📘 Chapter 1: THE FUN THEY HAD

By Isaac Asimov | Class 9 Beehive | JEPC 2025-26

Story set in the year 2157

📌 About the Chapter

This story is about Margie and Tommy who live in the future. They study at home with mechanical teachers and no classmates. When they find a real paper book, they wonder how schools used to be with human teachers and many friends.

I. Answer in a few words or a couple of sentences

1. How old are Margie and Tommy?

Ans: Margie is 11 years old and Tommy is 13 years old.

2. What did Margie write in her diary?

Ans: On 17 May 2157, Margie wrote, "Today Tommy found a real book!"

3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?

Ans: No, Margie had never seen a real book before. She had only read telebooks on a screen.

4. What things about the book did she find strange?

Ans: She found it strange that the book had yellow and crinkly pages, the words stood still instead of moving, and the same words were there when they turned back the page.

5. What do you think a telebook is?

Ans: A telebook is a book shown on a computer/television screen. All lessons and stories appear on the screen and millions of books can be stored in it.

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

Ans: Margie’s school was in her house, in a room next to her bedroom. No, she did not have any classmates. She studied alone with a mechanical teacher.

7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?

Ans: They learned Geography, History, and Arithmetic. Margie was having trouble with Geography.

II. Answer with reference to the story

1. “I wouldn’t throw it away.”

(i) Who says these words?

Ans: Tommy

(ii) What does ‘it’ refer to?

Ans: The real paper book that Tommy found.

(iii) What is it being compared with?

Ans: It is being compared with telebooks. Tommy says their telebooks can store a million books.

2. “Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”

(i) Who does ‘they’ refer to?

Ans: People/children of the old times / centuries ago

(ii) What does ‘regular’ mean here?

Ans: Mechanical / robotic teacher which was normal for Margie and Tommy.

(iii) What is it contrasted with?

Ans: It is contrasted with human teachers of the olden days.

III. Short Paragraph Answers ~30 words

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

Ans: Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. They were big, black machines with a screen. Lessons appeared on the screen, questions were asked, and homework was checked using a punch code slot.

2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?

Ans: Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspector because Margie was doing badly in Geography. Her mechanical teacher kept giving her tests and her performance was getting worse.

3. What did he do?

Ans: The County Inspector opened the mechanical teacher and slowed down the geography sector to an average ten-year level. He said Margie’s overall progress was satisfactory.

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

Ans: Margie was doing badly because the geography sector was set too fast for her. The Inspector slowed it down to an average ten-year level so she could understand better.

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

Ans: Once Tommy’s history sector had blanked out completely. So his teacher was taken away for nearly a month to be repaired.

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

Ans: Yes. Margie had school at the same time every day except Saturday and Sunday. Her mother believed little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours.

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

Ans: Tommy said the old schools were in special buildings. Hundreds of kids of the same age went there. They learned the same thing, played together, and went home together.

8. How does he describe the old kind of teachers?

Ans: Tommy said the old teachers were men. They taught kids in a special building, gave them homework, and asked questions. Margie thought a man couldn’t be as smart as a mechanical teacher.

IV. Long Answers 100-150 words

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

Ans: In the year 2157, Margie and Tommy have mechanical teachers instead of human teachers. The mechanical teacher is a large, black, and ugly machine with a big screen. All lessons are shown on the screen and questions are asked. Students have to write answers in a punch code and put homework and test papers in a slot. The teacher checks them and gives marks immediately.

Their schoolroom is in their own house, right next to the bedroom. Each child studies alone. There are no classmates and no schoolyard. The teacher turns on at the same time every day except on weekends. The lessons can be adjusted to the child’s level. Though it is convenient, it is boring and lonely. There is no fun of studying together or playing with friends.

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 to study alone with a mechanical teacher every day at the same time. She was doing badly in Geography and the teacher kept giving her tests. She also hated the slot where she had to put her homework in punch code. There was no one to talk to or play with.

But after reading about old schools, she thought they must have been fun. In those days, all the kids from the neighborhood went to a special school building together. They laughed, played in the schoolyard, and went home together. They had human teachers and learned the same things, so they could help each other with homework. Margie felt that studying with friends and having a real teacher would be much more interesting than studying alone with a machine.

📌 Moral of the Story

Technology cannot replace the joy of learning together with friends and human teachers. Human connection makes learning fun.

*JEPC Textbook for Free Distribution: 2025-26*