Class 9 English - KERALA
Prose: The Fun They Had
The Fun They Had by Isaac Asimov is a science fiction story set in the year 2157, where education is fully mechanized. The chapter contrasts future robotic schooling—featuring mechanical teachers, tele-books, and isolated learning in a home schoolroom—with the nostalgic concept of old-fashioned schools where human teachers taught groups of children in a shared building. It matters for Kerala SCERT Class 9 board exams because it tests students' comprehension, critical thinking about modern versus future technology, and narrative analysis skills through passage-based and short-answer questions.
Start Learning FreeKey Concepts
Setting of the Story
The story is set in the future, specifically on May 17, 2157, when traditional schools and printed books have completely vanished.
Margie and Tommy
Margie is an eleven-year-old girl who keeps a diary, and Tommy is her thirteen-year-old friend who discovers an old printed book in his attic.
Mechanical Teachers
Future education relies on automated computer screens or mechanical teachers installed in children's homes, which assign homework and test grades without human empathy.
The Concept of Old Schools
Tommy and Margie read about schools from centuries past where human teachers taught children of the same age together in a special building, making learning fun and social.
Theme of Technological Advancement
The chapter highlights the dehumanizing effects of excessive technology in education and emphasizes the irreplaceable value of human interaction and social schools.
Important Formulas
Board Exam Info
In Kerala SCERT Class 9 English examinations, this chapter typically carries around 4 to 6 marks. Common question types include short-answer questions about Margie's school experience, paragraph-based questions comparing future and present education, and reference-to-context (extract-based) questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Margie doing badly in geography?
Margie was doing poorly because the mechanical teacher's geography sector had been geared a little too quick, resulting in her failing repeated automated tests.
What did Margie find strange about the old book?
Margie found it strange that the words stood still instead of moving across the screen, and that turning back the pages revealed the same words read earlier.
Why does Margie think the old school must have been fun?
Margie thinks old schools were fun because children from the whole neighborhood came together, laughed and shouted in the schoolyard, and learned the same things from human teachers.
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