Class 9 English - TELANGANA
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, and children learn alone from mechanical teachers in their homes. The protagonist, Margie, discovers an old paper book from the 20th century in her friend Tommy's attic. As they read about schools of the past with human teachers and classrooms full of children studying and playing together, Margie realizes how much fun children of the past used to have. This chapter matters for Telangana (TSBSE) exams as it tests reading comprehension, critical thinking, and contrastive analysis between modern and future education.
Start Learning FreeKey Concepts
Setting of the Future
The story takes place in the year 2157, featuring a world where traditional schools, paper books, and human teachers have been replaced by robotic teachers and tele-books.
The Mechanical Teacher
A large, black, ugly computer screen installed in children's homes that flashes lessons, asks questions, and calculates test scores instantly.
Real Books vs. E-books
Tele-books store millions of books on a screen, unlike old printed books where words stood still instead of moving on a screen.
The Concept of Old Schools
Schools of the past were community buildings where human teachers taught children of the same age the same things, playing and learning together.
Margie's Frustration
Margie dislikes her mechanical teacher because she has been failing geography tests repeatedly due to a glitch in the robotic teacher's speed sector.
Important Formulas
Board Exam Info
In the Telangana (TSBSE) Class 9 English exams, this chapter typically carries around 6 to 8 marks. Questions frequently include reading comprehension passages, paragraph-answer questions about the differences between modern schools and future schools, and character sketches of Margie and Tommy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Margie hate school?
Margie hated school because her mechanical teacher was giving her test after test in geography, and she was performing poorly due to a technical glitch.
What was strange about the old book that Tommy found?
The old book was strange because its pages were yellow and crinkly, and the words stood still instead of moving on a screen like tele-books.
Why did Margie think children must have loved school in the old days?
Margie thought children loved old schools because all kids from the neighborhood studied together, had fun, laughed, and helped each other with homework taught by human teachers.
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