NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 1 - The Fun They Had

Thinking about Text

Q1: How old are Margie and Tommy?
Ans: Margie is eleven and Tommy is thirteen-year-old.

Q2: What did Margie write in her diary?
Ans: Margie wrote, “Today Tommy found a real book!”.

Q3: Had Margie ever seen a book before?
Ans: No, Margie had never seen a book before.

Q4: What things about the book did she find strange?
Ans: Margie found several things about the book strange:

• The pages were yellow and wrinkled.
• The words on each page stayed the same every time she read them.
• She thought it was odd that someone would write a book about schools.

Q5: What do you think a telebook is?
Ans: A telebook is displayed on the television screen and the text of a telebook is similar to a book.

Q6: Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Ans: Margie’s school was in her home itself, right next to her bedroom. No, she did not have any classmates.

Q7: What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn? 
Ans: Tommy and Margie studied history, geography, and arithmetic.

II. Answer the following with reference to the story.

III. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).

Q1: What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Ans:

• Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. They werelarge and black and ugly and had large black screens on which all the lessons were shown and questions were asked. 
• The children were taught through computer and television screens. 
• These mechanical teachers had a slot in which the students had to put their homework and test papers. 
• They had to write their answers in a punch code and the mechanical teacher calculated the marks immediately.

Q2: Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
Ans:

• Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspector because the mechanical teacher of Margie was not functioning properly.
• Margie had been given many tests in geography by the mechanical teacher, but there was no improvement in her performance.
• It only kept getting worse. It is for this reason that Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspectorto find out why this was happening.

Q3: What did he do?
Ans: The County Inspector smiled at Margie , gave Margie an apple and started working on the mechanical teacher. He took it apart and then checked it. 

• Margie had hoped that the Inspector would not know how to put the mechanical teacher together again, but he managed to reassemble it. 
• He slowed down the geography sector of the teacher because it was geared a little too quick for an average ten-year-old.

Q4: Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help her?
Ans:

• Margie was doing badly in geography because the questions that were displayed on the screen of the mechanical teacher were too quick for her age. 
• The County Inspector rightly told her that she could not be blamed for her poor performance. 
• The County Inspectorslowed down the geography sector of the mechanical teacher to an average ten-year level. 
• He also told Mrs. Jones that Margie's overall progress pattern was satisfactory.

Q5: What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
Ans: Once, The history sector of Tommy’s teacher had blanked out completely.

Q6: Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Ans: Yes, Margie had regular days and hours for school.

• This was because her mother believed that learning at regular hours helped little girls learn better.
• Her mechanical teacher was also active at the same time every day, except on Saturday and Sunday.

Q7: How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Ans: Tommy described the old kind of school as a special building where all children learned together. Key features included:

• Hundreds of students studying and playing together.
• Children shouting and laughing in an open yard.
• A sense of community among the students.

This environment fostered interaction and camaraderie, making school a lively and enjoyable place.

Q8: How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
Ans: Tommy described the old kind of teachers as men who taught students in a special building. They:

• Instructed children in groups.
• Assigned homework.
• Asked questions to engage students.

This traditional approach contrasts with the modern teaching methods used by Margie and Tommy.

IV. Answer each of these questions in two or three paragraphs (100 –150 words).

Q1: What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story?
Ans: The main features of the mechanical teachers and schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have are:

• They have mechanical teachers at home, eliminating the need for traditional schools.
• The mechanical teacher is located in a room of their house, allowing for individual learning.
• There are no classrooms where students gather; they study using telebooks instead of printed books.
• Homework is submitted through a slot in the mechanical teacher, which grades their work instantly.
• Students write answers in punch code, showcasing a technologically advanced education system.
• Margie learned to use the mechanical teacher when she was just six years old.

Q2: Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?
Ans: Margie hated school because it was not enjoyable. She was taught by a mechanical teacher at a set time each day. Recently, her performance in geography tests had declined, which displeased her mother. In response, her mother called the County Inspector, hoping he would replace the mechanical teacher. Margie felt let down when the inspector simply repaired the teacher instead.
Margie's least favourite part was submitting her homework and tests through a slot in the mechanical teacher. She disliked writing her answers in a punch code. Margie believed the old kind of school must have been fun because she imagined:

• Children from the neighbourhood gathering together, laughing and playing in the schoolyard.
• Students sitting together in class and going home together.
• Learning the same subjects, allowing them to help each other with homework.
• Having real teachers who were people.

These aspects made her think that the old school experience would have been enjoyable.

Q3: Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans: Yes, I agree that schools today are more fun than the school in the story. Here are some reasons:

• In the story, there is little interaction among students. Studying seems boring and solitary.
• Doing homework alone and writing in a punch code can be exhausting.
• Today, students learn better through interaction with each other, which creates a healthier learning environment.
• Listening to teachers explain lessons is often more engaging than reading from a mechanical computer.
• The excitement of waiting for exam results is heightened when shared with classmates, unlike immediate calculations.
• The friendships formed at school are often the most meaningful and last a lifetime.
• Schools today teach important values such as obedience, respect, and kindness through various activities.

Therefore, schools today are more fun than the school in the story because they are more interactive and foster a positive environment for learning.

Thinking about Language

I. Adverbs

Q1: Find the sentences in the lesson which have the adverbs given in the box below.
Ans:

• 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.
• 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.
• They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.
• He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, “Centuries ago.”
• “But my mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches and that each kid has to be taught differently.”
• “I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Margie said quickly.
• “Maybe,” he said nonchalantly.

Q2: Now use these adverbs to fill in the blanks in the sentences below.
(i) The report must be read _____________ so that performance can be improved.
(ii) At the interview, Sameer answered our questions _____________ , shrugging his shoulders.
(iii) We all behave ________________  when we are tired or hungry.
(iv) The teacher shook her head ____________ when Ravi lied to her.
(v) I __________ forgot about it.
(vi) When I complimented Revathi on her success, she just smiled ___________ and turned away.
(vii) The President of the Company is _____________ busy and will not be able to meet you.
(viii) I finished my work __________________ so that I could go out to play.
Ans:
(i) The report must be read carefully so that performance can be improved.
(ii) At the interview, Sameer answered our questions loftily, shrugging his shoulders.
(iii) We all behave differently when we are tired or hungry.
(iv) The teacher shook her head sorrowfully when Ravi lied to her.
(v) completely forgot about it.
(vi) When I complimented Revathi on her success, she just smiled nonchalantly and turned away.
(vii) The President of the Company is awfully busy and will not be able to meet you.
(viii) I finished my work quickly so that I could go out to play.

Q3: Make adverbs from these adjectives.
(i) angry ___________
(ii) happy __________
(iii) merry___________
(iv) sleepy __________
(v) easy ____________
(vi) noisy ___________
(vii) tidy ___________
(viii) gloomy ________
Ans:
(i) Angrily
(ii) Happily
(iii) Merrily
(iv) Sleepily
(v) Easily
(vi) Noisily
(vii) Tidily

(viii) Gloomily

II. If Not and Unless 

•  Imagine that Margie’s mother told her, “You’ll feel awful if you don’t finish your history lesson.” 
• She could also say: “You’ll feel awful unless you finish your history lesson.” 

Unless means if not. Sentences with unless or if not are negative conditional sentences. 
Notice that these sentences have two parts. The part that begins with if not or unless tells us the condition. This part has a verb in the present tense (look at the verbs don’t finish, finish in the sentences above). 
The other part of the sentence tells us about a possible result. It tells us what will happen (if something else doesn’t happen). The verb in this part of the sentence is in the future tense (you’ll feel/you will feel). 
Notice these two tenses again in the following examples

Q1: Complete the following conditional sentences. Use the correct form of the verb.
(i) If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, __________
(ii) If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, __________
(iii) Unless you promise to write back, I __________
(iv) If she doesn’t play any games, ___________
(v) Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat ___________
Ans:
(i) If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, she will be angry.
(ii) If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, you will miss your evening meal.
(iii) Unless you promise to write back, I will not write to you.
(iv) If she doesn’t play any games, she will become dull and lazy.
(v) Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat will pounce on it.

Writing
A new revised volume of Issac Asimov’s short stories has just been released. Order one set. Write a letter to the publisher, Mindfame Private Limited, 1632 Asaf Ali Road, New Delhi, requesting that a set be sent to you by Value Payable Post (VPP), and giving your address. Your letter will have the following parts.

Addresses of the sender and receiver

• The salutation
• The body of the letter
• The closing phrases and signature

Your letter might look like this:
Your address 
Date (DD/MM/YY)
The addressee’s address 
Dear Sir/Madam, 
Yours sincerely
Your signature 

Ans:
A56, South City II,
Sohna Road,
Gurugram,
Haryana.
29/08/21
Mind fame Private Limited, 
1632 Asaf Ali Road, 
New Delhi.
Dear Sir
With due regards, Anupama Sharma would like to request you to send me one set of a newly revised volume of Issac  Asimov’s short stories. I would like you to send me the post by Value Payable Post (VPP). The delivery address will be the same as mentioned in the letter.
Thank you for taking into consideration my request and I look forward to your reply.
Yours sincerely,
Anupama Sharma