This article covers the complete question-answer guide for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 1 – “The Fun They Had” by Isaac Asimov, prescribed by ASSEB (Assam State Board of Secondary Education) for the Class 9 curriculum. The article includes a detailed summary, all textbook questions from “Thinking about the Text” and “Thinking about Language,” additional short and long answer questions, and multiple choice questions to help students prepare thoroughly for their examinations.
Summary of The Fun They Had
“The Fun They Had” is a science fiction short story written by Isaac Asimov, first published in 1951. It is set in the far future — specifically on 17 May, 2157 — and imagines a world where traditional schools and human teachers have been completely replaced by mechanical teachers and home-based learning.
The story opens with eleven-year-old Margie Jones writing in her diary. Her thirteen-year-old neighbour Tommy has found a real printed book in the attic of his house. Both children are fascinated by it because they have never seen a real book before — they are used to reading on television screens through digital books called telebooks. The pages of the old book are yellowed and crinkly, and Margie finds it funny that the words on the pages stay fixed and do not move or scroll the way words do on their screens.
The old book turns out to be about schools — the kind of schools that existed centuries ago. This surprises and intrigues both children greatly. In their time (the year 2157), each child is taught at home by a mechanical teacher — a large black computer with a screen that displays lessons and tests. Students submit homework and tests by punching answers into a code slot.
Margie has recently been struggling with her geography lessons. Her mechanical teacher has been giving her test after test, and she has been doing worse and worse. Her mother sent for the County Inspector — a round little man with a red face — who examined the mechanical teacher and discovered that the geography sector had been set at too difficult a level for a child of Margie’s age. He adjusted it to the standard of an average ten-year-old, and Margie was disappointed when he did not take the teacher away entirely. Tommy’s mechanical teacher had once been taken away for nearly a month when its history sector completely blanked out, and Tommy had found that time very enjoyable.
As they read the old book, Tommy dismisses it as a waste — printed books are fixed and cannot be adjusted the way telebooks can. But Margie is more curious. The book describes how all the children in an old neighbourhood used to go to a school building together, sit in classrooms, study the same subjects at the same pace, and be taught by a human teacher — a man or a woman. Tommy explains this to Margie with a touch of superiority, noting that the old-fashioned teacher was “a man” — not a regular (mechanical) teacher. He finds it hard to believe that a man could be a teacher, since a man wouldn’t know enough to teach all subjects.
Margie, on the other hand, becomes increasingly thoughtful. She imagines what it must have been like — children walking to school together, going home together, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting in the same classroom, helping one another with homework, and learning from a real human being who understood them. She thinks about how much those children must have loved going to school and how much fun they had.
The story ends with Margie reluctantly taking her seat in front of her mechanical teacher in the room beside her bedroom, all the while thinking wistfully about the schools of the past and the fun those children had. The irony is that the children of the past may have complained about school just as Margie does — but from Margie’s lonely, isolated perspective, that old way of learning seems joyful and full of life.
Key Themes
- Education and Technology: The story contrasts mechanical, technology-driven education with the human warmth of traditional schooling.
- Social Interaction and Isolation: Margie’s loneliness highlights what is lost when children learn in isolation rather than together.
- Nostalgia and Irony: The title is ironic — the children of the past may not have appreciated their schools, but from the future, that shared learning looks wonderfully fun.
- Human vs. Machine: The story questions whether machines, however efficient, can replace the human element in education.
Thinking about the Text
Section I
Q1. How old are Margie and Tommy?
Answer: Margie is eleven years old and Tommy is thirteen years old.
Q2. What did Margie write in her diary?
Answer: Margie wrote in her diary: “Today, Tommy found a real book.” The date she wrote this entry was 17 May, 2157. She found it very unusual to see a real printed book because she had never encountered one before.
Q3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?
Answer: No, Margie had never seen a real book before. She had only heard about such books from her grandfather, who told her that his grandfather had once told him about books with printed words on yellowed, crinkly pages.
Q4. What things about the book did she find strange?
Answer: Margie found two things particularly strange about the book. First, it had yellowed, wrinkled pages that looked very old and fragile. Second, and most surprisingly, the words on the pages stayed still — they did not move or scroll the way text does on the screens of their telebooks. She was also amused that when you turned back to a page you had already read, the same words were there — unchanged. She said it was funny to read the same words that were printed there forever.
Q5. What do you think a telebook is?
Answer: A telebook is a digital or electronic book displayed on a television screen or computer screen. In the world of 2157, children read all their books on screens, where the text moves and changes. Unlike printed books, the content in a telebook is flexible and can be adjusted. It is the futuristic equivalent of today’s e-books or digital textbooks.
Q6. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Answer: Margie’s school was right next to her bedroom, in a room inside her own home. She had no classmates at all — she studied completely alone, with only her mechanical teacher for company. Every child in 2157 had their own individual mechanical teacher at home.
Q7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Answer: Margie learnt Geography and Mathematics, while Tommy learnt History and Mathematics. Their mechanical teachers were programmed to teach them these subjects according to their individual learning levels.
Section II
Q1. The story says “I wouldn’t throw it away.” Who said these words and about what? What does this tell you about the speaker?
Answer: These words were said by Tommy, referring to the old printed book he had found in the attic. Tommy was responding to Margie’s comment about what to do with the book once they had finished reading it. By saying he would not throw it away, Tommy shows that even though he dismisses printed books as old-fashioned and inferior to telebooks, he recognises the value of the rare physical book. It tells us that Tommy has a curious and slightly sentimental side despite his air of superiority.
Q2. “Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.” What does Tommy mean by a “regular” teacher? What does this tell us about the education system in 2157?
Answer: By “regular” teacher, Tommy means a mechanical teacher — a computer or machine — which is the only kind of teacher he has ever known. In 2157, mechanical teachers are the norm, so a human teacher seems irregular and strange to him. This tells us that in the future world of the story, the entire education system has been automated and mechanised. Children learn individually at home from machines, and the concept of a living human teacher in a school building has become a thing of the distant past.
Section III
Q1. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Answer: Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers — large black machines with screens that displayed lessons and questions. These machines were located inside their homes and taught each child individually. Students submitted their homework and test answers by inserting them into a punch-code slot. The mechanical teacher could be adjusted in terms of speed and difficulty level according to the student’s ability. There was no human interaction involved in their education — it was entirely machine-driven.
Q2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
Answer: Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspector because Margie had been repeatedly performing badly in her geography tests. The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and her scores were getting worse with each test. Her mother was concerned that there was a malfunction in the teacher machine, and so she called the County Inspector to examine and repair it.
Q3. What did the County Inspector do?
Answer: The County Inspector, a round little man with a red face, carefully examined Margie’s mechanical teacher. He found that the geography sector had been set at a level that was too difficult for a child of Margie’s age. He adjusted and slowed down the mechanical teacher’s speed to the level appropriate for an average ten-year-old child. He also reassured Margie’s mother that overall, Margie’s progress was satisfactory. He put the teacher back together after the adjustments, though it took him two hours.
Q4. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help?
Answer: Margie was doing badly in geography because the mechanical teacher’s geography sector had been calibrated at too high a level — it was presenting questions and material at a pace and difficulty far beyond her current ability. The County Inspector identified this problem and reset the geography sector to the average level of a ten-year-old. After the adjustment, the mechanical teacher would present material at a more manageable pace for Margie. Her overall performance in other areas was confirmed to be satisfactory.
Q5. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
Answer: Tommy’s mechanical teacher had once had its history sector completely blank out. As a result, the teacher had to be taken away for repairs and Tommy was without his mechanical teacher for nearly a month. Tommy actually enjoyed this period — it was like a holiday from his regular lessons. This incident contrasts with Margie’s disappointment that her own teacher was not taken away.
Q6. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? Why?
Answer: Yes, Margie had regular days and fixed hours for school. Her mother, Mrs Jones, believed that little girls learned better if they studied at regular, set hours each day. The mechanical teacher was programmed to switch on at a specific time every day, except on Saturdays and Sundays. This structured routine was designed to develop discipline and ensure consistent learning progress.
Q7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Answer: Tommy describes the old kind of school as a special building — not a room in someone’s house — where all the children from the neighbourhood went together. All the children of the same age studied together in the same classroom. They had the same lessons, did the same homework, and sat together in the schoolyard to play and laugh and shout. It was a social experience, a shared community, very different from the isolated, individual learning of 2157.
Q8. How does Tommy describe the old kind of teachers?
Answer: Tommy describes the old kind of teachers as human beings — men or women — rather than machines. They lived outside children’s homes and came to teach in the school building. They gave students homework and asked them questions, just as mechanical teachers do, but they were real people. Tommy finds it hard to believe that a man could be a teacher because, in his view, a man would not “know enough” to be a proper teacher — reflecting his bias toward the mechanical system he is used to.
Section IV (Extended Responses)
Q1. What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story?
Answer: The mechanical teachers in the story are large black machines with screens on which lessons are displayed. Each child has one located inside their own home — in a special room set aside for study. The machines are programmed to teach subjects at a level appropriate for the child’s age and intelligence. They display questions, conduct tests, and evaluate homework. Students submit their work by inserting it through a punch-code slot — a skill children in 2157 learn by the time they are six years old. The mechanical teacher operates on a fixed daily schedule, and the speed and difficulty of lessons can be adjusted by a County Inspector if needed. There are no classrooms shared with other students, no schoolyard, and no human teachers — learning is entirely individual and technology-dependent.
Q2. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?
Answer: Margie hated school primarily because of its isolated, mechanical nature. She disliked the slot where she had to insert her homework and test papers. She found the mechanical teacher impersonal and cold, and she had no friends or classmates to share her learning experience with. She was confined to a room next to her bedroom, learning alone every day.
She thought the old kind of school must have been fun because, from reading the old book, she learned that children used to go to school together, laugh and play in the schoolyard, sit in the same classroom, and help each other. They had a real human teacher who understood them. The idea of shared laughter, friendship, collective learning, and human connection made the old school seem joyful and exciting to Margie — the very opposite of her lonely experience with the mechanical teacher.
Q3. Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school she has in the story? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer: Yes, schools today are far more fun and meaningful than the futuristic school described in the story. Today’s schools bring children together in a shared physical space, allowing them to build friendships, learn from each other, and develop social skills. Human teachers can understand a student’s emotions, adapt their teaching style, offer encouragement and comfort, and inspire a love of learning in ways a machine cannot. School is not just about academics — it is also about sports, arts, celebrations, group activities, and forming memories. These dimensions of schooling are completely absent in the mechanical, home-based system of 2157. While technology-aided learning has its advantages, it cannot replace the human warmth, creativity, and community that real schools provide. Margie’s longing for the old school is entirely understandable.
Thinking about Language
Exercise I: Finding Adverbs
Find the adverbs in the story that are used with the verbs given below. The first one is done for you.
| Verb | Adverb from the story |
|---|---|
| said | loftily / nonchalantly |
| moved | quickly |
| added | loftily |
| shook (head) | sorrowfully |
| blanked out | completely |
| pronounced | carefully |
| taught | differently |
| laughed | awfully |
Exercise II: Fill in the Blanks with Adverbs
- He walked away quickly.
- “Of course it was a real book,” Tommy said loftily.
- Each kid has to be taught differently.
- Her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully.
- The history sector had blanked out completely.
- She said it nonchalantly.
- It was awfully funny to read words that stood still.
Exercise III: Forming Adverbs from Adjectives
| Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|
| angry | angrily |
| happy | happily |
| merry | merrily |
| sleepy | sleepily |
| easy | easily |
| noisy | noisily |
| tidy | tidily |
| gloomy | gloomily |
Exercise IV: “If not” and “Unless”
- If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, she will be angry with me.
- If you don’t telephone the hotel to cancel your booking, you will have to pay for the room.
- Unless you promise to write to me regularly, I shall not give you my address.
- If she doesn’t play games or go out more often, she will get unfit and unhealthy.
- Unless the bird is kept in a cage, the cat will catch it and eat it.
Additional Questions
Short Answer Questions
Q1. When and where is the story “The Fun They Had” set?
Answer: The story is set on 17 May, 2157, in a futuristic world where children learn at home using mechanical teachers instead of attending schools with human teachers.
Q2. Where did Tommy find the old book?
Answer: Tommy found the old book in the attic of his house. It was a very old printed book with yellowed, wrinkly pages.
Q3. What did the old book describe?
Answer: The old book described schools from centuries ago — where children of the same age group went to a special building together, studied with the same human teacher, and shared their learning experience as a community.
Q4. How did Margie feel when the County Inspector did not take the mechanical teacher away?
Answer: Margie was disappointed when the County Inspector did not take the mechanical teacher away. She had hoped it would be taken for repairs just as Tommy’s teacher had been, giving her a holiday from lessons.
Q5. What is the significance of the title “The Fun They Had”?
Answer: The title is ironic. It refers to the fun that children of the past had when they went to real schools together. From Margie’s isolated, machine-driven perspective in 2157, the idea of going to school with friends and a human teacher seems wonderfully joyful. The title reflects what Margie longs for — the social, human experience of learning that has been lost in her time.
Q6. What does the story suggest about the role of human teachers?
Answer: The story suggests that human teachers are irreplaceable. Unlike mechanical teachers, human teachers can provide emotional understanding, encouragement, and the warmth of human connection. They create a sense of community in the classroom and make learning a shared, joyful experience — something that no machine can truly replicate.
Q7. How is the printed book different from the telebook?
Answer: A printed book has fixed words on paper pages that do not move or change. A telebook displays text on a screen that scrolls and can be adjusted. The printed book is a physical object with yellowed pages, while a telebook is purely digital. The printed book is considered ancient and unusual in 2157, while telebooks are the standard form of reading material.
Q8. Why did Tommy find the idea of a human teacher strange?
Answer: Tommy found it strange because in his world, only mechanical teachers exist. He could not understand how a human being — a man — could know enough to teach children. His entire frame of reference was the mechanical teacher, so a living human in the role of teacher seemed inefficient and unbelievable to him.
Q9. What does the story say about Margie’s attitude towards school?
Answer: Margie hates school. She dislikes the mechanical teacher and the slot where she has to submit her work. She finds the routine dull and is disappointed when the teacher is not removed for repairs. Her attitude toward school becomes more complex by the end — as she reads about old schools, she begins to yearn for the social learning experience she has never had.
Q10. What does Isaac Asimov seem to be warning us about through this story?
Answer: Asimov seems to be warning that over-reliance on technology in education can lead to the loss of something deeply important — human connection, social development, shared joy in learning, and the bond between teacher and student. While technology can make education efficient, it cannot replace the richness of human interaction that makes learning truly meaningful.
Long Answer Questions
Q1. Compare and contrast the school system of the future (2157) with the school system of the past (as described in the old book). Which do you think is better and why?
Answer: In the future school system of 2157, each child learns individually at home using a mechanical teacher — a large computer that displays lessons on a screen and evaluates homework through a punch-code slot. There are no classmates, no school buildings, and no human teachers. The system is personalised — each child is taught at their own pace and level — but it is completely isolated and impersonal.
In contrast, the old school system described in the book involved children going to a special building together, sitting in classrooms with students of the same age, following the same curriculum, and being taught by a human teacher — a man or a woman. Children played together in the schoolyard, helped each other with homework, and experienced learning as a shared, social activity.
The old system is clearly better in terms of human development, social skills, emotional growth, and sheer enjoyment of learning. While the futuristic system may be more technologically advanced and individually tailored, it strips education of its most essential human quality — connection. School is not just about transmitting information; it is about growing up together, which can only happen in a shared human environment. Margie’s wistful longing for the old school is the author’s way of reminding us of this truth.
Q2. Describe Margie Jones as a character. What do we learn about her personality from the story?
Answer: Margie Jones is an eleven-year-old girl living in the year 2157. She is an ordinary child with ordinary feelings — she dislikes school, wishes for a break from lessons, and is curious about things outside her daily routine. She keeps a diary, which suggests she is thoughtful and reflective.
Margie is clearly imaginative and empathetic. When she reads about the old schools in the book Tommy found, she does not merely absorb the facts — she imagines what it would actually feel like to walk to school with neighbourhood children, to laugh and shout in a schoolyard, to sit beside classmates and learn together. She is moved by this vision and finds herself longing for something she has never experienced.
Unlike Tommy, who is dismissive of the old book and old schools, Margie is open-minded and emotionally sensitive. She is disappointed that her mechanical teacher was not taken away, showing her desire for freedom from the rigid routine. Overall, Margie comes across as a relatable, dreamy, and sensitive child whose isolation makes her instinctively recognise and yearn for the human warmth of traditional schooling.
Q3. “The Fun They Had” is a story about the future, but it speaks to us in the present. What lessons can we draw from it for education today?
Answer: Isaac Asimov’s story, though set in the distant future, is remarkably relevant to the present day — especially in the age of online learning, e-classrooms, and AI-based education tools. The lessons we can draw are powerful.
First, the story reminds us that education is a social experience. Children learn not only from teachers but from each other — through discussion, collaboration, play, and shared challenges. No technology can fully replicate the value of a child learning alongside peers.
Second, it highlights the importance of human teachers. A human teacher does far more than deliver information — they observe, understand, inspire, motivate, and care for students as individuals. This human dimension is irreplaceable.
Third, the story cautions us against the over-mechanisation of education. Technology should be a tool to support learning, not a replacement for the human heart of education. Efficiency without empathy creates isolation.
Finally, the story teaches us to appreciate what we have. Like Margie looking back at the old schools, we might one day look back at today’s classrooms with deep nostalgia. The laughter, the friendships, the shared moments of discovery — these are the things that make school truly meaningful.
Q4. How does Isaac Asimov use irony in “The Fun They Had”? Explain with examples from the story.
Answer: Isaac Asimov uses irony skillfully and subtly throughout the story. The central irony lies in the title itself — “The Fun They Had” — and in the contrast between Margie’s perception of old schools and the reality the reader knows.
The most powerful irony is that children who actually attended traditional schools often complained about them — just as Margie complains about her mechanical teacher. The children of the past grumbled about homework, disliked waking up early, and found school boring at times. Yet from Margie’s futuristic, isolated perspective, those very same schools appear to be paradise. This is the irony of nostalgia — we tend to idealise what we have not experienced.
Another irony lies in Tommy’s dismissal of the printed book and the old school system. He considers the mechanical teacher superior, yet the reader — living in a world of traditional schools — recognises that what Tommy dismisses is actually richer and more valuable than what he considers advanced.
Finally, there is the irony of progress as loss. Humanity has advanced so far in technology that it has forgotten the simple, human joy of learning together. The story asks: is this truly progress?
Multiple Choice Questions
Q1. In what year is the story “The Fun They Had” set?
- (a) 2050
- (b) 2100
- (c) 2157
- (d) 2200
Answer: (c) 2157
Q2. Where did Tommy find the old printed book?
- (a) In the school library
- (b) In the attic of his house
- (c) In a museum
- (d) In his bedroom
Answer: (b) In the attic of his house
Q3. How old is Margie in the story?
- (a) Nine years old
- (b) Ten years old
- (c) Eleven years old
- (d) Thirteen years old
Answer: (c) Eleven years old
Q4. Why did Margie’s mother call the County Inspector?
- (a) Because Margie refused to study
- (b) Because the mechanical teacher’s geography sector was set too high
- (c) Because the mechanical teacher’s screen had broken
- (d) Because Margie wanted a human teacher
Answer: (b) Because the mechanical teacher’s geography sector was set too high
Q5. What is a “telebook” as used in the story?
- (a) A book about telephones
- (b) A book displayed on a television/computer screen
- (c) A book about space travel
- (d) A very large printed book
Answer: (b) A book displayed on a television/computer screen
Q6. What subject was Tommy studying with his mechanical teacher?
- (a) Geography
- (b) Science
- (c) History
- (d) English
Answer: (c) History
Q7. What did Margie find strange about the old book’s pages?
- (a) The pages were too big
- (b) The words glowed in the dark
- (c) The words stayed still instead of moving
- (d) The pages were made of metal
Answer: (c) The words stayed still instead of moving
Q8. Who is the author of “The Fun They Had”?
- (a) H.G. Wells
- (b) Jules Verne
- (c) Arthur C. Clarke
- (d) Isaac Asimov
Answer: (d) Isaac Asimov
Q9. For how long was Tommy without his mechanical teacher when it was taken for repairs?
- (a) One week
- (b) Two weeks
- (c) Three weeks
- (d) Nearly one month
Answer: (d) Nearly one month
Q10. What does Margie think about at the end of the story as she sits in front of her mechanical teacher?
- (a) She thinks about what to write in her diary
- (b) She thinks about the fun the children of the past had in their schools
- (c) She thinks about how to fix her mechanical teacher
- (d) She thinks about her geography homework
Answer: (b) She thinks about the fun the children of the past had in their schools