Page 4 - LESSON NOTES The Fun They Had

1. The Old Book: The old book represents the past and the human experience. It symbolizes the
importance of human interaction and emotional connection in learning.

2. The Mechanical Teacher: The mechanical teacher represents the future's reliance on technology. It
symbolizes the limitations of technology in replacing human experience.

Question and Answer ( To be written in the Notebook)
1. How old are Margie and Tommy?
Ans. Margie and Tommy live in the future, in the year 2157. They are neighbours and spend time
together. Margie is a girl of eleven years of age while Tommy is a boy of thirteen.
2. What did Margie write in her diary?
Ans On 17 May 2157, Margie wrote that that day Tommy had found a real book in the attic of his house.
It was an old book with yellow, crinkly pages.
3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?
Ans. No, Margie had not seen a book before the one found by Tommy in his house. She had only heard
from her grandfather that his grandfather went to school as a boy and that they read books that were
printed on paper.
4.What things about the book did she find strange?
Ans. As Margie lived in an era where students studied from a mechanical teacher and all the books
appeared on the screen, she found it strange that the words on the printed book did not move. It was
strange to see the same words appear on the pages as she flipped them over.
5.What do you think a telebook is?
Ans. A telebook is an electronic book also known as an e-book. It is stored in a computer and can be read
by scrolling up or down the screen.
6. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Ans.Margie’s school was in her house. It was a room next to her bedroom. It was a personal classroom
where the computer was adjusted to her level of learning. She studied by herself and had no classmates.
7.What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Ans.Margie and Tommy learned a lot of subjects like Geography, History and Mathematics.
Answer the following with reference to the story.
1. “I wouldn’t throw it away.”
(i) Who says these words?
Ans. Tommy says these words.
(ii) What does ‘it’ refer to?
Ans. ‘It’ refers to the Computer screen on which Tommy reads various books.
(iii) What is it being compared with by the speaker?
Ans. ‘It’ is being compared to the paper book that Tommy found in his house.
2. “Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”
(i) Who does ‘they’ refer to?
Ans ‘They’ refers to the ancestors of the children who went to school and studied from a human teacher.
(ii) What does ‘regular’ mean here?
Ans.‘Regular’ means the mechanical teacher which teaches Margie and Tommy.

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