NOTES PREPARED BY
Farid hussain bhat
TEACHER SCHOOL
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
JAMMU AND KASHMIR
LESSON-5 THE FUN THEY HAD
(ISSAC ASIMOV)
THINKING ABOUT THE TEXT:
(1) Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.
Q.1 What did Margie write in her dairy?
Ans: She wrote, "Today Tommy found a real book".
Q.2 Had Margie ever seen book before?
Ans: No, she had never seen a book before.
Q.3 What things about the book did she find strange?
Ans. She found it strange that the words in the book stood still and the pages showed the same words when they were turned back.
Q.4 What do you think a telebook is?
Ans: A telebook is a book that can be read on the television screen.
Q.5 Where was Margie's school? Did she have any classmates?
Ans: Margie's school was right next to her bedroom. Margie did not have any classmate,
Q.6 What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Ans: They learnt geography, history and arithmetic.
(II) Answer the following with reference to the story.
(a) 1 wouldn't throw it away!
(I) ( Who says these words?
Ans: These words are said by Tommy,
(II) What does 'it' refer to?
Ans: Here 'it' refers to the television screen.
(iii) What is 'it being compared to by the speaker?
Ans: It is being compared with a real book.
(b) . Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn't a regular teacher. It was a man.
(I) Who does 'they'refer to?
Ans: Here they'refers to the people of many centuries ago.
(ii) What does 'regular' mean here?
Ans. Here it means something of a lasting nature,
(iii) What is it contrasted with?
Ans: It is contrasted with a mechanical teacher.
(III) Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words)
Q.1 What kind of teacher did Margie and Tommy have?
Ans: Their teacher's were a kind of machine attached to their television screen which were called as mechanical teachers. They did not have any men as their teachers.
Q.2 Why did Margie's mother send for the Country inspection.
Ans: Margie's mother sent for the country inspector be because Margie was not doing well in her geography.
Q.3 What did he do?
Ans. The country Inspector saw that the mechanical teacher was geared a little too quick for Margie and slowed down it as per the mental setup of Margie.
Q.4 Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the Country Inspector do to help her?
Ans: Margie's mechanical teacher was geared a little too quick for Margie. The country Inspector slowed it up for Margie.
Q.5 What had once happened to Tommy's teacher?
Ans: Tommy's teacher had blanked out completely to set it right, it had to be taken away for nearly a month.
Q.6 Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? if so, why?
Ans: Yes, Margie had regular days and hours for school because her mother thought that little girls learnt better that way,
Q.7 How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Ans: Tommy said that the old kind of school was a separate building away from one's house, Children from the entire neighbourhood went there to learn.
Q.8 How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
Ans: He says that the old kinds of teachers were men and did not live in the children's house
(IV) Ans each of these questions in two or there paragraphs (100-150 words)
Q.1 What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story?
Ans: The mechanical teachers are not men but a sort of gadgets which are attached to the television screen. There speed can be adjusted according to the age and mental level of the child. They flash their lessons on the television screen and the child learns from them. The schoolrooms are the rooms in the house of
different children. Each child has his won classroom in his house. The child keeps a mechanical teacher in his room and learns from it. All the classrooms are right with the bedrooms of each child. The mechanical teacher is always present in the classroom.
Q.2 Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of the school must have been fun?
Ans: Margie's mechanical teacher gives her test after test In each test, she did worse and worse. That was why she hated the school. However she thought the old kind of schools were great fun. Children from the whole neighbourhood went
there together and played, laughed and shouted in the schoolyard. They could help each other on their homework. That was why Margie liked the old schools.
Q.3 Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun that the school in the story? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans: The school in the story is a dull place. There is no human tough and feeling in it. There is mechanical teacher which is nothing but a gadget. It flashes lessons on the television screens. The child remains all alone in his classroom. This is why Margie hates school. However she likes the old kind of schools which were full of human feelings and activities. So, it is clear that the schools today are more fun
than the school in the story.
LANGUAGE WORK:
1. Fill in the blanks:
• Close to perfection ideal.
A student who is good at studies, play and other curricular activities all rounder
• Behaviour, outlook, presentation and mental make-up comprise our personality.
Painting, music and sculpture are fine arts.
Enterprising means hard working
ADVERBS:
1. Fill in the blanks with adverbs given below:
Awfully
Sorrowfully
Completely
Loftily
Carefully
Differently
Quickly
Nonchalantly
1.The report must be read carefully so that performance can be improved
ii. At the interview, Sammer 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) I forget about it completely.
(lV) when I complimented Revethi on her success, she just smiled and turned away nonchalantly.
(vii) . The president of the Company raised his head and spoke awfully.
(viii) . I finished my work so that I could go out to play quickly.
2. Make adverbs from these adjectives/nouns.
• Angry= angrily
• Happy= happily
•Merry= merrily
•Sleep= sleepily
•Ease= easily
•Noise- noisily
•Tidy=tidily
•Gloomy= gloomily
•Thoughtful=thoughtfully
•Beautiful=beautifully
VERBS:
Complete the following conditional sentences. Use the correct form of the verbs.
• If I don't go to Anu's party tonight, she will be angry.
•If you don't telephone the hotel to order food, you will have to go hungry.
•Unless you promise to write back, I would not correspond with you in future.
•If she doesn't play any games, she wouldn't be able to improve her health.
•Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat will eat it up.
WRITING WORK:
Q. Write an email to the bookseller asking for a new revised volume of Issac Asimov's short stories, "Ignited Minds" retold by A. P. j. AbdulKalam.
Το sharjahbookshop@gmail.com
From Hadee Aetizaz wani
Date 15 January 2015
Subject Ignited Minds" retold by A.P.J AbdulKalam
Dear Sir,
Please send me the above mentioned book by speed post at my address which is Sarnal Bala. (Anantnag) post office: Anantnag Pin. 192101. That will be your most kindness.
Hadee Aetizaz wani
M. No:77xxxxxxxxx
Fax No: 0193xxxxxxx
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