English Notes

VELAMMAL VIDYALAYA
HIGH SCHOOL COMPARTMENT

ENGLISH NOTES
CLASS : IX
PROSE 1. THE FUN THEY HAD
I. Answer the following questions :

1. Describe the book that Tommy had found in his attic.
Tommy found the book in the attic of his house. The book had pages and they were yellow and crinkly because
it was more than a hundred years old book.
2. What had Margie’s grandfather once told her about books?

Margie’s grandfather once told that when he was a little boy, his grandfather told him that there was a
time when all stories were printed on paper.
3. Why was it awfully funny to read the paper-book that Tommy had found?
It was awfully funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to – on a
screen. When they turned back to the pages before, they had the same words on them.
4. Why did Tommy consider the book a waste?

Tommy considered the paper-book a waste because it could not store other books in it. Although it is
worth a read, once reading is done, the book is worth nothing. When compared to computers, the paper
books are far inferior because computers are able to store thousands of books in their memory.
5. What was Margie’s school like?

Margie’s schoolroom stood right next to her bedroom. In the schoolroom there was just the student and
the mechanical teacher. When Margie enters, the mechanical teacher would be waiting for her. It was
always on at the same time every day except Saturday and Sunday, because her mother said little girls
learned better if they learned at regular hours. The screen would light up, and it would then display
various instructions such as the lessons for each day. It would then teach Margie each lesson by
displaying instructions and lessons. Often the mechanical teacher would ask Margie to insert the
previous day’s homework in the proper slot.
6. Write a note on the mechanical teacher.

The mechanical teacher was a large, black and ugly robot with a screen and a number of slots. On the screen
all the lessons were shown and the questions were asked. The part Margie hated most was the slot where
she had to put homework and test papers. She always had to write them out in a punch code they made her
learn when she was six years old, and the mechanical teacher calculated the mark in no time.
7. Why did Margie hate her mechanical teacher?

The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worse and
worse.
8. Why was the County Inspector called in?

Margie’s mother called in the County Inspector to check Margie’s progress that had been at its worst.
Her mechanical teacher had been marking her staggeringly down in her geography each time she took a
test.
9. What did the County Inspector find out about Margie’s mechanical teacher?
The County Inspector inspected Margie’s mechanical teacher and found out that the geography sector of
the mechanical teacher had been accidentally geared a little quicker than Margie’s level. Earlier, when
Margie learned from the mechanical teacher, she was not able to answer its questions because of this
speed.
10. How did the inspector correct the mechanical teacher?

The inspector tuned the geography sector of the mechanical teacher to an average ten-year level.
11. Why was Margie disappointed when her mechanical teacher was mended?
Margie had been hoping they would take the teacher away altogether as they had once taken Tommy’s
teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely. When she saw that
the inspector was not going to take her mechanical teacher away, Margie was disappointed.
II. Answer the following questions in detail :
1. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?
Margie loathed school since it was not fun to study on the screen. Her mechanical teacher used to teach
her consistently at the same time. It was a repetitive and boring experience. Now, she had been doing badly
in the geography tests that her mechanical educator had been giving her. Her mother was despondent with
her performance and sends her to the County Inspector. She expected that the inspector would remove the
mechanical instructor. She is baffled when the County Inspector manages to reassemble every part of the
mechanical instructor. The part that she detested the most was inserting the homework and test papers in
the slot on the mechanical instructor.
She didn’t like the way that she needed to write her answers in a punch code. She believed that the old kind
of school must have been fun as she envisioned every one of the children from the whole neighbourhood
meeting up, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard. She envisioned that they would sit together in the
classroom and go home together toward the day’s end. They would take in similar things and could help each
other with the homework and discuss it. Additionally, the educators were individuals. All these viewpoints
influenced her to believe that the old type of school must have been enjoyable. She hungered for such a good
time.
them to help one another. Margie was rather envious of the fun the children had in old
schools.

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VELAMMAL VIDYALAYA

HIGH SCHOOL COMPARTMENT

I. Answer the following questions :

2. What had Margie’s grandfather once told her about books?

4. Why did Tommy consider the book a waste?

5. What was Margie’s school like?

6. Write a note on the mechanical teacher.

7. Why did Margie hate her mechanical teacher?

8. Why was the County Inspector called in?

10. How did the inspector correct the mechanical teacher?

II. Answer the following questions in detail :

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