Summary of The Fun they Had Class 9 Beehive

Answer

On May 17, 2157, Tommy, a young boy of thirteen happens to find a book in the attic of his house, which he shows to Margie, a girl of eleven. The book is centuries old and its pages are yellow and crinkly. Both Tommy and Margie are amazed to see that the words in the book are fixed on the pages and do not move as they do on a screen they are accustomed to. Actually, they have been born and brought up in an era of advanced computers and T.V. with a mechanical teacher giving lessons at home.

Margie recalls that once her grandfather had told her about how stories were printed on pages in the times of his grandfather.

Tommy considers books a waste because, unlike computers, they cannot have new words after one has finished reading them. Margie is disappointed when Tommy tells her that the book is about a school because she dislikes schools. Her concept of a school is a T.V. screen with machines giving lessons in various subjects. The T.V. has a special slot where the students have to submit their homework which is checked and marked by the machine in no time. Margie’s dislike for a school has been intensified these days because the mechanical teacher has not been functioning properly. Margie’s mother calls the County Inspector to examine the cause behind the error. The Inspector disbands the mechanical teacher and finds that Margie was not at fault for her poor performance. Actually, the geography sector had been fixed at a speed that was too fast for the little girl. The Inspector is able to set the speed to Margie’s level but she is unhappy to have the teacher put in order. She had hoped that it would be taken away for some time and she would be relieved of the trouble of taking so many tests.

Tommy informs Margie that the book is not about their kind of school which has a T.V. with mechanical teachers. It is, on the other hand, about the old kind of schools which used to work hundreds of years ago. He tells her that the old schools were special buildings where lessons were taught by men and not by machines. The students of one level were taught together by the same teacher in the same room.

Tommy and Margie discuss how earlier many students adjusted their level with the same teacher, unlike their own schools where every teacher is attuned to the requirement of the individual student. They haven’t even read half the book when Margie’s mother reminds her that it is time for school. Margie’s schoolroom is right next to her bedroom. She has to study at regular hours because her mother considers it right to study at a fixed time every day. As the mechanical teacher is teaching the addition of proper fractions, Margie is lost in her thoughts about the working of schools in old times. She believes that the kids must have enjoyed going together to school. They must have had fun going to the same school, studying the same things and being able to help one another.

Answer

• Margie and Tommy are students of future schools.
• Tommy finds an old book about school in the attic. They turn yellow, crinkly pages of the book and are surprised to see still words in the book.
• They thought the old book to be wastage of resources, as it was to be thrown after one use. But tele-books last longer and contain many books together.
• Margie hated school as her teacher gave her test and she performed badly.
• She hated the slot for putting homework and test papers.
• Margie’s mother called County Inspector who came with all his equipment and repaired it in an hour.
• Margie wasn’t happy as she thought he would take the teacher for a few days.
• County Inspector told her mother that Margie’s bad performance in Geography was due to the faulty setting of her teacher.
• Tommy explained that centuries ago the schools were not like theirs. They had a man as a teacher who taught students different subjects, asked questions and gave homework also.
• Margie couldn’t believe the man to be smart enough to have knowledge about different subjects.
• Tommy told her that the school was in a special building and students would go there and children of the same age group studied the same things.
• But Margie’s mother had told her that every child has to be taught according to his needs.
• Now Margie was interested in reading more about the old funny schools.
• Tommy and Margie attended school at a fixed time.
• Margie thought about the old schools where kids had a lot of fun studying together and playing.
• The computer screen of her ‘teacher’ was flashing new chapter in arithmetic on the addition of proper fractions. But Margie was lost in the thoughts of old school.

Answer

Margie Jones: Margie Jones is an eleven-year-old girl living in 2157. She is homeschooled by a mechanical teacher. She has a friend named Tommy. Margie has a diary in which she writes about finding a ‘real book’. The event had a strong impact on her. From her conversation with Tommy about the book and school in the past, Margie comes across as naive, having little knowledge about the way school was in the past.

Tommy: Tommy is Margie’s friend, who is older than her, being thirteen years old. He comes across smarter than the little girl because he has seen more tele-books and he has more knowledge about how the school was “centuries ago”.

Answer

17 मई 2157 के दिन टॉमी को वास्तविक पुस्तक मिली उसने इसे मार्गी को दिखाया । मार्गी ग्यारह वर्ष की थी । इससे पहले उसने कभी भी वास्तविक पुस्तक नहीं देखी थी । एक बार उसने दादाजी जी से वास्तविक मुद्रित (छपी) पुस्तकों के बारे में सुना था । यह एक बहुत पुरानी पुस्तक थी । इसके पन्ने पीले और सलवटों वाले हो गये थे । उन्होंने इसके पन्नों को पलटा और उन्हें पढ़ा । टॉमी को यह बाते व्यर्थ सी लगी । उनके पास छपी हुई पुस्तकें नहीं थीं । उनकी पुस्तकें टेलीविजन के पर्दे पर चमकती थीं टॉमी जोकि तेरह वर्ष का था मार्गी की तुलना में टेलीविजन के पर्दे पर अधिक पुस्तकें पढ़ चुका था ।

टॉमी ने मार्गी को बताया कि यह पुस्तक स्कूल के बारे में है मार्गी हमेशा से ही स्कूल से घृणा करती थी । उसका स्कूल उसके घर पर एक कमरे में स्थित था । यह उसके शयनकक्ष से अगले कमरे में स्थित था । शनिवार और रविवार के दिनों को छोड़कर उसका तकनीकी शिक्षक प्रतिदिन टेलीविजन के पर्दे पर एक निर्धारित समय पर चमकता था । उसे अकेले ही उसके सामने उपस्थित होना पड़ता था । यह तकनीकी शिक्षक उससे प्रश्न पूछता था । उसे गृहकार्य देता था और उसे चेक करता था । वह परीक्षा पत्रों को भी चैक करता था और उनके अंक देता था।

मार्गी का तकनीकी शिक्षक उसे एक के बाद एक टेस्ट देता रहता था । मार्गी का प्रदर्शन बद से बदतर होता जा रहा था । उसकी माँ ने काऊंटी इंस्पेक्टर को बुला भेजा । उसने तकनीकी शिक्षक की गति को एक औसत दस वर्ष के बच्चे के स्तर पर का दिया ।

टॉमी ने मार्गी को बताया कि सैकड़ों वर्ष पूर्व यहाँ पुरानी किस्म के स्कूल हुआ करते थे । वे स्कूल विशेष किस्म के भवनों में स्थित होते थे । उन स्कूलों में पुरुष अध्यापक पढाते थे । क्षेत्र के सभी वच्चे यहाँ जाते थे और एक जैसा सबक सीखते थे । मार्गी ने सोचा कि उन स्कूलों में अध्ययन करना बहुत रोचक होता होगा । यह उन रोचक स्कूलों के बारे में पढ़ना चाहती थी ।

तभी मार्गी की माँ ने उसे स्कूल में उपस्थित होने के लिए बुला लिया । मागी स्कूल से उपस्थित नहीं होना चाहती थी परन्तु वह अनिच्छापूवंक स्कूल कक्ष के अंदर चली गई । यह उसके शयनकक्ष से आगे कमरे में स्थित था । उसका तकनीकी शिक्षक कार्यरत अवस्था में था और उसकी प्रतीक्षा कर रहा था । उसने मार्गी से कहा कि यह उचित दराज में अपना गृहकार्य डाल दे । मार्गी ने एकं भारी सांस के साथ ऐसा किया । तकनीकी शिक्षक उसे गणित विषय का भिन्न वाला पाठ पढा रहा था लेकिन मार्गी पुराने ज़माने के स्कूलों और उनमें होने वाली रोचकता के विषय में सोच रही थी ।