Today in this post, ‘The Fun They Had Questions Answers’, of Board Jagat, we’ll read the NCERT solutions of chapter The Fun They Had class 9th. We’ll examine each question under the Thinking about the Text, Thinking about Language, Writing, and Speaking sections, respectively. Let’s start class 9 English The Fun They Had question answer ncert solutions with Thinking about the Text. We’ll go step by step.
Students, I just wanted to remind you that we’ve already read the summary of the fun they had. It would be better to read that first before preparing the question answers, because the summary of this chapter will help you understand these questions more easily.
The Fun They Had Thinking About the Text
I. Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.
Q.1: How old are Margie and Tommy?
Ans: Margie is 11 years old and Tommy is 13 years old.
Q.2: What did Margie write in her diary?
Ans: She wrote: “Today Tommy found a real book!”
Q.3: Had Margie ever seen a book before?
Ans: No, Margie had never seen a printed book before.
Q.4: What things about the book did she find strange?
Ans: She found it strange that the words didn’t move and that once you finished reading, the book remained the same.
Q.5: What do you think a telebook is?
Ans: A telebook is an electronic book stored and read on a screen.
Q.6: Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Ans: Margie’s school was in a room inside her house. No, she had no classmates; she studied alone.
Q.7: What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Ans: They learned geography, history, and arithmetic (mathematics).
II. 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 printed book that Tommy found.
(iii) What is it being compared with by the speaker?
Ans. It is being compared with a telebook, which can be stored and reused.
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 children of the past who went to traditional schools.
(ii) What does ‘regular’ mean here?
Ans: ‘Regular’ here means the usual mechanical teacher in the future world.
(iii) What is it contrasted with?
Ans. It is contrasted with a human teacher who taught in old schools.
III. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).
Q.1: What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Ans: Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers, which were large screen-based computers. These machines gave lessons, asked questions, checked homework, and adjusted the level of teaching according to each child’s age and ability.
Q.2: Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
Ans: Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspector because Margie was performing badly in geography. She thought there was something wrong with the mechanical teacher’s settings.
Q.3: What did he do?
Ans: The County Inspector examined Margie’s mechanical teacher, adjusted the geography sector to a slower speed, and reassured her mother that there was nothing wrong with Margie’s progress.
Q.4: Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help her?
Ans: Margie was doing badly because the mechanical teacher was set too fast for her. The County Inspector reset it to a normal level suitable for an eleven-year-old.
Q.5: What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
Ans: Once Tommy’s mechanical teacher had developed a fault in the history sector. It had to be taken away for nearly a month before being repaired and brought back.
Q.6: Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Ans: Yes, Margie studied every day at a fixed time in her home schoolroom. Her mother believed children learned better if they followed a regular routine.
Q.7: How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Ans: Tommy says the old schools were in buildings where children of the same age studied together. They were taught the same things and had fun playing and laughing with each other.
Q.8: How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
Ans: Tommy explains that the old teachers were human beings. They taught the children, gave homework, and asked questions. Unlike machines, they were living people who could interact with students.
IV. Answer each of these questions in two or three 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 were computer-like machines with large screens. They taught lessons, asked questions, and checked tests instantly. Each teacher was programmed individually for the child’s age and learning ability. The lessons came through telebooks, displayed on the screen. Margie and Tommy studied in their own homes in separate schoolrooms. They had no classmates to share their learning with. Their schools were very lonely and mechanical, lacking human interaction, laughter, and play.
Q.2: Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?
Ans: Margie hated school because she disliked her mechanical teacher. It gave her difficult lessons, especially in geography, and she found learning from a machine boring and monotonous. She thought the old kind of school must have been fun because children learned together in groups, played, laughed, and were taught by human teachers. She imagined that learning with friends would be much more interesting and enjoyable.
Q.3: Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans: Yes, schools today are definitely more fun than the school in the story. In real schools, children meet classmates, make friends, play games, and enjoy group activities. These experiences make learning lively and interactive. Unlike mechanical teachers, human teachers can understand emotions, explain concepts in different ways, and encourage students when they struggle. This personal touch makes education effective and joyful. If learning were only through machines, as in Margie’s world, it would become dull and isolating. Thus, real schools are much better and more enjoyable.
The Fun They Had Thinking About Language
I. Adverbs
Q.1. Sentences from the story with the given adverbs:
- Awfully – “They turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to — on a screen, you know.” (From para-1)
- Sorrowfully – “The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worse and worse until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully and sent for the County Inspector.” (From para-3)
- Completely – “They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.” (From para-5)
- Loftily – “He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, ‘Centuries ago.” (From para-6)
- Carefully – “He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, ‘Centuries ago.” (From para-6)
- Differently – “But my mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches and that each kid has to be taught differently.” (From para-8)
- Quickly – ““I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Margie said quickly.” (From para-8)
- Nonchalantly – ““May be,” he said nonchalantly. He walked away whistling, the dusty old book tucked beneath his arm.” (From para-9)
Q.2. Use the adverbs to fill in the blanks:
(i) The report must be read carefully so that performance can be improved.
(ii) At the interview, Sameer 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 completely forgot about it.
(vi) When I complimented Revathi on her success, she just smiled nonchalantly and turned away.
(vii) The President of the Company is awfully busy and will not be able to meet you.
(viii) I finished my work quickly so that I could go out to play.
Q.3. Make adverbs from these adjectives:
(i) angry → angrily
(ii) happy → happily
(iii) merry → merrily
(iv) sleepy → sleepily
(v) easy → easily
(vi) noisy → noisily
(vii) tidy → tidily
(viii) gloomy → gloomily
II. If Not and Unless
From Complete the sentences Section:
- If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, she will feel upset.
- If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, we will stay hungry.
- Unless you promise to write back, I will not send you another letter.
- If she doesn’t play any games, she will become weak and dull.
- Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat will catch it.
The Fun They Had Writing Section
Below is a formal letter in the same format as is asked in the book, including the following parts:
- Addresses of the sender and receiver
- The salutation
- The body of the letter
- The closing phrases and signature
Letter
Address:
12, Green Park Colony
Lucknow – 226010
Uttar Pradesh
Date: 18/08/2025
Addressee’s Address:
Mindfame Private Limited
1632, Asaf Ali Road
New Delhi – 110002
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to request a copy of the newly released revised volume of Isaac Asimov’s short stories. Kindly send me one set of the volume by Value Payable Post (VPP) at the address mentioned above.
Please ensure that the parcel is securely packed and dispatched at the earliest convenience. The payment will be made on delivery.
I shall be grateful for your prompt action.
Yours sincerely,
Anam Paswan
The Fun They Had Speaking Section – Debate
Below are the debate-style speeches for both FOR and AGAINST the motion “The Schools of the Future Will Have No Books and No Teachers!”. You can pick whichever side your teacher assigns you accordingly.
FOR the Motion (Supporting)
At the outset, let me say that I wholeheartedly support the view that schools of the future will have no books and no teachers.
- In my opinion, technology is advancing so fast that digital screens and e-books will completely replace printed textbooks.
- Machines and artificial intelligence can teach more efficiently, adapt lessons to individual students, and provide instant feedback.
- I’d like to raise the issue of accessibility: online learning can reach students in remote areas where schools and teachers are not available.
- On the contrary to traditional methods, this system will save paper, time, and money.
Therefore, I firmly believe that the future of education lies in smart machines, not in old classrooms with books and teachers.
AGAINST the Motion (Opposing)
At the outset, let me say that I strongly oppose the view that schools of the future will have no books and no teachers.
- I fail to understand why we should think machines can replace human teachers. Teachers do not just teach lessons; they inspire, guide, and understand emotions.
- I should like to draw attention to the fact that children learn teamwork, discipline, and friendship in real classrooms—things machines cannot provide.
- My worthy opponent has submitted that e-books are more efficient. On the contrary, printed books encourage deeper reading and reduce screen fatigue.
- Without human interaction, education will become mechanical and joyless, just like Margie’s in the story.
Hence, I firmly reject the idea of schools without books and teachers. True learning needs both knowledge and human touch.