- Get link
- Other Apps
By Isac Asimov
1. How old are Margie and Tommy?
Margie was eleven years old and Tommy was thirteen.
2. What did Margie write in her diary?
Margie wrote in her diary, “Today Tommy found a real book”. Her friend Tommy had found a book in his house belonging to his grandfather’s grandfather, one of the strange things about the book was that after reading it became useless and the text written on it did not change the way it happened on their computer screen.
3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?
No, Margie had never seen a printed book before. Margie usually read a book on television screen and it had millions of books in it.
4. What things about the book did she find strange?
Margie lived in an era where students were taught by a mechanical teacher and all the books appeared on the screen. She found it odd that the words on the printed book did not move as they did on her screen.
5. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. They were computers which had preloaded lessons on different subjects according to the learners mind. Whenever they malfunctioned they were opened and repaired.
6. What do you think a telebook is?
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 and down the screen
7. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Margie’s school was in her house. It was a room next to her bedroom where she studied by herself on a computer screen and had no classmates.
8. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Margie and Tommy learnt a lot of subjects like Geography, History and Mathematics.
9. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector? What did he do?
Margie’s mother called the County Inspector to check Margie’s teacher. She thought that probably Margie’s teacher had a malfunction as Margie was failing the Geography tests repeatedly.
The county inspector was trained to repair the computer teacher. He opened the machine and checked it. The geography sector was set on a higher level. He reset it to Margie’s level and closed the teacher.
10. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
Once Tommy’s teacher had developed a fault and the entire section on history had been deleted. His teacher was taken for repairs and it took them a month to set it right
11. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Margie studied at the same time every day except Saturdays and Sundays. Her mother was very particular and had told Margie that she would learn better if she studied at the same time every day.
12. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Tommy described that the old kind of schools used to have a special building where all children studied together and be taught by a man. School was the place for education as well as medium for fun and play.
Answer each of these questions in two or three paragraphs (100-150 words).
1. What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story?
They had a slot in which students had to put their homework and test papers. The students were taught to answer the questions in punch code and the mechanical teacher calculated the marks immediately. They had their personalised classrooms in their homes itself and they did not have classmates.
2. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?
Margie hated school because there was no place for fun in the school. She did not have any classmates and was confined to her home. A mechanical teacher used to teach her every day at fixed time. The part that she hated the most was inserting the homework and test papers in the slot on the mechanical teacher. She did not like the fact that she had to write her answers in a punch code.
3. Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story? Give reasons for your answer.
Yes, I agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than school in the story. There is no personal touch between the student and the teacher. The teachers in Margie’s school are mechanical teachers and they cannot understand the feelings of the students. Doing homework without anybody’s help and writing them in a punch code would be draining. It is true that schools today have more fun than Margie’s school.
1. How old are Margie and Tommy?
Margie was eleven years old and Tommy was thirteen.
2. What did Margie write in her diary?
Margie wrote in her diary, “Today Tommy found a real book”. Her friend Tommy had found a book in his house belonging to his grandfather’s grandfather, one of the strange things about the book was that after reading it became useless and the text written on it did not change the way it happened on their computer screen.
3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?
No, Margie had never seen a printed book before. Margie usually read a book on television screen and it had millions of books in it.
4. What things about the book did she find strange?
Margie lived in an era where students were taught by a mechanical teacher and all the books appeared on the screen. She found it odd that the words on the printed book did not move as they did on her screen.
5. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. They were computers which had preloaded lessons on different subjects according to the learners mind. Whenever they malfunctioned they were opened and repaired.
6. What do you think a telebook is?
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 and down the screen
7. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Margie’s school was in her house. It was a room next to her bedroom where she studied by herself on a computer screen and had no classmates.
8. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Margie and Tommy learnt a lot of subjects like Geography, History and Mathematics.
9. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector? What did he do?
Margie’s mother called the County Inspector to check Margie’s teacher. She thought that probably Margie’s teacher had a malfunction as Margie was failing the Geography tests repeatedly.
The county inspector was trained to repair the computer teacher. He opened the machine and checked it. The geography sector was set on a higher level. He reset it to Margie’s level and closed the teacher.
10. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
Once Tommy’s teacher had developed a fault and the entire section on history had been deleted. His teacher was taken for repairs and it took them a month to set it right
11. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Margie studied at the same time every day except Saturdays and Sundays. Her mother was very particular and had told Margie that she would learn better if she studied at the same time every day.
12. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Tommy described that the old kind of schools used to have a special building where all children studied together and be taught by a man. School was the place for education as well as medium for fun and play.
Answer each of these questions in two or three paragraphs (100-150 words).
1. What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story?
They had a slot in which students had to put their homework and test papers. The students were taught to answer the questions in punch code and the mechanical teacher calculated the marks immediately. They had their personalised classrooms in their homes itself and they did not have classmates.
2. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?
Margie hated school because there was no place for fun in the school. She did not have any classmates and was confined to her home. A mechanical teacher used to teach her every day at fixed time. The part that she hated the most was inserting the homework and test papers in the slot on the mechanical teacher. She did not like the fact that she had to write her answers in a punch code.
3. Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story? Give reasons for your answer.
Yes, I agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than school in the story. There is no personal touch between the student and the teacher. The teachers in Margie’s school are mechanical teachers and they cannot understand the feelings of the students. Doing homework without anybody’s help and writing them in a punch code would be draining. It is true that schools today have more fun than Margie’s school.
Comments
Post a Comment