NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 1 The Fun They Had

Short Note:

• Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) was a famous science-fiction writer known for stories that explore how technology changes human life.

• The story is set in the year 2157, when children no longer go to school buildings but are taught at home by mechanical teachers.

• Margie, the protagonist, finds an old printed book and is fascinated because she has only ever seen lessons on a screen.

Short Note:

• Margie: An eleven-year-old girl who dislikes her mechanical teacher, especially geography, and is curious about the old system of schools.

• Tommy: A thirteen-year-old boy who finds the old book and reads it with Margie; he is more confident and slightly boastful about his knowledge.

• The County Inspector: A man who repairs Margie's mechanical teacher and represents the technical, impersonal nature of future education.

Short Note:

• The story contrasts old-fashioned schools, where children learned together and enjoyed the company of friends, with the isolated, machine-based learning of the future.

• It highlights how personal interaction, group learning and a human teacher add joy to education, something the children of 2157 have never experienced.

• The title is ironic: the 'fun' the old-time children had refers to something Margie and Tommy can only imagine through an old book.