I. Answer in a few words or a couple of sentences
Q1. How old are Margie and Tommy?
Answer:- Margie is eleven years old and Tommy is thirteen years old.
Q2. What did Margie write in her diary?
Answer:- Margie wrote in her diary that Tommy had found a real book.
Q3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?
Answer:- No, Margie had never seen a printed book before. She had only seen telebooks on a screen.
Q4. What things about the book did she find strange?
Answer:- She found it strange that the words did not move and the pages were fixed and yellow instead of being on a screen.
Q5. What do you think a telebook is?
Answer:- A telebook is a digital book that appears on a screen instead of being printed on paper.
Q6. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Answer:- Margie’s school was in her house, in a room next to her bedroom. No, she did not have any classmates.
Q7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Answer:- They learned different subjects like geography and arithmetic.
II. Answer with reference to the story
Q1. “I wouldn’t throw it away.”
Answer:-
(i) Tommy says these words.
(ii) ‘It’ refers to the old printed book.
(iii) He is comparing it with telebooks on the screen.
Q2. “Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”
Answer:-
(i) ‘They’ refers to the children in the old kind of school.
(ii) ‘Regular’ means normal or usual.
(iii) It is contrasted with mechanical teachers used in Margie’s time.
III. Short paragraph answers (about 50 words)
Q1. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Answer:- Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. These were computer-like machines that taught lessons on screens, gave tests, and evaluated answers automatically. Each lesson was adjusted to the child’s level, and students studied alone at home.
Q2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
Answer:- Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspector because Margie was performing poorly in geography tests. She thought the mechanical teacher might be faulty or not properly adjusted, so she called him to examine it.
Q3. What did he do?
Answer:- The County Inspector examined the mechanical teacher carefully using tools. He opened it, checked the settings, and adjusted its level. He made the lessons easier by setting it to a suitable learning speed for Margie.
Q4. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help her?
Answer:- Margie was doing badly because the geography lessons were set at a higher speed than her age level. The County Inspector slowed down the teacher to a normal ten-year level so she could understand the lessons better?
Q5. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
Answer:- Tommy’s mechanical teacher once stopped working in the history section. It completely broke down and was taken away for nearly a month for repair before it became functional again.
Q6. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Answer:- Yes, Margie had fixed school hours every day except Saturday and Sunday. Her mother believed that children learn better when they study at regular and fixed times in a disciplined routine.
Q7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Answer:- Tommy describes the old school as a place where children went together, studied in classrooms, and enjoyed learning. They helped each other with homework and returned home together after spending the day at school.
Q8. How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
Answer:- Tommy says old teachers were human beings who taught students directly, asked questions, and gave homework. Unlike mechanical teachers, they interacted with children and guided them personally in learning.
IV. Long answers (100–150 words)
Q1. What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms in the story?
Answer:- The mechanical teachers in the story are advanced computer-like machines designed to teach children individually. They display lessons on screens, give tests, and mark homework automatically. The lessons are adjusted according to each child’s ability and speed, making learning highly personalised. The schoolrooms are located inside the children’s homes, usually in a separate room near their bedrooms. There are no classmates or group learning, as each student studies alone. The environment is quiet, mechanical, and routine-based. Students follow fixed school hours every day, except weekends. Although the system is efficient and technologically advanced, it lacks human interaction, emotional bonding, and social learning. Thus, education becomes isolated and less enjoyable compared to traditional schools.
Q2. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?
Answer:- Margie hated school because it was dull, mechanical, and lonely. She studied alone with a machine teacher and had to follow strict daily routines. She was also unhappy because she often performed poorly, especially in geography, which made her dislike studies more. There were no friends or group activities, which made learning boring. After reading about old schools in Tommy’s book, she imagined a very different and joyful environment. In the old system, children studied together in classrooms, laughed, helped each other, and shared experiences. Teachers were human beings who interacted with students personally. This made her feel that old schools must have been much more exciting, friendly, and enjoyable than her mechanical system.
Adverbs
1. Sentences from lesson (examples)
Answer:-
(i) Margie was awfully surprised.
(ii) He answered nonchalantly.
(iii) The Inspector worked carefully.
(iv) The teacher smiled sorrowfully.
(v) Tommy said loftily.
2. Fill in the blanks
Answer:-
(i) The report must be read carefully so that performance can be improved.
(ii) At the interview, Sameer answered our questions nonchalantly, 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 awfully and turned away.
(vii) The President of the Company is extremely busy and will not be able to meet you.
(viii) I finished my work quickly so that I could go out to play.
3. Make adverbs
Answer:-
(i) angrily
(ii) happily
(iii) merrily
(iv) sleepily
(v) easily
(vi) noisily
(vii) tidily
(viii) gloomily
If Not and Unless
Answer:-
1. If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, I will miss the fun.
2. If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, you will not get anything to eat.
3. Unless you promise to write back, I will not write to you again.
4. If she doesn’t play any games, she will become unhealthy.
5. Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat will catch it.
