Thinking about the Text (Page 10)

Ans. Margie and Tommy are eleven and thirteen years old.

Ans. In her diary Margie wrote “Today 17 May, 2157 Tommy found a real book.”

Ans.No, Margie had never seen a book before.

Ans. She found the following things strange about the book (i) the book had yellow and crinkly pages (ii) the words of the book didn’t move like on computer screen.

Ans. A telebook is displayed on the television screen with similar text like a book.

Ans.Margie’s school was in her house. It was just next to her bedroom. She didn’t have any classmates.

Ans. Margie learnt Geography and Mathematics while Tommy learnt History & Mathematics.

Ans.Ans. (i) Tommy says these words. (ii) Here ‘it’ refers to the telebook that they read in a computer screen. (iii) Here a real book is compared with a telebook by the speaker.

Ans. Ans. (i) “They” refers to the people of olden days. (ii) ‘Regular’ here means normal or usual kind, i.e., the mechanical teacher. (iii) It is contrasted with the human teacher of olden days.

Ans. Both Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers. They were taught by them by means of Computer and television screens. They had no ideas about the human teachers that taught in the class rooms.

Ans. The functioning of the mechanical techer of Margie was not upto the mark. It had given her test after test on Geography making her worse and worse.

Ans. He slowed down the mechanical teacher upto an average ten year level. Thus the mechanical techer’s speed was controlled and adjusted according to the 1Q. level of Margie.

Ans. The mechanical teacher fastly displayed the questionnaire in the computer screen, which she couln’t adjust. The County Inspector adjusted its speed upto an average ten year level, controlling the mechanical teacher’s speed.

Ans. Both Margie and Tommy have mechanical teachers in Computer Screen. The mechanical teacher is kept in a room of the house and they can learn various subjects individually by turning the button. They do never go to school for learning. They have no seperate classrooms like schools to sit together with other children. They don’t require textbooks & exercise books like school children because their teacher has many telebooks. Their examination system is also quite different. They have to do homework in a different way too. Margie has to write her homework out in a punch code and the mechanical teacher calculated the marks in no time. Infact the system of Margie’s education is technologically advanced far away from printed books.

Ans.Margie hated school because of her mechanical teacher, who used to teach her in her room. She had to sit in that room alone to complete her hometask or assignments. Margie hated the slot most, where she had to put her homework and test papers. The mechanical teacher gave her test after test in Geography and she had been doing worse. So she hated it more than ever. She thought that the old schools must have been fun because the students used to sit together in the classroom. They used to laugh and shout in the schoolyard in merry making. She longed for company because she fell alienated.

Ans.Ans. It is no denying the fact that today’s schools are more fun than the school in the story. The school described in the story has none but a mechanical teacher devoid of emotions and sentiments. The mechanical teacher can never understand the child’s psychology. It merely guides children in accordance with its adjusted modes. But today’s schools give emphasis on the overall development of a child by adopting various skills and methods. The schools pay attention to the formation of personality of children, by imparting training in leadership, games & sports, politics and science. They are also given instruction to adapt to the new surroundings & etc. The schools save children from the feelings of depression, alination and segregation.