Jammu and Kashmir Board Class 9 English Tulip Book Chapter 4 The fun they had Question Answers
The fun they had Question Answers: Looking for important questions and answers of JKBOSE Class 9 English Tulip Book Chapter 4 The fun they had? Look no further! Our comprehensive compilation of important questions will help you brush up on your subject knowledge. Practicing JKBOSE Class 9 English question answers can significantly improve your performance in the board exam. Improve your chances of scoring high marks by exploring The fun they had Question answers now. The questions listed below are based on the latest JKBOSE exam pattern. All the exercises and Questions Answers given at the back of the lesson have also been covered.
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Jammu and Kashmir Board Class 9 English Tulip Book Lesson Saint Of the Gutters Textbook Questions
Thinking about the Text
I. Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.
1. What did Margie write in her diary?
Ans. On 17 May 2157, Margie wrote: “Today Tommy found a real book!” This was significant because printed books were extremely rare in their time.
2. Had Margie ever seen a book before?
Ans. No, Margie had never seen a real printed book before. She had only read telebooks on television screens.
3. What things about the book did she find strange?
Ans. Margie found the yellow, crinkly pages strange. She found it funny that words stood still instead of moving on a screen, and previous pages had the same words.
4. What do you think a telebook is?
Ans. A telebook is a digital book displayed on a television screen that can store millions of books with moving, scrolling text.
5. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Ans. Margie’s school was next to her bedroom in her house. She had no classmates and studied alone with a mechanical teacher.
6. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Ans. Margie learned geography and arithmetic. Tommy learned history and other subjects at levels adjusted to their individual pace.
II. Answer the following with reference to the story:
1. “I wouldn’t throw it away.”
(i) Who says these words?
(ii) What does ‘it’ refer to?
(iii) What is ‘it’ being compared to by the speaker?
Answer
(i) Tommy says these words.
(ii) The television screen displaying telebooks, which could hold millions of books
(iii) The old printed book that’s thrown away after reading, unlike his reusable television screen
2. “Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”
(i) Who does ‘they’ refer to?
(ii) What does ‘regular’ mean here?
(iii) What is it contrasted with?
Answer
(i) Students who attended old-fashioned schools centuries ago.
(ii) The mechanical teacher that is the normal type that Tommy and Margie know.
(iii) A human teacher who taught in person, considered unusual in their time.
III. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).
1. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Ans. They had mechanical teachers, large, black machines with screens displaying lessons. These teachers were adjusted to each child’s level, calculated marks instantly, and taught individually at home without human interaction.
2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
Ans. Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspector because Margie was doing progressively worse in geography tests, and she wanted the mechanical teacher examined to find the problem.
3. What did he do?
Ans. The County Inspector took the mechanical teacher apart, found the geography sector was geared too quickly, slowed it to an appropriate ten-year level, and reassembled the teacher.
4. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help her?
Ans. Margie was doing badly because the geography sector was geared too quickly. The County Inspector slowed it down to an average ten-year level, appropriate for her age.
5. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
Ans. Tommy’s teacher was taken away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely, requiring extensive repairs before being returned.
6. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Ans. Yes, Margie’s mechanical teacher operated at the same time daily except on weekends. Her mother believed little girls learned better with regular, consistent hours.
7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Ans. Tommy describes old schools as special buildings where neighborhood kids went together, learned the same things, sat together in schoolrooms, and came laughing and shouting to the schoolyard.
8. How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
Ans. Tommy describes old teachers as men who taught in person, told students things, gave homework, and asked questions, though he initially doubted their intelligence compared to mechanical teachers.
IV. 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?
Ans. The mechanical teachers are large, black machines with television screens displaying lessons and questions. Students insert homework written in punch code into a slot, and the teacher calculates marks instantly. Each teacher is individually adjusted to fit each student’s mind and learning speed. When Margie struggled, the County Inspector adjusted her geography sector to a slower level. The teachers can malfunction, Tommy’s history sector once blanked out completely.
The class room is inside the students’ homes, next to their bedrooms. Each child learns alone without classmates. The mechanical teacher operates on a fixed daily schedule except on weekends. This system provides individualized, isolated education with no human interaction or peer learning, creating an efficient but lonely experience lacking social and emotional aspects of traditional schooling.
2. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?
Ans. Margie hated school because her mechanical teacher was impersonal, cold, and ugly. She particularly disliked inserting homework in punch code and the instant mark calculation. She was doing worse in geography because the teacher was adjusted too quickly, making her frustrated. Learning alone without classmates made school boring and isolating. Despite personalization, she found no joy in learning.
When Margie read about old schools, she found them fascinating. Children came together, laughing in schoolyards, sat together in classrooms, helped each other with homework, and talked about lessons. They had human teachers, not cold machines. Margie imagined the social interaction, shared experiences, fun of being with other children, and warmth of human teachers. The old schools represented everything missing from her experience, community, friendship, shared joy, and human connection.
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 much more fun than mechanized schools in the story. First, the social aspect is invaluable, students interact, make friends, work in groups, and develop communication skills, teamwork, and emotional intelligence. Margie learns alone, missing all peer interaction and social development.
Second, human teachers bring warmth, encouragement, creativity, and adaptability machines cannot replicate. They recognize emotional struggles, change teaching methods spontaneously, use humor, show enthusiasm, and provide mentorship beyond subject matter. Third, modern schools offer variety, sports, arts, music, drama, field trips, experiments, and debates make learning dynamic. Libraries, laboratories, and playgrounds provide diverse learning spaces.
However, Margie’s system offers personalized learning adjusted to individual pace, which is valuable. During COVID-19, online learning became necessary, but students and teachers missed physical classrooms, proving human interaction remains essential. The ideal system combines technology’s benefits with irreplaceable human connection, peer interaction, and shared experiences that make schools truly fun and educational.
Language Work
An ideal student is the one who is an all-rounder. By all-rounder we mean one who is good at studies, play, and at home tasks. Discipline, obedience, respect for elders and hardwork are his guiding principles. An ideal student rises early in the morning. He refreshes his body by going out for a morning walk regularly. He understands that only a sound body can harbour a sound mind. He is not a mere bookworm, but exposes himself to various plays and games. He is an adventure lover and this makes him enterprising. He never puts off any work for tomorrow because he believes in today. He values friendship and relationships. His good behaviour is a hallmark of his personality. He loves everyone and tries to be helpful to everyone. He goes to the library regularly and adds to his knowledge. He keeps a hobby and is also interested in fine arts such as painting, music, sculpture and literature. He has thirst for knowledge that he wants to quench by reading different books, thereby enriching his imagination. He is an embodiment of hardwork, commitment and humility.
Fill in the blank:
1. Close to perfection________
2. A student who is good at studies, play and other curricular activities ___________
3. Behaviour, outlook, presentation and mental make-up comprise our __________
4. Painting, music and sculpture are ___________
5. Enterprising means ______________
Answer
1. All-rounder
2. is an ideal student
3. Personality
4. fine arts
5. showing initiative and resourcefulness
I. Adverbs
Read this sentence taken from the story:
They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.
The word complete is an adjective. When you add -ly to it, it becomes an adverb.
1. Find sentences in the lesson which form the adverbs given below:
| awfully | sorrowfully | completely | loftily |
| carefully | differently | quickly | nonchalantly |
Answer
1. Awfully
“It was awfully funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to.”
2. Sorrowfully
“Her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully and sent for the County Inspector.”
3. Completely
“They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.”
4. Loftily
“He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, ‘Centuries ago.'”
5. Carefully
“He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, ‘Centuries ago.'”
6. Differently
“Each kid has to be taught differently.”
7. Quickly
“She said to Tommy, ‘Can I read the book some more with you after school?'”
8. Nonchalantly
“‘Maybe,’ he said nonchalantly.”
2. Now use these adverbs to fill in the blanks in the sentences below:
(i) The report must be read _________so that performance can be improved.
(ii) At the interview, Sameer answered our questions____________,shrugging his shoulders.
(iii) We all behave _________ when we are tired or hungry.
(iv) The teacher shook her head _______________when Ravi lied to her.
(v) I forgot about it ____________.
(vi) When I complimented Revathi on her success, she just smiled and turned away __________.
(vii) The President of the Company raised his head and spoke __________.
(viii) I finished my work so that I could go out to play__________.
Answer
(i) carefully
(ii) nonchalantly
(iii) differently
(iv) Sorrowfully
(v) completely
(vi) nonchalantly
(vii) Loftily
(viii) quickly
Remember:
An adverb describes action. You can form adverbs by adding -ly to adjectives.
Spelling Note: When an adjective ends in -y, the y changes to i when you add -ly to form an adverb.
For example: angr-y-angr-i-ly
3. Make adverbs from these adjectives/nouns.
| (i) angry | (ii) happy |
| (iii) merry | (iv) sleep |
| (v) ease | (vi) noise |
| (vii) tidy | (viii) gloomy |
| (ix) thoughtful | (x) beautiful |
Answer
| Adjective/Noun | Adverb |
| (i) angry | angrily |
| (ii) happy | happily |
| (iii) merry | merrily |
| (iv) sleep | sleepily |
| (v) ease | easily |
| (vi) noise | noisily |
| (vii) tidy | tidily |
| (viii) gloomy | gloomily |
| (ix) thoughtful | thoughtfully |
| (x) beautiful | beautifully |
II. If Not and Unless
- Imagine that Margie’s mother told her, “You’ll feel awful if you don’t finish your history lesson.”
- She could also say: “You’ll feel awful unless you finish your history lesson.”
Unless means if not. Sentences with unless or if not are negative conditional sentences.
Notice that these sentences have two parts. The part that begins with if not or unless tells us the condition. This part has a verb in the present tense (look at the verbs don’t finish, finish in the sentences above).
The other part of the sentence tells us about a possible result. It tells us what will happen (if something else doesn’t happen). The verb in this part of the sentence is in the future tense (you’ll feel/you will feel).
Notice these two tenses again in the following examples:
| Future Tense | Present Tense | |
|
unless | we preserve them. |
|
if | you don’t study regularly. |
|
unless | he drives more slowly. |
Complete the following conditional sentences. Use the correct form of the verb.
1. If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, ………………..
2. If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, ……………..
3. Unless you promise to write back, I ……………………..
4. If she doesn’t play any games, ………………..
5. Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat ……………. .
Answer
1. she will be disappointed
2. we will go hungry.
3. I won’t write to you
4. she will become weak
5. will eat it.
Jammu and Kashmir Board Class 9 English Tulip Book Lesson The fun they had Extra Question and Answers
Extract-Based Questions
A
“Margie even wrote about it that night in her diary. On the page headed 17 May 2157, she wrote, ‘Today Tommy found a real book!’ It was a very old book. Margie’s grandfather once said that when he was a little boy his grandfather told him that there was a time when all stories were printed on paper.”
Q1. What did Margie write in her diary?
Ans. Margie wrote “Today Tommy found a real book!” in her diary on 17 May 2157.
Q2. Why was finding a real book significant?
Ans. Finding a real book was significant because printed books were extremely rare in 2157 when all reading was done on telebooks.
Q3. What did Margie’s grandfather tell her?
Ans. Margie’s grandfather told her that his grandfather said there was a time when all stories were printed on paper.
Q4. How old was the book?
Ans. The book was centuries old, from hundreds of years ago.
Q5. What does this extract reveal about the story’s setting?
Ans. It reveals the story is set in 2157, a futuristic world where physical books are ancient artifacts.
B
“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. And then when they turned back to the page before, it had the same words on it that it had when they read it the first time.”
Q1. What was the condition of the book’s pages?
Ans. The pages were yellow and crinkly, showing age and the paper’s deterioration.
Q2. What did they find funny about the book?
Ans. They found it funny that words stood still instead of moving on a screen like they were supposed to.
Q3. What surprised them about turning back pages?
Ans. They were surprised that the previous page had the same words, unlike changing digital text.
Q4. What does “the way they were supposed to” reveal?
Ans. It reveals that moving text on screens is normal in their world; static printed words are unusual.
Q5. What contrast does this extract highlight?
Ans. It contrasts the permanence of printed books with the fluid, changeable nature of digital text.
C
“‘Gee,’ said Tommy, ‘what a waste. When you’re through with the book, you just throw it away, I guess. Our television screen must have had a million books on it and it’s good for plenty more. I wouldn’t throw it away.'”
Q1. What did Tommy think was wasteful?
Ans. Tommy thought printed books were wasteful because they’re thrown away after reading.
Q2. What advantage did Tommy see in television screens?
Ans. Television screens could hold a million books and were reusable, making them more practical.
Q3. What does Tommy’s reaction reveal?
Ans. It reveals he values efficiency and practicality, seeing books only as disposable information containers.
Q4. What is ironic about Tommy’s statement?
Ans. The irony is that books’ permanence and tangibility make them valuable, not wasteful as Tommy thinks.
Q5. How does this contrast with our view of books today?
Ans. Today we treasure physical books as collectible objects, while Tommy views them as inefficient and disposable.
D
“Margie always hated school, but now she hated it more than ever. 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.”
Q1. How did Margie feel about school?
Ans. Margie always hated school, but now hated it more than ever.
Q2. What problem was Margie facing?
Ans. Margie was doing progressively worse in geography tests given by her mechanical teacher.
Q3. How did her mother react?
Ans. Her mother shook her head sorrowfully and sent for the County Inspector.
Q4. Why is it significant that Margie “always hated school”?
Ans. It’s significant because despite personalized education, she still hates school, showing that technology alone can’t make education enjoyable.
Q5. What does this suggest about mechanical teachers?
Ans. It suggests they can malfunction and lack the human ability to recognize when students need different approaches.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Q1. In which year is the story set?
A. 2057
B. 2157
C. 2257
D. 2357
Ans. B. 2157
Q2. Who found the real book?
A. Margie
B. Tommy
C. Margie’s mother
D. The County Inspector
Ans. B. Tommy
Q3. Where did Tommy find the book?
A. In the library
B. In the school
C. In his house’s attic
D. In the street
Ans. C. In his house’s attic
Q4. What was the book about?
A. History
B. Science
C. School
D. Geography
Ans. C. School
Q5. How old was Margie?
A. Nine years old
B. Eleven years old
C. Thirteen years old
D. Fifteen years old
Ans. B. Eleven years old
Q6. How old was Tommy?
A. Eleven years old
B. Twelve years old
C. Thirteen years old
D. Fourteen years old
Ans. C. Thirteen years old
Q7. What was Margie doing badly in?
A. History
B. Mathematics
C. Geography
D. Science
Ans. C. Geography
Q8. Who was sent for to fix Margie’s teacher?
A. The mechanic
B. The County Inspector
C. The computer expert
D. Tommy’s father
Ans. B. The County Inspector
Q9. What did the County Inspector give Margie?
A. A book
B. An apple
C. Candy
D. A toy
Ans. B. An apple
Q10. What was wrong with Margie’s mechanical teacher?
A. The screen was broken
B. The geography sector was geared too quickly
C. It wouldn’t turn on
D. The slot was jammed
Ans. B. The geography sector was geared too quickly
Q11. What had happened to Tommy’s teacher once?
A. It exploded
B. The history sector blanked out
C. It caught fire
D. It was stolen
Ans. B. The history sector blanked out
Q12. For how long was Tommy’s teacher taken away?
A. Two weeks
B. Nearly a month
C. Three months
D. A year
Ans. B. Nearly a month
Q13. Where was Margie’s schoolroom?
A. In a separate building
B. Next to her bedroom
C. In the basement
D. In the attic
Ans. B. Next to her bedroom
Q14. What days did Margie not have school?
A. Monday and Tuesday
B. Friday and Saturday
C. Saturday and Sunday
D. Thursday and Friday
Ans. C. Saturday and Sunday
Q15. What did students have to write homework in?
A. Handwriting
B. Typewriting
C. Punch code
D. Binary code
Ans. C. Punch code
Q16. At what age did children learn punch code?
A. Four years old
B. Six years old
C. Eight years old
D. Ten years old
Ans. B. Six years old
Q17. What did Margie hate most about her mechanical teacher?
A. The screen
B. The slot for homework
C. The questions
D. The schedule
Ans. B. The slot for homework
Q18. Who wrote “The Fun They Had”?
A. H.G. Wells
B. Isaac Asimov
C. Ray Bradbury
D. Arthur C. Clarke
Ans. B. Isaac Asimov
Q19. What was strange about the pages of the old book?
A. They were blue
B. They were torn
C. They were yellow and crinkly
D. They were plastic
Ans. C. They were yellow and crinkly
Q20. What did children do in schools in olen times, according to the book?
A. Studied alone at home
B. Went to a special building together
C. Learned on computers
D. Had no teachers
Ans. B. Went to a special building together
True or False
State whether the following are true or false-
1. The story is set in the year 2157.
2. Margie found the real book in her attic.
3. Tommy was eleven years old.
4. Margie loved her mechanical teacher.
5. The County Inspector was a round little man with a red face.
6. Tommy’s history teacher once malfunctioned.
7. Margie’s school was in a separate building.
8. Children learned punch code at age six.
9. In old schools, all children learned different things.
10. Margie thought old schools must have been fun.
Answers:
1. True
2. False (Tommy found it)
3. False (He was thirteen)
4. False (She hated school)
5. True
6. True
7. False (It was next to her bedroom)
8. True
9. False (Same-age children learned the same things)
10. True
Fill in the Blanks
1. The story is set in the year ________.
2. Tommy found a real book in the ________.
3. The book’s pages were ________ and crinkly.
4. Margie was ________ years old.
5. Margie was doing badly in ________.
6. The County Inspector gave Margie an ________.
7. The mechanical teacher calculated marks in ________ time.
8. Tommy’s ________ sector had blanked out completely.
9. Margie’s school was next to her ________.
10. In old schools, children learned in a special ________.
Answers:
1. 2157
2. attic
3. yellow
4. eleven
5. geography
6. apple
7. no
8. history
9. bedroom
10. building
Extra Questions
Answer the following questions-
Q1. When and where is the story set?
Ans. The story is set on May 17, 2157, in a future where children learn at home through mechanical teachers.
Q2. What did Tommy find and why was it special?
Ans. Tommy found a real book printed on paper, which was special because in 2157, all books were displayed on television screens (telebooks).
Q3. How old are Margie and Tommy?
Ans. Margie is eleven years old and Tommy is thirteen years old.
Q4. Why did Margie hate school?
Ans. Margie hated school because her mechanical teacher had been giving her difficult geography tests and she was doing poorly. She found the learning process frustrating.
Q5. What did the County Inspector do?
Ans. The County Inspector examined Margie’s mechanical teacher and discovered that the geography sector was geared too fast for her level. He adjusted it to an average ten-year level.
Q6. What was Margie’s least favorite part of her mechanical teacher?
Ans The slot where she had to insert homework and test papers written in punch code.
Q7. How were the old schools different from Margie and Tommy’s schools?
Ans. In old schools, children went to a special building together, had human teachers, learned the same things if they were the same age, and could help each other with homework.
Q8. Why did Margie think a man couldn’t be a teacher?
Ans. Margie believed a man wasn’t smart enough to be a teacher because she was used to mechanical teachers.
Q9. Where was Margie’s schoolroom located?
Ans. Margie’s schoolroom was right next to her bedroom in her house.
Q10. What was Margie thinking about at the end of the story?
Ans. Margie was thinking about how much fun the children must have had in the old days, going to school together, learning together, and helping each other with homework.