The Fun They Had

TS 8th Class English Guide Unit 4A The Fun They Had PRE-READING (Motivotion/Picture Interaction): Look at the pictures given below and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1. What do you see in these pictures ?

Answer: In the first picture we see a robot. In the second picture we see a rocket being launched. We see a digital classroom and an astronaut in the third and the fourth pictures respectively

Question 2. What do they tell us ?

Answer: They tell us how science and technology are progressing. They tell us we are technically advanced. Robots are playing a vital role in our daily life from kitchen to gardening and from industry to sports. Robots are controlling the whole factories reducing the need of man-power and making life better. Rockets that carry satellites are being launched for the welfare of mankind. The satellites send us information about mineral wealth, weather forecast, prediction of natural calamities, etc. Digital classrooms are revolutionizing in education sector and ushering in a new premise in providing teachers and students with a broad, flexible and agile learning. Astronauts are sent into the space to explore things regarding space, other planets, satellites, etc

ORAL DISCOURSE

Question. Debate - "Development in Science and Technology will always lead to disasters." ?

Answer: Pupil 1 : In my opinion the development in Science and Technology is a threat to human kind. Thousands of people lost their lives during bomb attacks. We see the lack of moral values in human beings with the technoloical development. Pupil 2 : I strongly object my learned friends idea. Science and technology has improved our way of life. To say that Science and Technology is beneficial to the man kind, there are many examples such as the invention of computers, advancement in medicine, advancements in the fields of education, communication, trade, etc. which have all made our lives more comfortable. Pupil 1 : I disagree with you, dear friend. Though our industries are producing chemicals for rapid industrial development, at the same time, they are emitting poisonous smokes which cause air pollution. Some factories discharge chemicals into water and thus the water is polluted. The advancement in the field of transport leads to both the air pollution and sound pollution. Pupil 2 : I personally feel that atomic energy is used for many development purposes. It is the cheapest source of energy. Electricity is produced at low cost. Pupil 1 : Thats purely your idea but the reality is different. You know very well what happened during Chernobyl explosions. Radio activity caused the deaths of a number of people. Some others have been suffering from incurable diseases. Some people have been suffering from skin cancer. Pupil 2 : Its my feeling that science has minimized our hardships. It has made our lives more comfortable. The modem scientific techniques are applied in agriculture to meet the growing demands. I think science is a real blessing

Comprehension

Answer the following questions.

Question 1. What did Margie write in her diary?

Answer: Margie wrote that Tommy had found a real book

Question 2. What did Margie find strange in the book ?

Answer: Margie found the following things strange in the book. They are

• The words stand still. They do not move like the words on the screen
• There was a real man as a teacher
• The children went to a place called school to study

Question 3. Why do you think Margie was disappointed?

Answer: Margie did not like the slot for homework and the test papers given by the mechanical teacher. She hoped that they would take away the mechanical teacher altogether but they did not do it. So, she was disappointed

Question 4. Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?

Answer: Margie thought that the old schools must have been fun since all the kids from the whole neighbourhood would come to school together. They laughed and shouted in the schopl yard the same things by helping one another in doing homework and talking about it. There people were working as teachers

Question 5. Margie says old school was better than the future school! .. Do you agree with this statement? Give reasons?

Answer: I fully agree with this statement. The schools today are more fun than the school in the story because today, all the kids of an area come together to study. The children of a particular age learn the same things and grow together. They share their feelings, ideas, make friends and enjoy themselves. Since the teachers are human beings they have feelings and they understand the problems of the students. If anyone has any problem, they can express their doubts. But in future schools it is not possible because the teachers are mechanical and there are no common classrooms in a school. They will miss collaborative learning and socialization

Question 6. What kind of school do you wish to have after 30 years?

Answer: I wish to have the classrooms fully equipped with all the digital technology. The teachers are friendly, cooperative and sensible. I wish to have exams which promote creativity among the children. They are free from exam fear, stress and burden of a heavy books bag

Question 7. And the teachers were people. What do you understand by this expression?

Answer: This is an expression of amazement and wonder

Vocabulary

I. Fill in the blanks with the words from the box. slots, loftily, dispute, screamed, scornful

Question 1. We look _________ when we show something useless?

Answer: scornful

Question 2. Your workbook does not have _________ for writing?

Answer: slots

Question 3. Why do you always _________ your younger brothers statements?

Answer:

Question 4. The commander ordered _________ to the soldiers, "Open fire" ?

Answer:

Question 5. All the boys _________ when they saw a snake in their classroom?

Answer: II. Pick out the opposites for the following words from the story and use them in your own sentences.

Question 1. serious x?

Answer: funny

Question 2. scarce x?

Answer: plenty

Question 3. idle x?

Answer: busy

Question 4. agree x?

Answer: dispute

Question 5. create x?

Answer: destroy

Question 6. knowingly x?

Answer: unwillingly/ inadvertently/ unknowingly

Using the opposite words in own sentences :

• I read a funny story yesterday
• He wrote a plenty of letters to the editor of The Hindi on education
• Nowadays students are busy preparing for their examinations
• He has disputes with his neighbours
• It is very easy to destroy in minutes what has taken years for one to create
• He fell on the floor unknowingly

III. Look at the underlined words in the following sentence taken from the text. He was a round little man with a red face. As you can see, there are two adjectives that precede the noun man. The adjective round and little appear in a certain order. The adjective little refers to the size and round indicates the shape.

Think of two adjectives of size and shape for the following objects and put them before the nouns?

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Answer:

• big round table
• long red pencil
• large comfortable room
• round soft chapathi
• fat beautiful cat

Grammar: I. Read the sentence taken from the text. He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully. "Centuries ago". In this sentence the words carefully and loftily are adverbs of manner, because they tell us about how the action is done.

1. Pick out some more verbs and the adverbs that go with them from the story or elsewhere use them in your own sentences?

Answer:

• shaken - sorrowfully e.g. : When her son did not come home in time, Sarala had shaken her head sorrowfully
• blanked out - completely e.g. : All the names in the letter had been blanked out completely
• geared - quickly e.g. : When he saw the car behind him was about to hit him, he geared his bike quickly
• taught - differently e.g. : My Maths teacher teaches Maths differently. So, I like him so much
• said - nonchalantly e.g. : Raju said to me about his problem nonchalantly. So, I was convinced and helped him
• Now took at the adverb? given In the box and fill in the blanks. nonchalantly, quickly, completely, sorrowfully, awfully, carefully, differently

Question 1. We all behave _________ when we dont have any anxiety?

Answer: differently

Question 2. I _________ forgot about it?

Answer: completely

Question 3. The report must be read _________ then the action will be taken?

Answer: carefully

Question 4. The teacher shook her head _________ when her student lied to her?

Answer: sorrowfully

Question 5. The two teams played _________?

Answer: nonchalantly

II. Read the following sentences and notice the underlined part in each sentence?

• They turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly
• It was awfully funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to - on a screen

What, according to you, is the function of the underlind clause? Which part in the sentence does it modify? The underlined parts in these sentences are Relative Clauses. A Relative Clause gives extra information about or identifies a person, place, tiine or thing. It normally begins with a relative pronoun such as who, where, when, what or that. It functions like an adjective. It is known as adjective clause. Now, read the following sentences and underline the relative clauses.

a) The part Margie hated most was the slot where she had to put homework and test papers?

Answer: The part Margie hated most was the slot where she had to put homework and test papers

b) This is the old kind of school that they had hundreds and hundreds of years ago?

Answer: This is the old kind of school that they had hundreds and hundreds of years ago

c) My mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches and that each kid has to be taught differently?

Answer: My mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches and that each kid has to be taught differently

Note : In the third sentence the relative clause is without a relative pronoun.

III. Combine the sentences using where, who, which and that?

Question 1. Mahi always tells funny stories. We all like them?

Answer: Mahi always tells funny stories which we all like

Question 2. Dolly ate all the biscuits. 1 bought them for Chandu?

Answer: Dolly ate all the biscuits (that) I bought them for Chandu

Question 3. An old man visited us last night. He was my grandfather?

Answer: The old man who visited us last night was my grandfather

Question 4. We should remember the place. We often used to meet?

Answer: We should remember the place (where) we often used to meet

Question 5. Divija gave me a camera. It was not working?

Answer: The camera which Divya gave me was not working

IV. Complete the following sentences using with suitable relative clauses.

Question 1. I know the boy __________________?

Answer: I know the boy who won the first prize

Question 2. I visited the place __________________?

Answer: I visited the place which is famous for its architecture

Question 3. He told me the time __________________?

Answer: He told me the time which is not convenient for me

Question 4. This is the book __________________?

Answer: This is the book (that) I brought from the library last week

Editing

Read the following passage. Every numbered sentence has an error. Identify and edit it.

(1) In Siripuram village it did not rain at three years. (2) Men, women and children looked at the sky anxious for signs of clouds. (3)The pond were now a wide stretch of caked earth. Thirsty animals crowded around puddles of dirty water. (4) Women went very far on search of water. (5)They returned with pots of water balanced over their head and some fodder of the cattle tucked under their arms?

Answer: (1) In Siripuram village it did not rain for three gears. (2) Men, women and children looked at the sky anxiously for signs of clouds. (3) The pond was now a wide stretch of caked earth. Thirsty animals crowded around puddles of dirty water. (4) Women went very far in search of water. (5) They returned with pots of water balanced over their heads and some fodder of the cattle tucked under their arms

Writing

I. Mary is a girl studying in class eight. Read the following letter that she wrote to her friend Candy. Wonderland, Computer Town. 20th Sept 2012. Dear Candy, I am very glad to say that I have established a computer teaching lab, which gives me full information with the help of a mechanical teacher. Its an up-to-date lab. Technology is growing fast, isnt it? Imagine our classroom in 30 years. Reply soon. With warm regards, Your loving friend, Mary. To M. Candy, H.No. 45-7/A, Winterland, Technical Country.

Write a reply imagining how our future classrooms will be in the next 30 years. You may use the following hints while writing?

Answer: Winterland, Technical Country, 25th Sept 2012. Dear Mary, I am delighted to know that you have established a computer lab. Your letter made me think seriously about the future classrooms in the next 30 years. We have seen several changes in the field of education in the recent past. I imagine that there will be an enormous change in classroom teaching and learning. I think, in future, the children will not carry heavy loads of books to the classrooms. They will go to schools with laptops with internet connection. They will be accessible to the e-library through which they can refer to any book in the world. I imagine that the present classroom system may disappear gradually. The children may depend more on e-screens and robot teachers who are available on screen 24 hours and 365 days. Presently, we have online evaluation system in respect of some competitive exams. In future, there will be online examinations for every class. The children will take them at their own will and convenience. E-mail has already become popular even nowadays. The use of postal system will be minimized. Everybody will use e-mailing in future. I guess that the children will become more creative, innovative and independent learners. The teacher- student interaction will decrease. The relationship between teacher and the student may diminish! With best regards, Yours lovingly, Candy. To Mary, Wonderland, Computer town

Listening

I. Listen to a message from space by Sunitha Williams and answer the following questions. Message from Space Sunitha Williams sent out warm wishes on the occasion of Diwali from the International Space Station. "I just want to wish everybody in India and people of Indian origin around the world a "Happy Diwali" Its a wonderful festival and I am happy we are part Of it up here at the International Space Station. I did bring a couple of things that have to do with India from my father, particularly a peaceful Om that stays outside my crew quarters where I sleep, and the Upanishads. So I can read it while I am up, It is a small version (of the Upanishads) but it definitely brings the wisdom to us while we are here and allow us to think of the true meaning of life and what we are doing, Heartfelt feelings for the work we are doing up here and how we are doing and for our safe return back home. Answer the following questions:

Question 1. What is the text about?

Answer: The text is about Sunita Williamss messsage

Question 2. Where was Sunita Williams when she sent the message?

Answer: She was at the International Space Station when she sent the message

Question 3. On which occasion did she send the message?

Answer: She sent the message on the occasion of Diwali

Question 4. What are the two things Sunita received from her father?

Answer: Sunita received a peaceful Om and the Upanishads

Question 5. In what way did the Upanishads help Sunita?

Answer: According to Sunita the Upanishads bring the wisdom to us and allow us to think of the true meaning of life and what we are doing

Study Skills

Here are posters about two schools. Read them carefully.

Even one of you have an aspiration. Someone wants to become a sportsperson, a software engineer, etc. As a student, which school would you want to join? Why? Write your opinion here?

Answer: To Become a Sportsperson When I compare the features of both the schools I would prefer to join the Z.P High School, Vanasthalipuram, Hyderabad, The following features of the Z.P High School have attracted me

• It is located in the midst of nature
• Its focus is on all-round development of the child
• It provides individual attention
• There is a scope for games and sports

Since this school is located in the midst of the nature I can have a good playground in a pleasant atmosphere which promotes my health

Their main focus is not on education alone but on all-round development of the child. So, they will provide me an opportunity to concentrate on games and sports. They will never insist me on studying more time to get marks. I think, they encourage me in sports and games

They promise individual attention. It means they will observe my performance in games and sports and provide me good feedback which enables me to overcome my weaknesses. They will also provide me necessary support, good guidance and coaching in a game or sport in which I am interested

The Fun They Had Summary in English

"The Fun They Had" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. This story takes place in 2157. In this story, the writer describes the present school and the school in the future. Margie was an eleven year old girl. One day she wrote about an old book which Tommy, her brother, found his attic. It was all about the schools some centuries ago. Margie learnt through her grandfather that there was a time when books were printed on paper

They were surprised to know that the words were not moving just like the words on the computer screen. Tommy thought that it was a waste to have a printed book and so, TV screen was better

Margie always hated school. She had problems in learning geography. Her mechanical teacher had been giving test after test in geography and she was doing worse and worse. She j had a slot where she had to put homework and test papers. She had to write them out in a punch code. The mechanical teacher calculated the marks in no time. Her mother worried and sent for the County Inspector. He said that the geography sector was too fast. He said that the progress of the girl was quite satisfactory. And, he had reset it to the level of the girl. Margie was disappointed because she hoped that they would take away the mechanical teacher just like the Tommys history teacher

She was interested to know about the book. She wanted to read about that old and funny school. Margie went into the school room which was next to her bedroom. The mechanical teacher would teach her at the same time except Saturday and Sunday. She put yesterdays I homework in the proper slot but she was thinking about that old school. She started thinking ; about the children who were going to school, learning the same things in the same class. They ! would help one another with the home work and talk about it. The kids would go home together laughing and shouting in the school yard. She was thinking about the fun they had

About the Author

Isaac Asimov (1920 - 1992) was an American author best known for his science fiction. He was the professor of biochemistry at Boston University. He is considered the master of science fiction. Most of his works explain scientific concepts in a historical way. He worked as the president of AHA (American Humanist Association). He earned a credit on Star Trek, a movie on science fiction. His famous works are The, Foundation Series, The Robot Series and The Galactic Empire Series

Glossary

crinkly (adj) : with many folds or lines

awfully (adv) : very badly, unpleasantly

million (n) : ten lakhs

telebooks (n) : books seen or read on a television or computer screen

attic (n) : a space just below the roof, used as a storeroom

scornful (adj) : contemptuous; think something is worthless

slot (n) : a given space, time or position

geared (adj) : adjusted to a particular standard or level

loftily (adv) : in a superior way

regular teacher (n.phr) : a mechanical teacher (here)

betcha (exp) : (bet you) Im sure

dispute (v) : disagree with

screamed (v) : gave a loud cry

nonchalantly (adv) : not showing much interest

beneath (prep.) : below

mechanical (adj) : connected with machines operated by power

patted (v) : hit repeatedly

disappointed (adj) : upset

probably (adv) : likely to happen