CBSE Class 7 English The Fun They Had Worksheet Set 01

Answer the following Extracts :-

Question 1. He smiled at Margie and gave her an apple then took the teacher apart.
a) Whom does 'he' refer to?
b) What do you mean by "Teacher" here?
Answer:
a) 'He' refers to the County Inspector, a man who repaired and serviced mechanical teachers.
b) Here, "Teacher" refers to a mechanical teacher-a large, black, and ugly computer screen that flashed lessons and gave tests in Margie's schoolroom.
In simple words: The sentence describes the County Inspector fixing Margie's robotic teacher after giving her an apple.

Exam Tip: Always identify the speaker, listener, and context when answering extract-based questions.

Question 2. She said, 'Where did you find it?'
a) Whom does 'she' refer to?
b) To whom the above sentence is said?
c) What does 'it' refer to?
Answer:
a) 'She' refers to Margie.
b) The sentence is said to Tommy.
c) 'It' refers to a real, old-fashioned printed book found in the attic.
In simple words: Margie is surprised to see a real paper book and asks Tommy where he discovered it.

Exam Tip: Note pronouns carefully; 'she' is Margie, and 'it' is the physical book, which is a novelty in their futuristic world.

Question 3. She wanted to read about 'those funny schools'
a) What do you mean by 'those funny schools'
b) What type of school they were studying in?
Answer:
a) 'Those funny schools' refer to the schools of the past where human teachers taught children, and all kids from the neighborhood went together to study in a special building.
b) They were studying in a futuristic mechanical school set up in their own homes, right next to their bedrooms, where a robotic computer taught them individually according to their age and level.
In simple words: Margie found old schools funny because children studied together in groups with human teachers instead of sitting alone with a machine.

Exam Tip: Contrast the automated home-schooling of the future with traditional human-led brick-and-mortar schools.

Question 4. A man? How could a man be a teacher?
a) Who said these words to whom?
b) What do you mean by the above sentence?
Answer:
a) Margie said these words to Tommy.
b) This sentence reflects Margie's utter surprise and disbelief upon learning that centuries ago, human beings used to be teachers. In her world, teaching is done exclusively by mechanical robots with screens and automated voice boxes.
In simple words: Margie cannot imagine a human being knowing enough to teach children, as she has only ever interacted with machines.

Exam Title: Highlight the technological gap between the present reality of the story and our current traditional schooling system.

Answer the following Question:-

Question 1. To which school did Margie and Tommy belong? Were they happy studying there?
Answer: Margie and Tommy belonged to a futuristic virtual school set up inside their own homes. Their classroom was right next to their bedroom, and they were taught by automated mechanical teachers with flashing screens. No, they were not happy studying there. Margie, in particular, hated her mechanical teacher because she had been failing geography tests repeatedly due to a glitch in the machine, and she longed for the fun and human interaction of the old-fashioned schools described in the book.
In simple words: They studied at home with computers, and Margie disliked it because she felt bored and stressed by the robotic machine.

Exam Tip: Mention Margie's specific frustration with her geography scores and the mechanical setup.

Question 2. In which type of school do you want to study? Mention the advantages and disadvantages of telebooks and Mechanical teacher?
Answer: We would prefer to study in traditional, human-led brick-and-mortar schools where we can interact with friends, play games, and learn from human teachers.

Advantages of Telebooks and Mechanical Teachers:
1. Easily accessible and portable on a screen.
2. Customized learning pace suited to individual student capabilities.
3. Saves time and energy spent traveling to school.

Disadvantages of Telebooks and Mechanical Teachers:
1. Lack of social interaction, peer learning, and teamwork.
2. Mechanical teachers can malfunction and cause stress (as happened with Margie's geography tests).
3. Absence of emotional connection and moral guidance that only human teachers can provide.
In simple words: Traditional schools are better for social growth, whereas mechanical teachers feel isolated and robotic despite being customized.

Exam Tip: Structure your answer clearly with separate headings for advantages and disadvantages to score full marks.