(iii) What makes her react so?
(iv) Do you find her statement funny, irrational or correct in the context in which it is made?
(v) Who is Margie's teacher?
(vi) Is she happy with her teacher?
(vii) What does she learn of an old-world school?
Answers
Answer:
Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).
1. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
3. What did he do?
4. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the Country Inspector do to help her?
5. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
6. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
8. How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
ANSWER:
1. Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers with large black screens that flashed lessons and questions. These teachers had slots where the students had to put their homework and test papers.
2. Margie had been consistently failing to perform well in the geography tests given by her mechanical teacher. In order to find out the reason behind this, her mother sent for the County Inspector.
3. The County Inspector took apart the teacher and after examining it, assembled it again. He slowed up the geography sector of the teacher because it was 'geared up a little too quick' for an average ten-year old.
4. Margie was doing badly in geography because the geography sector of the mechanical teacher had been adjusted at a higher level.
In order to help her, the County Inspector slowed down this sector to an average ten-year level.
5. Once, Tommy’s teacher was taken away for nearly a month because its history sector had blanked out completely.
6. Yes, Margie had regular days and hours for school. The mechanical teacher always turned on at the same time every day except Saturdays and Sundays. This was because her mother believed that learning at regular hours helped little girls learn better.
7. Tommy says that the old kind of school existed 'centuries ago'. They had a teacher, who was a man. This teacher taught in a special building, where all the kids assembled and learned the same things according to their respective ages.
8. Tommy says that the teacher of the old kind were men, who taught the students inside a special building. The teachers taught the children in groups and gave them homework and asked them questions.
Explanation: