Question 3 - Chapter 1 - The Fun They Had - Beehive - Chapters (Literature) - English Class 9

Read the extract and answer the following questions-

Extract:

The Inspector had smiled after he was finished and patted Margie’s head. He said to her mother, “It’s not the little girl’s fault, Mrs Jones. I think the geography sector was geared a little too quick. Those things happen sometimes. I’ve slowed it up to an average ten-year level. Actually, the overall pattern of her progress is quite satisfactory.” And he patted Margie’s head again. Margie was disappointed. She had been hoping they would take the teacher away altogether. They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely. So she said to Tommy, “Why would anyone write about school?

(The Fun they had)

Question (i) 

State TRUE or FALSE. 

Margie's mechanical teacher was taken away for nearly a month because of a problem.

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

 FALSE

Step-by-step explanation:

•  To answer this question, we need to evaluate whether Margie's mechanical teacher was taken away for nearly a month because of a problem based on the information given in the extract.
• We can use clues from the extract and our prior knowledge to infer what happened to Margie's mechanical teacher and whose mechanical teacher was taken away for nearly a month.
•  We can see that Margie's mechanical teacher was not taken away for nearly a month, but only adjusted by the Inspector for an hour or so. The extract says that the Inspector took the teacher apart and put it together again after an hour or so. It also says that Margie was disappointed that they did not take the teacher away altogether.
•  We can also see that Tommy's mechanical teacher was taken away for nearly a month because of a problem. The extract says that they had once taken Tommy's teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely. It also says that Margie had seen this happen and wished that it would happen to her teacher too.
•  We can conclude that the statement is false because Margie's mechanical teacher was not taken away for nearly a month because of a problem, but Tommy's mechanical teacher was.

Question (ii)

 Why did Margie hope that they would take the teacher away altogether? Answer in about 40 words.

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

Margie hoped that they would take the teacher away altogether because she hated school and the mechanical teacher. She did not like doing tests and homework in geography or any other subject. She also did not like writing in punch code or getting marks from the mechanical teacher.

Step-by-step explanation:

•  To answer this question, we need to explain why Margie hoped that they would take the teacher away altogether based on the information given in the extract and our prior knowledge.
•  We can use clues from the extract and our prior knowledge to infer what Margie felt and thought about school and the mechanical teacher.
•  We can see that Margie hated school and the mechanical teacher because she said so earlier in the story. She said that she hated school more than ever and that she hated doing tests and homework in geography. She also said that she hated writing in punch code and getting marks from the mechanical teacher.
•  We can also see that Margie hoped that they would take the teacher away altogether because she was disappointed when they did not. She had seen Tommy's teacher being taken away for nearly a month because of a problem and she wished that would happen to her teacher too.
•  We can conclude that Margie hoped that they would take the teacher away altogether because she hated school and the mechanical teacher. She did not like doing tests and homework in geography or any other subject. She also did not like writing in punch code or getting marks from the mechanical teacher.

Question(iii)

 Read the following descriptions (a)-(c) and identify which one correctly corresponds to this extract.

• (a) A character is a person or an animal who takes part in the action of a story or a play.
• (b) A climax is the point of highest interest or suspense in a story or a play.
• (c) A resolution is the outcome or solution of the main conflict in a story or a play.

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

(b) A climax is the point of highest interest or suspense in a story or a play.

Step-by-step explanation:

• To answer this question, we need to identify which type of literary device or element is used in this extract.
•  We can eliminate option A because a character is not a device or element that is used in an extract, but a part of a story or a play . The extract does have characters, such as Margie, Tommy, the Inspector, and Margie's mother, but they are not the focus of this question.
•  We can eliminate option C because a resolution is not the outcome or solution of the main conflict in this extract, but in a story or a play. The extract does not show how the main conflict of Margie's dissatisfaction with school and the mechanical teacher is resolved or solved. It only shows her disappointment and curiosity.
•  The correct answer is option B because a climax is the point of highest interest or suspense in this extract. The extract shows the moment when Margie finds out that the Inspector did not take the teacher away altogether, but only adjusted it to her level. This is the most exciting and tense part of the extract because it reveals Margie's reaction and expectation.

Question (iv)

 Fill in the blanks with suitable words. 

The Inspector said to Margie's mother, "It's not the little girl's fault, Mrs Jones. I think the _________ sector was geared a little too quick. Those things happen sometimes. I've slowed it up to an _________ ten-year level. Actually, the overall pattern of her progress is quite ___________."

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

The Inspector said to Margie's mother, "It's not the little girl's fault, Mrs Jones. I think the geography sector was geared a little too quick. Those things happen sometimes. I've slowed it up to an average ten-year level. Actually, the overall pattern of her progress is quite satisfactory ."

Step-by-step explanation:

•  To answer this question, we need to fill in the blanks with suitable words based on the information given in the extract and our prior knowledge.
•  We can use clues from the extract and our prior knowledge to infer what words fit in the blanks.
•  We can see that the word that fits in the first blank is geography because that is the subject that Margie's mechanical teacher was teaching and testing her on . The extract says that the mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and that she had been doing worse and worse.
• We can also see that the word that fits in the second blank is average because that is the level that the Inspector adjusted Margie's mechanical teacher to . The extract says that he slowed it up to an average ten-year level, which means that it was teaching geography at a normal or standard speed and difficulty for a ten-year-old student like Margie.
•  We can also see that the word that fits in the third blank is satisfactory because that is how the Inspector described Margie's overall pattern of progress . The extract says that he said that her progress was quite satisfactory, which means that it was acceptable or good enough for her age and grade.
•  We can conclude that the words that fit in the blanks are geography, average, and satisfactory.