Summary
The passage is describing a story set in a future where most education is done through mechanical teachers that display lessons on screens. Margie and Tommy are students who find an old book, which is a novel about traditional schooling with human teachers. Margie is initially dismissive of the book, as she hates most of her education through the mechanical teacher and hates books through screens. Tommy, who is older, explains to her that the book is about a type of school that existed hundreds of years ago. Margie is surprised that human teachers were used in the past, and expresses skepticism about the effectiveness of human teachers.
Summary in 300 words
The passage is set in a future where education is primarily conducted through the use of mechanical teachers that display lessons on screens. Margie, an 11-year-old student, and her friend Tommy, who is 13, come across an old book. The book is a novel about traditional schooling with human teachers, a concept that is foreign to Margie who has only known education through her mechanical teacher. Tommy explains to her that the book is about a type of school that existed hundreds of years ago, and Margie expresses surprise that human teachers were used in the past. She also expresses skepticism about the effectiveness of human teachers.
Margie is not fond of her mechanical teacher, as it has been giving her test after test in geography and she has been performing poorly. Her mother calls in the county inspector, who is a round little man with a red face and a whole box of tools with dials and wires. He smiles at Margie and gives her an apple, then takes the teacher apart. Margie hopes that he won’t be able to put it back together, but he does and it is back to normal. The part Margie hates most is the slot where she has to put homework and test papers, as she has to write them out in a punch code, which the mechanical teacher calculates the marks in no time.
The inspector smiles after he is finished and pats Margie’s head, telling her mother that it’s not Margie’s fault and that the geography sector was geared a little too quick. He slows it up to an average 10-year-level and tells her mother that the overall pattern of her progress is quite satisfactory. Margie is disappointed, as she had been hoping they would take the teacher away altogether.
In contrast, Tommy is fascinated by the book and is excited to read it as it is about the old kind of school that existed hundreds of years ago. Margie is curious about the book and reads it over Tommy’s shoulder, but is confused by the concept of a human teacher. She expresses skepticism about the effectiveness of human teachers and expresses that she wouldn’t want a strange man in her house to teach her. Tommy, who is older and more knowledgeable, explains that the teachers didn’t live in the house, they had a special building and all the kids went there.
In summary, the passage is set in a future where education is primarily conducted through the use of mechanical teachers that display lessons on screens. Margie, an 11-year-old student, and her friend Tommy, who is 13, come across an old book. The book is a novel about traditional schooling with human teachers, a concept that is foreign to Margie who has only known education through her mechanical teacher. Margie expresses skepticism about the effectiveness of human teachers and prefers the efficiency of mechanical teachers, while Tommy is fascinated by the book and the concept of a human teacher.
Multiple-choice Question And Answers;
Q1. What is the primary mode of education described in the passage?
a) Traditional schooling with human teachers
b) Online classes
c) Mechanical teachers that display lessons on screens
d) Homeschooling
Answer: c) Mechanical teachers that display lessons on screens
Q2. Who is Margie?
a) A teacher
b) A student
c) An inspector
d) A mother
Answer: b) A student
Q3. What does Margie’s mother do when Margie is doing poorly in geography?
a) She hires a private tutor
b) She sends for the county inspector
c) She changes Margie’s mechanical teacher
d) She homeschools Margie
Answer: b) She sends for the county inspector
Q4. How does Margie feel about her mechanical teacher?
a) She loves it
b) She is indifferent towards it
c) She hates most it
d) She hates it
Answer: d) She hates it
Q5. What does the county inspector do when he visits Margie’s house?
a) He replaces Margie’s mechanical teacher
b) He slows down the geography sector of Margie’s mechanical teacher
c) He gives Margie an apple
d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above
Q6. What does Margie hope the county inspector will do with her mechanical teacher?
a) Replace it
b) Slow it down
c) Take it away altogether
d) Fix it
Answer: c) Take it away altogether
Q7. What is the name of Margie’s friend?
a) John
b) Michael
c) Tommy
d) David
Answer: c) Tommy
Q8. What does Tommy find in his attic?
a) A mechanical teacher
b) A book
c) A box of tools
d) An apple
Answer: b) A book
Q9. What is the book that Tommy finds about?
a) Geography
b) School
c) History
d) Mathematics
Answer: b) School
Q10. How does Margie react when she hears that the book is about school?
a) She is excited
b) She is indifferent
c) She is scornful
d) She is curious
Answer: c) She is scornful
Q11. How does Tommy feel about the book?
a) He is excited
b) He is indifferent
c) He is scornful
d) He is curious
Answer: a) He is excited
Q12. What does Tommy tell Margie about the book?
a) It’s about their kind of school
b) It’s a waste
c) It’s about the old kind of school
d) It’s about a strange man
Answer: c) It’s about the old kind of school
Q13. How does Margie feel about the concept of a human teacher?
a) She is excited
b) She is indifferent
c) She is skeptical
d) She is curious
Answer: c) She is skeptical
Q14. What does Margie say about having a strange man in her house to teach her?
a) She would love it
b) She is indifferent
c) She would hate it
d) She is curious
Answer: c) She would hate it
Q15. What does Tommy tell Margie about where the teachers lived in the old kind of school?
a) They lived in the house
b) They had a special building
c) They lived in the attic
d) They lived in the classroom
Answer: b) They had a special building
Q16. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school compared to the current education system?
a) The same
b) More advanced
c) More primitive
d) More boring
Answer: c) More primitive
Q17. What does the county inspector say about Margie’s overall progress in school?
a) It’s not satisfactory
b) It’s poor
c) It’s quite satisfactory
d) It’s excellent
Answer: c) It’s quite satisfactory
Q18. How does Margie feel about the county inspector’s assessment of her progress?
a) She is happy
b) She is indifferent
c) She is disappointed
d) She is angry
Answer: c) She is disappointed
Q19. Why does Margie hate school?
a) She dislikes her mechanical teacher
b) She finds the lessons boring
c) She is not interested in learning
d) She finds the homework too difficult
Answer: a) She dislikes her mechanical teacher
Q20. What is the significance of the old book that Tommy finds?
a) It is a reminder of the past education system
b) It is a waste of space
c) It is a valuable antique
d) It is a tool for learning
Answer: a) It is a reminder of the past education system
Prose Passage-01
The passage is set in a future where education is primarily conducted through the use of mechanical teachers that display lessons on screens. Margie, an 11-year-old student, and her friend Tommy, who is 13, come across an old book. The book is a novel about traditional schooling with human teachers, a concept that is foreign to Margie who has only known education through her mechanical teacher. Margie expresses skepticism about the effectiveness of human teachers and prefers the efficiency of mechanical teachers, while Tommy is fascinated by the book and the concept of a human teacher.
Tommy finds the book in his attic and is excited to read it as it is about the old kind of school that existed hundreds of years ago. Margie is curious about the book and reads it over Tommy’s shoulder, but is confused by the concept of a human teacher. She expresses skepticism about the effectiveness of human teachers and expresses that she wouldn’t want a strange man in her house to teach her. Tommy, who is older and more knowledgeable, explains that the teachers didn’t live in the house, they had a special building and all the kids went there.
Margie is not fond of her mechanical teacher, as it has been giving her test after test in geography and she has been performing poorly. Her mother calls in the county inspector, who is a round little man with a red face and a whole box of tools with dials and wires. He smiles at Margie and gives her an apple, then takes the teacher apart. Margie hopes that he won’t be able to put it back together, but he does and it is back to normal. The part Margie hates most is the slot where she has to put homework and test papers, as she has to write them out in a punch code, which the mechanical teacher calculates the marks in no time.
The inspector smiles after he is finished and pats Margie’s head, telling her mother that it’s not Margie’s fault and that the geography sector was geared a little too quick. He slows it up to an average 10-year-level and tells her mother that the overall pattern of her progress is quite satisfactory. Margie is disappointed, as she had been hoping they would take the teacher away altogether.
Multiple-Choice Questions:
Q1. What is the primary mode of education described in the passage?
a) Traditional schooling with human teachers
b) Online classes
c) Mechanical teachers that display lessons on screens
d) Homeschooling
Answer: c) Mechanical teachers that display lessons on screens
Q2. How does Margie feel about the book about traditional schooling?
a) She is excited
b) She is indifferent
c) She is scornful
d) She is curious
Answer: c) She is scornful
Q3. How does Margie feel about the concept of a human teacher?
a) She is excited
b) She is indifferent
c) She is skeptical
d) She is curious
Answer: c) She is skeptical
Q4. What does Margie hope the county inspector will do with her mechanical teacher?
a) Replace it
b) Slow it down
c) Take it away altogether
d) Fix it
Answer: c) Take it away altogether
Q5. How does Tommy feel about the book about traditional schooling?
a) He is excited
b) He is indifferent
c) He is scornful
d) He is curious
Answer: a) He is excited
Prose passage-02
The passage is set in a future where education is primarily conducted through the use of mechanical teachers that display lessons on screens. This futuristic society is where Margie, an 11-year-old student, has grown up and consumed most of her education through the mechanical teachers and books displayed on screens. However, one day, Margie and her friend Tommy, who is 13, come across an old book. The book is a novel about traditional schooling with human teachers, a concept that is foreign to Margie who has never known education any other way.
Margie is initially dismissive of the book, as she is used to the efficiency of the mechanical teacher and the ease of consuming books through screens. However, Tommy explains to her that the book is about a type of school that existed hundreds of years ago. Margie is surprised that human teachers were used in the past, and expresses skepticism about the effectiveness of human teachers. Tommy, on the other hand, is fascinated by the book and is excited to read it as it is about the old kind of school that existed centuries ago.
Margie is not fond of her mechanical teacher, as it has been giving her test after test in geography and she has been performing poorly. Her mother calls in the county inspector, who is a round little man with a red face and a whole box of tools with dials and wires. He smiles at Margie and gives her an apple, then takes the mechanical teacher apart. Margie hopes that he won’t be able to put it back together, but he does and it is back to normal. The part Margie hates most is the slot where she has to put homework and test papers, as she has to write them out in a punch code, which the mechanical teacher calculates the marks in no time.
The inspector smiles after he is finished and pats Margie’s head, telling her mother that it’s not Margie’s fault and that the geography sector was geared a little too quick. He slows it up to an average 10-year-level and tells her mother that the overall pattern of her progress is quite satisfactory. Margie is disappointed, as she had been hoping they would take the teacher away altogether. But despite this, Margie and Tommy’s encounter with the old book gives her a new perspective on education, and she starts to question the limitations of her current system. She starts to wonder if human teachers could offer a more personalized and engaging education experience, and begins to imagine a different kind of future for herself and her peers.
Multiple Choice Questions:
Q1. Why does Margie initially dismiss the book about traditional schooling?
a) She finds it boring
b) She is not interested in reading
c) She is used to the efficiency of mechanical teachers
d) She doesn’t like the cover
Answer: c) She is used to the efficiency of mechanical teachers
Q2. What does Tommy tell Margie about the book about traditional schooling?
a) It’s about their kind of school
b) It’s a waste
c) It’s about the old kind of school
d) It’s about a strange man
Answer: c) It’s about the old kind of school
Q3. How does Margie feel about the county inspector’s assessment of her progress?
a) She is happy
b) She is indifferent
c) She is disappointed
d) She is angry
Answer: c) She is disappointed
Q4. What does Margie’s mother do when Margie is doing poorly in geography?
a) She hires a private tutor
b) She sends for the county inspector
c) She changes Margie’s mechanical teacher
d) She homeschools Margie
Answer: b) She sends for the county inspector
Q5. How does Margie’s encounter with the old book change her perspective on education?
a) She becomes more skeptical about traditional schooling
b) She becomes more accepting of the mechanical teachers
c) She starts to question the limitations of her current system
d) She stops caring about education altogether
Answer: c) She starts to question the limitations of her current system
Prose passage-03
The passage is set in a future where education is primarily conducted through the use of mechanical teachers that display lessons on screens. Margie, an 11-year-old student, is used to this method of education and has never known anything different. However, one day, Margie and her friend Tommy, who is 13, come across an old book. The book is a novel about traditional schooling with human teachers, a concept that is foreign to Margie who has only known education through her mechanical teacher.
Margie is initially dismissive of the book, as she is used to the efficiency of the mechanical teacher and the ease of consuming books through screens. However, Tommy explains to her that the book is about a type of school that existed hundreds of years ago. Margie is surprised that human teachers were used in the past and starts to question the limitations of her current system. She starts to wonder if human teachers could offer a more personalized and engaging education experience.
Tommy, on the other hand, is fascinated by the book and is excited to read it as it is about the old kind of school that existed centuries ago. He tells Margie about the traditional schooling system, where students would attend a physical school building and have a human teacher who would give them homework and ask them questions. Margie is intrigued by this and starts to imagine a different kind of future for herself and her peers.
Margie’s mechanical teacher has been giving her test after test in geography and she has been performing poorly. Her mother calls in the county inspector, who is a round little man with a red face and a whole box of tools with dials and wires. He smiles at Margie and gives her an apple, then takes the teacher apart. Margie hopes that he won’t be able to put it back together, but he does and it is back to normal. The part Margie hates most is the slot where she has to put homework and test papers, as she has to write them out in a punch code, which the mechanical teacher calculates the marks in no time.
The inspector smiles after he is finished and pats Margie’s head, telling her mother that it’s not Margie’s fault and that the geography sector was geared a little too quick. He slows it up to an average 10-year-level and tells her mother that the overall pattern of her progress is quite satisfactory. Margie is disappointed, as she had been hoping they would take the teacher away altogether, but her encounter with the old book has given her a new perspective on education.
Multiple Choice Questions:
Q1. Why is Margie initially dismissive of the book about traditional schooling?
a) She finds it boring
b) She is not interested in reading
c) She is used to the efficiency of mechanical teachers
d) She doesn’t like the cover
Answer: c) She is used to the efficiency of mechanical teachers
Q2. How does Tommy feel about the book about traditional schooling?
a) He is excited
b) He is indifferent
c) He is scornful
d) He is curious
Answer: a) He is excited
Q3. How does Margie’s encounter with the old book change her perspective on education?
a) She becomes more skeptical about traditional schooling
b) She becomes more accepting of the mechanical teachers
c) She starts to question the limitations of her current system
d) She stops caring about education altogether
Answer: c) She starts to question the limitations of her current system
Q4. What does the county inspector do to Margie’s mechanical teacher when Margie is performing poorly in geography?
a) Replaces it
b) Slows it down
c) Takes it away altogether
d) Fixes it
Answer: b) Slows it down
Q5. What does Margie imagine for herself and her peers after reading the old book?
a) A future with more advanced mechanical teachers
b) A future where traditional schooling is the norm
c) A future where she doesn’t need to go to school anymore
d) A future where education is more personalized and engaging
Answer: d) A future where education is more personalized and engaging
Questions and Answers
Q1. How old are Margie and Tommy?
Ans; Margie is 11 years old and Tommy is 13 years old
Q2. What did Margie write in her diary?
Ans; Margie wrote in her diary that Tommy found a real book that day
Q3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?
Ans; It is not specified in the text if Margie had seen a book before, but she expresses surprise and confusion about the concept of a physical book with pages that can be turned
Q4. What things about the book did she find strange?
Ans; Margie finds strange the concept of a book with physical pages that can be turned and the idea of human teachers
Q5. What do you think a telebook is?
Ans; A telebook is not mentioned in the text, it could be assumed that it is a book that is consumed through a screen or electronic device.
Q6. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Ans; It is not specified in the text where Margie’s school is located or if she has any classmates.
Q7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?
Ans; It is not specified in the text what subjects Margie and Tommy learn.
II. Answer the following with reference to the story.
1. “I wouldn’t throw it away.”
Q(i) Who says these words?
Ans; (i) Tommy says these words.
Q(ii) What does ‘it’ refer to?
Ans; (ii) ‘It’ refers to the physical book that Tommy found.
Q(iii) What is it being compared with by the speaker?
Ans; (iii) The speaker compares the physical book to the electronic books that are usually consumed on television screens.
2. “Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”
Q(i) Who does ‘they’ refer to?
Ans; (i) “They” refers to the students in the past school system described in the book.
Q(ii) What does ‘regular’ mean here?
Ans; (ii) “Regular” in this context means a mechanical teacher, which is the norm in Margie and Tommy’s society.
Q(iii) What is it contrasted with?
Ans; (iii) It is contrasted with a human teacher, which is what the students in the past school system had.
Answer each of these Questions in a Short paragraph (about 30 words).
Q1. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?
Ans; Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers that displayed lessons on screens.
Q2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?
Ans; Margie’s mother sent for the County Inspector because Margie was performing poorly in geography.
Q3. What did he do?
Ans; The County Inspector took the mechanical teacher apart, fixed it, and set it to an average 10-year-level.
Q4. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help her?
Ans; Margie’s poor performance in geography was due to the subject being geared too quickly.
Q5. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?
Ans; Tommy’s teacher had once been taken away for a month due to a malfunction in its history sector.
Q6. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?
Ans; The text does not specify if Margie had regular days and hours for school.
Q7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?
Ans; Tommy describes the old kind of school as one where students attended a physical building and had human teachers.
Q8. How does he describe the old kind of teachers?
Ans; He describes the old teachers as humans who gave homework, ask questions and taught the student.
Answer each of these questions in two or three paragraphs (100 –150 words).
Q1. What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story?
Ans; In the story, the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have are that they are primarily conducted through the use of mechanical teachers that display lessons on screens. The mechanical teacher is a large black machine with a big screen on which all the lessons are shown and the questions are asked. Margie also mentions a slot where she has to put homework and test papers, as she has to write them out in a punch code that she learned when she was six years old, and the mechanical teacher calculates the marks in no time. It is also mentioned that the county inspector has to visit Margie’s house to fix her mechanical teacher, indicating that the mechanical teacher is not only used in a classroom setting but also in the students’ homes.
Q2. Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?
Ans; In the story, the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have are that they are primarily conducted through the use of mechanical teachers that display lessons on screens. The mechanical teacher is a large black machine with a big screen on which all the lessons are shown and the questions are asked. Margie also mentions a slot where she has to put homework and test papers, as she has to write them out in a punch code that she learned when she was six years old, and the mechanical teacher calculates the marks in no time. It is also mentioned that the county inspector has to visit Margie’s house to fix her mechanical teacher, indicating that the mechanical teacher is not only used in a classroom setting but also in the students’ homes.
Q3. Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans; It depends on the perspective of the individual, as school can be seen as fun or boring. From Margie’s perspective, her mechanical teacher is giving her test after test, and she has to write out homework and test papers in a punch code, which she finds tedious and boring, thus she hates school. However, from the perspective of someone who enjoys technology and automated systems, the mechanical teacher could be seen as more engaging and efficient. Additionally, the old kind of school in the story is described as having human teachers who give homework, ask questions and teach the students, which may be seen as more personalized and engaging. However, it also lacks the efficiency and convenience that the mechanical teacher provides. Ultimately, whether or not schools today are more fun than the school in the story is a subjective matter, as different individuals may have different preferences and experiences. Some may find the use of technology and automation in education to be more engaging, while others may prefer the personalization and human interaction of traditional schooling.
Difficult Words from the Text with their meaning
- Margie (proper noun) – the protagonist of the story, an 11-year-old girl
- Diary (noun) – a book in which one keeps a daily record of their thoughts and experiences
- Crinkly (adjective) – having wrinkles or creases
- Telebooks (noun) – not mentioned in the text, it could be assumed that it is a book that is consumed through a screen or electronic device.
- Mechanical (adjective) – relating to machinery or tools
- Sector (noun) – a section or part of an area or field
- Geography (noun) – the study of the physical features, environment and human activity of the earth
- County Inspector (noun) – a person who is responsible for inspecting and maintaining the mechanical teachers in a specific area
- Punch code (noun) – a system of writing or recording information by punching holes or marks in a card or paper
- Homework (noun) – work that is done at home, usually as part of a student’s studies
- Test (noun) – an examination of a person’s knowledge or abilities
- Progress (noun) – the process of improving or developing
- Loftily (adverb) – in a haughty or arrogant manner
- Centuries (noun) – a period of 100 years
- Sorrowfully (adverb) – in a way that shows sadness or sympathy
- Regular (adjective) – happening or done in the usual way; normal
- Blanked out (verb phrase) – when a machine or device suddenly stops working and is unable to function
- Progress (noun) – the process of improving or developing
- Superior (adjective) – better or higher in quality, status or rank
- Human (adjective) – relating to or characteristic of people
- Overall (adjective) – considered in general terms
- Satisfactory (adjective) – good enough and meeting the required standards
- Geared (verb) – adjusted or set to a particular level or rate
- Average (adjective) – typical or common
- Level (noun) – a standard of attainment or ability
- Pattern (noun) – a regular or repeating design or arrangement
- Traditional (adjective) – existing or established for a long time and passed down from generation to generation
- Personalized (adjective) – made or done for a particular person
- Engaging (adjective) – attracting and holding one’s attention
- Convenience (noun) – the quality of being easy to use or do as a result of being planned or designed in a particular way.