Word Meaning

English Word	Assamese Meaning
actually	প্ৰকৃততে, বাস্তৱত
added	যোগ দিছিল
addition	যোগ
adjusted	মিলা
after	পাছত
again	পুনৰ
ago	আগতে
altogether	সম্পূৰ্ণকৈ, একেবাৰে
always	সদায়
any way	যি নহওক
apart	আঁতৰ, দূৰ
arithmetic	গণিত
arm	বাহু
asked	সুধিছিল
attic	সংক কোঠা
average	গড়
awfully	অত্যধিক, ভয়ংকৰভাৱে, অতন্ত
bedroom	শোৱনি কোঠা
beneath	তলত
betcha	বাজী লগোৱা, চৰ্ত আৰোপ কৰা
blanked	খালী, শূন্য
busy	ব্যস্ত
calculated	গণনা কৰিছিল
carefully	সাৱধানে, সতৰ্কতাৰে
code	সংকেত
completely	সম্পূৰ্ণকৈ
county	মণ্ডল, অঞ্চল
crinkly	ভাঁজ থকা, কোট খোৱা
diary	দিনলিপি
differently	ভিন্ন ধৰণে, পৃথকভাৱে
disappointed	নিৰাশ হোৱা
dispute	তর্ক-বিতর্ক, কাজিয়া
dusty	ধূলিপূৰ্ণ, লেতেৰা
each	প্ৰত্যেক
enough	যথেষ্ট
except	বাহিৰে
fault	দোষ, ভুল
find	পোৱা
finished	সমাপ্ত কৰিছিল
finished	সমাপ্ত হোৱা
first time	প্ৰথমবাৰ
fit	ঠিক হোৱা
flashing	চমকি উঠা, উজলি উঠা
for a while	কিছু সময়ৰ বাবে
found	পাইছিল
fraction	ভগ্নাংশ
funny	হাস্যকৰ, ধেমেলীয়া
funny	ধেমেলীয়া, হাস্যস্পদ
geared	নিৰ্দিষ্ট মানলৈ মিলোৱা
Geography	ভূগোল
grandfather	ককাদেউতা
guess	অনুমান কৰা
half	আধা, অৰ্ধ
happen	ঘটা, সংঘটিত হোৱা
hate	বেয়া পোৱা, ঘৃণা কৰা
head	মূৰ
headed	শীৰ্ষ
help	সহায় কৰা
history	বুৰঞ্জী, ইতিহাস
homework	গৃহকাৰ্য
hoped	আশা কৰিছিল
hoping	আশা কৰা
hundreds	শতক, এশ
hurt	দুখ, বেদনা
in no time	দ্ৰুত গতিৰে, সোনকালে
insert	সোমোৱা, ভৰাই দিয়া
inspector	নিৰীক্ষক, পৰিদৰ্শক
inspector	নিৰীক্ষক, পৰিদৰ্শক
instead of	পৰিৱর্তে
kids	সৰু ল’ৰা-ছোৱালী
kind	প্ৰকাৰ, ধৰণ
knew	জানিছিল
large	বৃহৎ, প্ৰকাণ্ড
laughing	হাঁহি থকা
laughter	হাঁহি মৰা
learned	শিকিছিল
learned	শিকিছিল
lessons	পাঠসমূহ
lit up	উজলি উঠিছিল
live	বাস কৰা, থকা
loftily	উচ্চভাৱে, গৰ্বিতভাৱে
looked	চাইছিল
looking	চাই থকা
Mamma	মা
mechanical	যান্ত্ৰিক
million	দহ লাখ
mind	মন
moving	চলাচল কৰা
neighbourhood	প্ৰতিৱেশী
nonchalantly	অধিক আগ্ৰহ প্ৰদৰ্শন নকৰাকৈ, অমনোযোগিতাসূচক
old	পুৰণি
page	পৃষ্ঠা
part	অংশ
patted	পিঠি দিয়া
pattern	ধৰণ
plenty	বহুতো, অজস্ৰ
pointed	আঙুলিয়াই দিয়া
prepared	প্রস্তুত, সাজু
printed	ছপা হৈছিল
probably	সম্ভৱতঃ
progress	সফলতা
pronouncing	উচ্চাৰণ কৰি
proper	নিৰ্দিষ্ট, বিশুদ্ধ
punch	ছাপ মৰা যন্ত্ৰ
quick	সোনকালে
quickly	শীঘ্ৰে, ততালিকে
quite	সম্পূৰ্ণ
reading	পঢ়ি থকা
real	প্ৰকৃত, বাস্তৱিক
regular	নিয়মিত
regular	নিয়মিত
right	সঠিক, শুদ্ধ
same age	সমবয়সীয়া
satisfactory	সন্তোষজনক
schoolyard	বিদ্যালয় প্ৰাংগণ
scornful	ঘৃণাপূৰ্ণ, অৱজ্ঞাসূচক
screamed	চিঞৰিছিল, কিৰিলি মাৰিছিল
screen	পৰ্দা
screen	পৰ্দা
sector	ভাগ
sent	পঠাইছিল
shaken	জোকাৰি দিয়া
shoulder	কান্ধ
shouting	চিঞৰ-বাখৰ কৰা
shown	দেখুৱাইছিল
sigh	দুখেৰে দীৰ্ঘনিশ্বাস এৰা; দীৰ্ঘনিশ্বাসৰ দৰে শব্দ কৰা
slot	নিৰ্দিষ্ট স্থান, ঠাই
slot	স্থান, ঠাই, বিন্ধা
slowed	কমোৱা, নিম্নগামী কৰা
smart	জ্ঞানী, বিজ্ঞ
smiled	হাঁহিছিল
smiles	হাঁহি
sometimes	কেতিয়াবা
sorrowfully	দুখেৰে, দুখজনকভাৱে
special	বিশেষ
stories	গল্প, কাহিনী
strange	অচিনাকী, আশ্চর্যজনক
stupid	মূৰ্খ, বুৰ্বক
superior	বহলভাৱে, ডাঙৰ
supposed to	আশা কৰিব পৰা, প্ৰত্যাশিত
sure	নিশ্চিত
taught	শিকাইছিল
teach	শিকোৱা
television	দূৰদৰ্শন
ten-year level	দহ-বছৰীয়া স্তৰ
test	পৰীক্ষা
thinking	ভাবি থকা
throw	দলিওৱা, পেলাই দিয়া
together	একেলগে
tools	যন্ত্ৰপাতি
turned	ঘূৰাইছিল
turned back	পিছলৈ ঘূৰি যোৱা, উভতি যোৱা
ugly	কুৎসিত, কুশ্ৰী
waiting	অপেক্ষা কৰি থকা
walked	আগবাঢ়িছিল
waste	অনর্থক, অৰ্থহীন
whistling	সুহুৰি বজাই, পেপা বজাই
wires	তাৰ
worse	অতি বেয়া
yellow	হালধীয়া

Thinking About the Text

I. Short Answers

1. How old are Margie and Tommy?

Ans:- Margie is eleven years old and Tommy is thirteen years old.

2. What did Margie write in her diary?

Ans:-  She wrote, “Today Tommy found a real book!”

3. Had Margie ever seen a book before?

Ans:- No, Margie had never seen a real book before.

4. What things about the book did she find strange?

Ans:- She found it strange that the words stood still instead of moving, and that the pages were yellow and crinkly.

5. What do you think a telebook is?

Ans:-A telebook is a digital book that can be read on a television or computer screen.

6. Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?

Ans:- Margie’s school was right next to her bedroom in her own house. She did not have any classmates; she studied alone.

7. What subjects did Margie and Tommy learn?

Ans:-They learned Geography, History, and Arithmetic.

II. Reference to Context

1. “I wouldn’t throw it away.”

(i) Who says these words?

Ans:- Tommy says these words.

(ii) What does ‘it’ refer to?

Ans:- ‘It’ refers to the television screen (telebooks).

(iii) What is it being compared with by the speaker?

Ans:- It is being compared with the real paper book that Tommy found.

2. “Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”

(i) Who does ‘they’ refer to?

Ans:- ‘They’ refers to the students who studied in the old kind of schools centuries ago. (ii) What does ‘regular’ mean here?

Ans:- Here, ‘regular’ refers to the mechanical or robotic teacher they were used to.

(iii) What is it contrasted with?

Ans:- It is contrasted with a human teacher.

III. Short Paragraphs (About 30 words)

1. What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have?

Ans:- They had mechanical teachers. These were large black screens installed in their homes that gave lessons, asked questions, and had a slot where students put their homework and test papers.

2. Why did Margie’s mother send for the County Inspector?

Ans:- Margie’s mother sent for him because Margie was performing poorly in her Geography tests. The mechanical teacher was giving test after test, and Margie’s performance was getting worse.

3. What did he do?

Ans:- The County Inspector took the mechanical teacher apart and slowed down the Geography sector to an average ten-year level because it had been geared too fast for Margie.

4. Why was Margie doing badly in geography? What did the County Inspector do to help her? Ans:- She was doing badly because the Geography sector was set at a level too advanced for her age. The Inspector adjusted the speed to suit her mental level.
5. What had once happened to Tommy’s teacher?

Ans:- Tommy’s teacher was once taken away for nearly a month because the History sector had blanked out completely.

6. Did Margie have regular days and hours for school? If so, why?

Ans:- Yes, she had school every day at the same time except Saturday and Sunday. Her mother believed that little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours.

7. How does Tommy describe the old kind of school?

Ans:- Tommy says it was a special building where all the kids from the whole neighbourhood went together to learn the same things.

8. How does he describe the old kind of teachers?

Ans:- He describes them as human beings (men) who told the boys and girls things, gave them homework, and asked them questions.

IV. Answer each of these questions in two or three paragraphs (100–150 words).

1) What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story?

Ans:- The mechanical teachers were robotic machines with large screens. They taught lessons, displayed questions, and calculated marks instantly. Students had to write their homework in a “punch code” and insert it into a specific slot. The schoolrooms were located inside their homes, usually right next to their bedrooms. There were no classmates, and the machine was adjusted to each child’s individual learning speed.

2) Why did Margie hate school? Why did she think the old kind of school must have been fun?

Ans:- Margie hated school because it was lonely and mechanical. She particularly disliked the slot where she had to put homework. She was also struggling with Geography, which made school frustrating(হতাশাজনক). She thought the old schools were fun because all children from the neighbourhood went to a common building. They could laugh, shout, sit together, and help each other with homework because they learned the same things.

3) Do you agree with Margie that schools today are more fun than the school in the story? Give reasons for your answer.

Ans:- Yes, I agree that schools today are more fun. In the story, school is a solitary(অকলশৰীয়া) activity with a machine. In real schools, we have social interaction. We make friends, play together during breaks, and help each other with studies. Human teachers can understand our emotions and adjust their teaching style, which a machine cannot do. The physical presence of peers makes learning an enjoyable experience rather than a robotic chore(ৰবটিক কাম।).

Old Exam Questions From Thinking About Text

MCQ

(পৰীক্ষাত 100 ৰ ভিতৰত 45 Marks MCQ আহিব  । এই Chapter  ৰ Thinking About Text অংশৰ পৰা পৰীক্ষাত খুব বেছি 3 টা MCQ আৰু এটা 1-2 নম্বৰৰ প্ৰশ্ন আহিব )

1  What was Margie scornful about? (Golaghat  2025)

(A) Homework                  (B) School                        

(C) The printed book       (D) The mechanical teacher

Answer: (B) School

2.  Read the following statements with reference to ‘The Fun They Had’ and choose the correct option. (Golaghat  2025)

Statement 1: The County Inspector was called in to repair Margie’s mechanical teacher.

Statement 2: Margie hoped that the County Inspector would not take the teacher away altogether.

(A) Statement 1 is true and Statement 2 is false.

 (B) Statement 1 is false and Statement 2 is true.

(C) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are true.

(D) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are false.

Answer: (A) Statement 1 is true and Statement 2 is false.

3.  According to Margie’s mother, little girls learn better if they learn at _______________________

(Golaghat  2025)

(A) morning hours                          (B) afternoon hours

(C) evening hours                           (D) regular hours

Answer: (D) regular hours

4 What was the date that Margie mentioned on her diary? (Kamrup  2025)

 (a) 16 May 2157                             (b) 17 May 2157             

(c) 18 May 2157                              (d) 19 May 2157

Answer: (b) 17 May 2157

5 The lesson ‘The Fun They Had’ narrates a story of the— (Kamrup  2025)

(a) past                                             (b) present            

(c) future                                          (d) of all times

Answer: (c) future

6   Statement-1 : Margie was doing badly in Geography. (Kamrup  2025)

      Statement-2 : She was not interested in Geography.

 (a) Statement 1 is false but Statement 2 is correct.

(b) Statement 1 is correct but Statement 2 is false.

(c) Both statement 1 and 2 are false.

(d) Both statement 1 and 2 are correct.

Answer: (b) Statement 1 is correct but Statement 2 is false.

7.  What kind of diary is Margie likely to possess as described in the lesson ‘The Fun They Had’—

(Kokrajhar  2025)

a) An Analog Diary                           b) An Electronic Diary                 

c) An Academic Diary                    d) A School Diary

Answer: b) An Electronic Diary

8.  What was the subject matter of the ‘real book’ that Tommy and Margie found—

(Kokrajhar  2025)

a) Computer                                     b) Robotic Teacher      

c) Education                                       d) School

Answer: d) School

9  Margie was scornful. The word scornful means – (Nagaon 2025)

A. Useful.                                          B. Informative.

C. Contemptuous.                           D. All of the above.

Ans:- C. Contemptuous.

10   Tommy looked at her with very _____ eyes. (Nagaon 2025)

A. Inferior.                                        B. Superior.

C. Intense.                                        D. Curious.

Ans:-   B. Superior.

11. Who told Margie’s grandfather that there was a time when all stories were printed on paper?

(Nagaon 2025)

A. His grandfather.                         B. His father.

C. His grandmother.                       D. His great grandfather.

Ans:- Ans: A. His grandfather.

12.   “The Fun They Had” Who had fun according to the author ?

A. The students of the future school.

B. The students of the old kind of school.

C. Margie and Tommy.

D. The mechanical teachers.

Ans: B. The students of the old kind of school.

13.   Why did Margie hate school more than ever ?

A. She was taught by human teacher.

B. Tommy disturbed her in reading.

C. The history sector had blanked out.

D. She was doing badly in geography.

Ans: D. She was doing badly in geography.

14.   “The mechanical teacher was always on at the same time………………..Saturday and Sunday.” Fill in the blank with right vocabulary.

A. Access.                           B. Accept.

C. Except.                           D. Expect.

Ans: C. Except.

Questions

1. Why is Margie surprised to hear that the teacher in the printed book was a man? (Golaghat  2025)

2. “Margie was thinking about how the kids must have loved it in the old days.” (Kokrajhar  2025)

i) What does ‘it’ refer to here?                                                                             1

Answer: ‘It’ refers to the old kind of school where children from the whole neighborhood went to a special building to learn together.

ii) Why was Margie thinking about the kids must have loved it.                                                 1

               Ans:- Answer: Because they studied together, helped each other with homework, and had fun socializing, unlike her own lonely and boring mechanical school.

3.   “A man isn’t smart enough.”

Why does Margie think that a man isn’t smart enough to become a teacher ?                      2

Ans: Margie thinks this because her only experience with education is a mechanical teacher, which is a machine programmed with vast amounts of data. To her, a machine is superior in knowledge and memory. She cannot imagine that a human being could possess as much information or be as “smart” as a computer screen that has millions of books stored on it.

Thinking about Language

Adverbs

1. Find the sentences in the lesson which have the adverbs given in the box below.

Awfully(অতিশয়)    sorrowfully (দুখমনেৰে)   completely(সম্পূৰ্ণৰূপে)    loftily(গৌৰৱেৰে)

Carefully(সাৱধানে)    differently(পৃথকভাৱে)    quickly(খৰধৰকৈ)    nonchalantly(উদাসীনভাৱে)

Ans:- Sentences from the lesson containing these adverbs:

• awfully: “They turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully funny to read words that stood still…”
• sorrowfully: “The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worse and worse until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully and sent for the County Inspector.”
• completely: “They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.”
• loftily: “He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, ‘Centuries ago.'”
• carefully: “He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, ‘Centuries ago.'”
• differently: “But 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.”
• quickly: “I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Margie said quickly.
• nonchalantly: “‘Maybe,’ he said nonchalantly.”

2. Now use these adverbs to fill in the blanks in the sentences below-

(i) The report must be read carefully so that performance can be improved.

(ii) At the interview, Sameer answered our questions loftily, shrugging his shoulders.

(iii) We all behave differently when we are tired or hungry.

(iv) The teacher shook her head sorrowfully when Ravi lied to her.

(v) I completely forgot about it.

(vi) When I complimented Revathi on her success, she just smiled nonchalantly and turned away.

(vii) The President of the Company is awfully busy and will not be able to meet you.

(viii) I finished my work quickly so that I could go out to play.

3. Make adverbs from these adjectives

Rule: When an adjective ends in -y, change the y to i and add -ly.

Adjective	Adverb	Adjective	Adverb
(i) angry	angrily	(ii) happy	happily
(iii) merry	merrily	(iv) sleepy	sleepily
(v) easy	easily	(vi) noisy	noisily
(vii) tidy	tidily	(viii) gloomy	gloomily

3. Make adverbs from these adjectives

Rule: When an adjective ends in -y, change the y to i and add -ly.

Adjective	Adverb	Adjective	Adverb
(i) angry	angrily	(ii) happy	happily
(iii) merry	merrily	(iv) sleepy	sleepily
(v) easy	easily	(vi) noisy	noisily
(vii) tidy	tidily	(viii) gloomy	gloomily

II. If Not and Unless

Rule: The ‘condition’ part uses the present tense, and the ‘result’ part uses the future tense (will/won’t).

Complete the following conditional sentences:

1. If I don’t go to Anu’s party tonight, she will be very angry.
2. If you don’t telephone the hotel to order food, you will go hungry.
3. Unless you promise to write back, I will not write to you again.
4. If she doesn’t play any games, she will become dull and unhealthy.
5. Unless that little bird flies away quickly, the cat will catch it.

Writing

Formal Letter to Publisher

Your Address:

Juria, Nagaon Assam,

PIN: 782124

Date: 09/05/26

The addressee’s address:

The Sales Manager Mindfame Private Limited

1632 Asaf Ali Road

New Delhi – 110002

Dear Sir/Madam,

Subject: Order for a revised volume of Isaac Asimov’s short stories.

I have recently learned that a new revised volume of Isaac Asimov’s short stories has been released by your publication. I would like to place an order for one set of the same.

Please send the set to my address mentioned above by Value Payable Post (VPP) at your earliest convenience. I shall pay the required amount to the postman upon delivery. Please ensure that the books are in good condition and are packed securely to avoid any damage during transit.

Yours sincerely,

[Your Signature]

(Your Name)