The Future of Learning (Based on "The Fun They Had")Short Question and Answers
What year is the story "The Fun They Had" set in?
17 May 2157
Who is the famous percussionist who overcame profound deafness?
Evelyn Glennie
What was the child's initial reaction to the toy vendor selling balloons?
He was fascinated and wanted one.
What type of animal is Toto?
A monkey
I am a young girl in the year 2157 who dislikes my mechanical teacher. Who am I?
Margie
What is a "mechanical teacher" in the context of the story?
A robot teacher that teaches students at home on a screen.
What was the name of the instrument that was banned by Emperor Aurangzeb?
Pungi
What was the first thing the child asked for at the fair?
Toys, specifically the burfi. (Though the question leads to burfi, the toys were what he saw first. Let's stick with the first thing he asked for.)
Where did Grandfather initially get Toto from?
A tonga-driver.
I am a renowned percussionist who performs without hearing the music. Who am I?
Evelyn Glennie
What was the "slot" in the mechanical teacher where Margie had to put her homework?
A slot for punching homework in paper code.
At what age did Evelyn Glennie first notice her hearing loss?
Eight years old
Why did the child's parents continuously distract him as they walked through the fair?
To prevent him from asking for things they couldn't or wouldn't buy him.
What was one of Toto's first destructive acts in the house?
Tearing the wallpaper and pulling out the peg in the wall.
I am a mischievous primate who loves baths and causes a lot of chaos. Who am I?
Toto
What did Margie think was the "fun" about the old schools?
Children from different areas coming together, sitting together, learning the same thing, and helping each other with homework.
Who taught Bismillah Khan to play the shehnai?
His maternal uncle, Ali Bux
When did the child realize he was lost?
When he turned to ask his parents for a flower garland and found they weren't there.
How did Toto almost boil himself alive?
He sat in a large kettle of water that was on the fire to boil for tea.
I am a shehnai maestro who brought the instrument to international fame. Who am I?
Ustad Bismillah Khan
Why did the County Inspector come to Margie's house?
To fix Margie's mechanical teacher because it was giving her test after test in geography, and she was doing worse and worse.
How does Evelyn Glennie learn music despite her deafness?
She feels the music through her body, especially the vibrations through her feet and different parts of her body.
What did the kind man offer the lost child, and why did the child refuse them?
Sweets, balloons, and a garland. The child refused because he only wanted his mother and father.
Why did Grandfather finally decide to sell Toto back to the tonga-driver?
Toto was too mischievous and destructive, causing constant loss of dishes, clothes, and curtains, and the family couldn't afford the frequent losses.
I am a kind man at the fair who tries to comfort a distressed child. Who am I?
The man who found the lost child (no specific name given in the story, but this is the general description).