Reading Comprehensions- The Fun They Had

 The Fun They Had

Reading Comprehension 1

Margie even wrote about it that night in her diary. On the page headed 17th May 2157, she wrote, “Today Tommy found a real book!”

     It was a very old book. Margie’s grandfather once said that when he was a little boy, his grandfather told him that there was a time when all stories were printed on paper.

     They turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to — on a screen, you know. And then when they turned back to the page before, it had the same words on it that it had had when they read it the first time.

1. What did Tommy find as of Margie's diary on May 17, 2157?

a) A secret message

b) A real book

c) Margie's drawing

d) A poem

2. How did Margie describe the book that Tommy found?

a) It was a brand new book.

b) It was a digital book.

c) It was a very old book.

d) It was a picture book.

3. According to Margie's grandfather, how were stories printed in the past?

a) They were projected on a screen.

b) They were written on digital tablets.

c) They were printed on paper.

d) They were recorded as audio files.

4. What did Margie find funny about reading the words in the old book?

a) The words were blurry and hard to read.

b) The words were moving on the page.

c) The words stood still on the page.

d) The words were in a different language.

5. What happened when Margie and Tommy turned back to a previous page in the old book?

a) The words disappeared.

b) The page turned blank.

c) The words on the page changed.

d) The same words were still on the page.

Reading Comprehension 2

“Gee,” said Tommy, “what a waste. When you’re through with the book, you just throw it away, I guess. Our television screen must have had a million books on it, and it’s good for plenty more. I wouldn’t throw it away.”

“Same with mine,” said Margie. She was eleven and hadn’t seen as many tele books as Tommy had. He was thirteen.

She said, “Where did you find it?”

“In my house.” He pointed without looking, because he was busy reading. “In the attic”.

“What’s it about?”

“School”

Margie was scornful. “School? What’s there to write about school? I hate school.”

     Margie always hated school, but now she hated it more than ever. 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.

1. What did Tommy think about the book?

a) It was a waste.

b) It was necessary.

c) It was convenient.

d) It was enjoyable.

2. How many tele books had Margie seen compared to Tommy?

a) More

b) The same number

c) Less

d) It is not mentioned

3. Where did Tommy find the book?

a) In the library

b) In the bookstore

c) In the attic

d) In his friend's house

4. What was the book about, according to Tommy?

a) Adventure

b) Science fiction

c) Mystery

d) School

5. How did Margie feel about school?

a) She loved it.

b) She was indifferent.

c) She hated it.

d) It was not mentioned.

Reading Comprehension 3

He was a round little man with a red face and a whole box of tools with dials and wires. He smiled at Margie and gave her an apple, then took the teacher apart. Margie had hoped he wouldn’t know how to put it together again, but he knew how all right, and, after an hour or so, there it was again, large and black and ugly, with a big screen on which all the lessons were shown and the questions were asked. That wasn’t so bad. The part Margie hated most was the slot where she had to put homework and test papers. She always had to write them out in a punch code they made her learn when she was six years old, and the mechanical teacher calculate the marks in no time.

1. How did the little man look like?

a) Tall and thin

b) Round with a red face

c) Young and energetic

d) Serious and stern

2. What did the little man do with the teacher?

a) Repaired it

b) Modified it

c) Disassembled it

d) Upgraded it

3. How did Margie feel when the teacher was put back together?

a) Relieved

b) Surprised

c) Disappointed

d) Excited

4. What did Margie dislike the most about the mechanical teacher?

a) Its appearance

b) The lessons it showed on the screen

c) The punch code homework and test papers

d) The calculation of marks

5. When did Margie learn the punch code?

a) At the age of four

b) At the age of six

c) At the age of eight

d) It is not mentioned in the passage

Reading Comprehension 4

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?”

1. How did the Inspector describe Margie's progress in school?

a) Exceptional

b) Unsatisfactory

c) Satisfactory

d) Outstanding

2. Why did they take away Tommy's teacher for a month?

a) The teacher malfunctioned.

b) The teacher needed repairs.

c) The history sector blanked out.

d) Tommy requested it.

3. How did Margie feel about the Inspector's decision regarding her teacher?

a) Disappointed

b) Relieved

c) Excited

d) Indifferent

4. What did Margie hope would happen to her teacher?

a) It would be repaired.

b) It would be replaced.

c) It would be upgraded.

d) It would be taken away altogether.

5. What was Margie's question to Tommy?

a) Why anyone would write about school.

b) Why they took Tommy's teacher away.

c) Why the Inspector patted her head.

d) Why her mother discussed her progress.

Reading Comprehension 5

Tommy looked at her with very superior eyes. “Because it’s not our kind of school, stupid. This is the old kind of school that they had hundreds and hundreds of years ago." He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, “Centuries ago.”

     Margie was hurt. “Well, I don’t know what kind of school they had all that time ago.” She read the book over his shoulder for a while, then said, “Anyway, they had a teacher.”

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

     “A man? How could a man be a teacher?”

     “Well, he just told the boys and girls things and gave them homework and asked them questions.”

1. Why did Tommy think the school in the book was different from their kind of school?

a) Because it had better technology

b) Because it had a different curriculum

c) Because it existed centuries ago

d) Because it had male teachers

2. How did Margie feel when Tommy calls her stupid?

a) Confused

b) Indifferent

c) Hurt

d) Angry

3. What did Margie say about the kind of school they had in the past?

a) She knew everything about it.

b) She was curious to learn more.

c) She was familiar with it.

d) She found it boring.

4. According to Tommy, who was the teacher in the old kind of school?

a) Female

b) Robot

c) They had no teacher at all.

d) Human being

5. What did the old kind of teacher do according to Tommy?

a) They only gave homework.

b) They only asked questions.

c) They only told stories.

d) They taught and assigned homework.

Reading Comprehension 6

“A man isn’t smart enough.”

     “Sure he is. My father knows as much as my teacher.”

     “He knows almost as much, I betcha.”

     Margie wasn’t prepared to dispute that. She said, “I wouldn’t want a strange man in my house to teach me.”

     Tommy screamed with laughter. “You don’t know much, Margie. The teachers didn’t live in the house. They had a special building and all the kids went there.”

     “And all the kids learned the same thing?”

     “Sure, if they were the same age.”

1. Why did Margie think a man wasn't smart enough to be a teacher?

a) She believed women were smarter.

b) She thought men were generally less knowledgeable.

c) She had a biased opinion about men.

d) It is not mentioned in the passage.

2. How did Tommy defend the intelligence of men as teachers?

a) His father was a smart man.

b) Men were as smart as women.

c) Men could know almost as much as teachers.

d) It is not mentioned in the passage.

3. What did Margie say about having a strange man in her house to teach her?

a) She thought it would be a great idea.

b) She was open to the possibility.

c) She wouldn't want it to happen.

d) It is not mentioned in the passage.

4. Why did Tommy laugh at Margie's comment?

a) Margie said something funny.

b) He found Margie's ideas amusing.

c) He thought Margie is not smart.

d) It is not mentioned in the passage.

5. According to Tommy, where did the kids go to learn?

a) They went to different houses.

b) They had teachers come to their houses.

c) They went to a special building.

d) It is not mentioned in the passage.

Reading Comprehension 7

“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.”

     “Just the same they didn’t do it that way then. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to read the book.”

     “I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Margie said quickly. She wanted to read about those funny schools. They weren’t even half finished when Margie's mother called, “Margie! School!”

Margie looked up. “Not yet, Mamma.”

     “Now!” said Mrs Jones. “And it’s probably time for Tommy, too.”

     Margie said to Tommy, “Can I read the book some more with you after school?”

1. What did Margie's mother believe about teaching?

a) Each child should be taught differently.

b) All children should be taught the same way.

c) Teachers should adjust themselves to fit each child's mind.

d) Teachers should follow a standardized approach.

2. How did Tommy respond when Margie expressed her opinion about the book?

a) He told her not to read it.

b) He suggested she should read it later.

c) He insisted she should read it.

d) He agreed with her opinion.

3. How did Margie feel about the book?

a) She didn't like it.

b) She loved it.

c) She was curious.

d) It is not mentioned in the passage.

4. Why did Margie's mother call her and Tommy?

a) It's time for them to go to school.

b) They needed to do their homework.

c) They had a visitor at home.

d) It is not mentioned in the passage.

5. What did Margie ask Tommy after school?

a) If she could borrow his book.

b) If they could continue reading the book together.

c) If they could play a game together.

d) It is not mentioned in the passage.

Reading Comprehension 8

“May be,” he said nonchalantly. He walked away whistling, the dusty old book tucked beneath his arm.

     Margie went into the schoolroom. It was right next to her bedroom, and the mechanical teacher was on and waiting for her. It was always on at the same time every day except Saturday and Sunday, because her mother said little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours.

     The screen was lit up, and it said: “Today's arithmetic lesson is on the addition of proper fractions. Please insert yesterday’s homework in the proper slot."

1. What did Tommy do with the old book?

a) Returned it to the attic

b) Gave it to Margie

c) Threw it away

d) Took it with him

2. Where was Margie's schoolroom located?

a) Next to the kitchen

b) Right next to her bedroom

c) Downstairs in the basement

d) In a separate building

3. Why was the mechanical teacher always on at the same time every day?

a) Margie's mother insisted on it.

b) It was programmed to operate at specific hours.

c) Margie preferred to learn at regular hours.

d) It was required by the school system.

4. What subject was being taught in that day's lesson?

a) History

b) Geography

c) Arithmetic

d) Literature

5. What did the screen instruct Margie to do?

a) Turn off the teacher

b) Insert yesterday's homework

c) Start reading a book

d) Take a break until tomorrow

Reading Comprehension 9

Margie did so with a sigh. She was thinking about the old schools they had when her grandfather's grandfather was a little boy. All the kids from the whole neighbourhood came, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting together in the schoolroom, going home together at the end of the day. They learned the same things, so they could help one another with the homework and talk about it.

     And the teachers were people…

     The mechanical teacher was flashing on the screen: “When we add fractions ½ and ¼...”

     Margie was thinking about how the kids must have loved it in the old days. She was thinking about the fun they had.

1. What was Margie thinking about when she sighed?

a) The old schools from the past

b) Her upcoming homework

c) The mechanical teacher

d) Her friends in the neighborhood

2. How did the kids in the old schools interact with each other?

a) They didn't interact at all.

b) They competed against each other.

c) They helped one another and discussed their homework.

d) They studied individually without any collaboration.

3. What was Margie's opinion of the mechanical teacher?

a) She found it fascinating.

b) She thought it's boring.

c) She was scared of it.

d) It is not mentioned in the passage.

4. What topic was the mechanical teacher teaching Margie?

a) Fractions

b) History

c) Geography

d) Literature

5. How did Margie feel about the old days in the schools?

a) She believed they were fun.

b) She thought they were boring compared to her current school.

c) She was indifferent and didn't think about them much.

d) It is not mentioned in the passage.