Name: Valentina Vazquez Date:

“The Fun They Had”

Isaac Asimov

FIRST READ: Comprehension

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

1. At the beginning of “The Fun They Had,” what has caused Margie to hate
school even more than before?
a. learning about real teachers instead of teaching machines
b. reading an old book that Tommy has found in his attic
c. doing poorly on test after test in geography
d. having no friends in school anymore

2. In “The Fun They Had,” how is Margie’s teacher different from the
teachers that most students who attend schools today have?
a. Margie’s teacher has been told very little about her.
b. Margie’s teacher is a person at a remote location.
c. Margie’s teacher is her mother.
d. Margie’s teacher is a machine.

3. In “The Fun They Had,” why does Margie’s mother have the county
inspector visit?
a. to reprogram Margie’s teacher
b. to punish Margie for her poor grades
c. to explain what Margie needs to learn
d. to give Margie personal instruction in geography

4. In “The Fun They Had,” which of these things are unfamiliar to Margie until
she learns about them from Tommy or his book? Choose three options.
a. tests
b. homework
c. group learning
d. human teachers
e. school buildings
f. computer programs

© by Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. 1

 GRADE 6 • UNIT 3 • SELECTION TEST
“THE FUN THEY HAD” BY ISAAC ASIMOV

Name: Date:

FIRST READ: Concept Vocabulary

Identify the choice that best answers the question.
5. At which of these events would a person most likely speak sorrowfully?
a. a funeral
b. a concert
c. a wedding
d. a graduation

6. Which of these adjectives would best describe someone who loftily

answers a question?
a. inspirational
b. thoughtful
c. snobby
d. kind
7. If a person behaves nonchalantly, how does he or she most likely feel?
a. sad
b. angry
c. worried
d. carefree

© by Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. 2

 GRADE 6 • UNIT 3 • SELECTION TEST
“THE FUN THEY HAD” BY ISAAC ASIMOV

Name: Date:

CLOSE READ: Analyze the Text

Identify the choice that best answers the question.
8. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A In “The Fun They Had,” Tommy finds a book. Why are the book’s
pages yellow and crinkly?
a. The book is very cheaply made.
b. No one has ever read the book before.
c. The book was printed a long time ago.
d. Someone was trying to hide the book in the attic.

Part B Which quotation from “The Fun They Had” best supports the answer
to Part A?
a. It was a very old book.
b. [I]t was awfully funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the
way they were supposed to—on a screen, you know.
c. 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.
d. “Our television screen must have had a million books on it and it’s good
for plenty more.”

© by Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. 3

 GRADE 6 • UNIT 3 • SELECTION TEST
“THE FUN THEY HAD” BY ISAAC ASIMOV

Name: Date:

9. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A In “The Fun They Had,” in what way is Margie’s education more
personal than the education of students her age in most schools today?
a. Her teacher is a caring human being who focuses on only one student.
b. Her schoolwork is programmed to suit her own specific learning abilities.
c. She is able to decide when to take tests and how difficult those tests should
be.
d. She is able to connect with other students who are studying the same
subjects at a similar pace.

Part B Which quotation from “The Fun They Had” best supports the answer
to Part A?
a. The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography, and
she had been doing worse and worse….
b. “Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”
c. “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.”
d. 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.

10. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A At the end of “The Fun They Had,” what does Margie think of the
schools she has learned about from Tommy’s book?
a. Those schools must have been very enjoyable.
b. Those schools must have been very unpleasant.
c. Those schools seem like a complete waste of time.
d. Those schools seem very similar to her own schooling.

Part B Which quotation from “The Fun They Had” best supports the answer
to Part A?
a. “Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”
b. “They had a special building and all the kids went there.”
c. She wanted to read about those funny schools.
d. Margie was thinking about how the kids must have loved it in the old days.
She was thinking about the fun they had.

© by Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. 4

 GRADE 6 • UNIT 3 • SELECTION TEST
“THE FUN THEY HAD” BY ISAAC ASIMOV

Name: Date:

CLOSE READ: Analyze Craft and Structure

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

11. Which of these technological advances is most clearly featured in the

science-fiction story “The Fun They Had”?
a. the Internet
b. satellite TV
c. on-screen readers
d. the Global Positioning System (GPS)

12. In what way is the setting of “The Fun They Had” typical of science
fiction?
a. The story takes place in the distant past.
b. The story takes place on another world.
c. The story takes place in outer space.
d. The story takes place in the future.

13. In “The Fun They Had,” Margie and Tommy are realistic characters in an
imagined world. Which words describe the realistic qualities that they display?
Choose two options.
a. lazy
b. timid
c. heroic
d. curious
e. villainous
f. argumentative

14. In “The Fun They Had,” which of these scientific advances does the author most
clearly use as the basis of an imaginary invention?
a. machines that can perform human functions
b. paper that is made from recycled materials
c. clothing that resists wear and tear
d. lighting that can save electricity

15. Which of these serious themes is most clearly conveyed in the

science-fiction story “The Fun They Had”?
a. Humanity is in danger of becoming extinct.
b. All human beings need to think for themselves.
c. We must stop wasting natural resources before it is too late.
d. People often fail to appreciate things until they no longer have them.
© by Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. 5
 GRADE 6 • UNIT 3 • SELECTION TEST
“THE FUN THEY HAD” BY ISAAC ASIMOV

Name: Date:

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: Word Study

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

16. What is the meaning of the Anglo-Saxon suffix -ful?

a. not involved with
b. having the qualities of
c. having to do with a process
d. happening over and over again

17. Laws help us know how to behave. Use that information and your
knowledge of the suffix -ful to choose the definition of lawful.
a. illegal; criminal
b. scientific; technical
c. allowed; permitted
d. absolute; complete

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: Conventions

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

18. Which of the following sentences contains an action verb?

a. Eduardo is enthusiastic about science.
b. Shawna memorized math facts last night.
c. Li appears upset about the broken crystal vase.
d. John and Marcy may be happy with that new movie.

19. Which word in this sentence is a linking verb?

The children laughed when the storyteller told a joke about when he was young.

a. laughed
b. told
c. about
d. was

20. Which of the following sentences contains a linking verb?

a. Joel and Lena absolutely love summertime.
b. Every summer, they go on interesting adventures.
c. Amusement parks are fun places any time of year.
d. The games and rides always delight young people.

© by Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. 6