According to the title, what did children of the past have?

Correct answer: Fun in learning

The governing idea of the title is the contrast between the mechanical education of Margie’s time and the human, social education of the past. When Margie imagines old-style schools, she begins to feel that children who studied together with a human teacher may have enjoyed learning more. Thus, “The Fun They Had” suggests that children of the past experienced pleasure, companionship and shared learning at school. The other options contradict the story: old children did read books, schools existed, and the title does not suggest that they feared machines. Therefore, option A is the best answer.