What seemed new to the children when they saw the old book?

Correct answer: Fixed words on paper

The governing concept is the contrast between printed books and electronic telebooks. Margie and Tommy are accustomed to screens on which words move and change, so a printed book appears unusual to them. The words on its pages remain fixed instead of shifting like text on a telebook. Therefore, option A is correct. Moving text on a screen is familiar rather than new, and neither a machine slot nor the County Inspector’s tool is the important discovery in this scene. The old book helps the children understand that earlier education depended on physical pages and shared schools, creating the story’s central comparison between traditional and technology-based learning.