Which effect of technology is most contradictory in Margie's machine education?

Correct answer: It provides regular study but reduces joy

The governing concept is irony: a system may be efficient while still failing to make learning enjoyable or socially meaningful. Margie receives regular lessons from her mechanical teacher, completes tests, and follows a fixed educational routine, so option A is plainly false. The story also does not present technology as making printed books or human teachers more common, which rules out C and D. The contradiction in option B is that education is continuous and organised, yet Margie experiences it as lonely and dull. Her later interest in old schools suggests that regular instruction alone cannot create curiosity, companionship, or happiness. Therefore B is the only suitable answer.