Why does the idea of the old school seem liberating to Margie?

Correct answer: Because learning was not limited to a lonely machine

The governing contrast in Isaac Asimov’s story is between Margie’s isolated, machine-controlled education and the old system of shared classroom learning. Margie studies alone at home with a mechanical teacher, so the picture of children sitting together, talking, laughing, and learning from a human teacher appears exciting and freeing. Option A is correct because the old school offered social contact, direct guidance, and a common learning experience rather than a child’s solitary interaction with a machine. Option B is false because old schools had human teachers. Options C and D contradict the description of regular study. The question therefore tests the theme of human connection in education.