📑 Table of Contents (tap a topic to jump)
🧠 Let Us Think
1Who is the speaker in the poem?
The speaker is a child who observes different working people — a hawker, a gardener, and a watchman — on their daily routine.
2Why does the speaker want to be a hawker?
The speaker wants to be a hawker because the hawker seems completely free — with no fixed road to take, no particular place to go, and no set time to return home.
3What does he like about the gardener?
The speaker likes that the gardener can do what he likes with his spade, getting dusty or wet in the sun or rain, with nobody stopping or scolding him.
4What does the speaker compare the street lamp to?
The speaker compares the street lamp to a giant standing with one red eye in its head.
5Share the daily schedule of the speaker based on the poem.
The speaker walks to school around ten in the morning (when the gong sounds), returns home around four in the afternoon, and is sent to bed by his mother as it gets dark in the evening.
✍️ Let Us Learn
6Match each word with its meaning: Gong, Spade, Lane, Giant, Lantern.
- Spade — a tool used for gardening
- Giant — an imaginary man-like creature of great height and strength
- Lantern — a case that holds a light and can be carried easily
- Gong — a metal disc that produces a loud sound when hit
- Lane — a narrow path
7Find and correct the mistake in each sentence.
- I have recently read a new book. (has → have)
- The speaker goes to school at ten in the morning. (for → to)
- The fox ran faster than the others. (fast → faster)
- Mita was asleep when the doorbell rang. (slept → asleep)
- The old elephant walked slowly to the river. (slow → slowly)
- Radhika is taller than Suman. (tall → taller)
- Sudhanshu ran the fastest of all the runners. (faster of → fastest of)
- My mother is cooking. (are → is)
- He goes to school every day. (go → goes)
- The birds are flying. (is → are)
✏️ Let Us Write
8What might be the difficult or boring part of being a hawker, gardener or watchman?
A hawker may get tired from walking and calling out all day in all kinds of weather, with uncertain earnings; a gardener may have to do hard, tiring physical labour in the hot sun or rain; a watchman must stay awake and alert all night, often alone, missing sleep and family time. The poem only shows the fun, free side that a child imagines, not these real difficulties.
9What vocations are the following people associated with? A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, M. Visvesvaraya, Janaki Ammal, M.S. Subbulakshmi, Salim Ali.
- A.P.J. Abdul Kalam — Scientist (aerospace/missile scientist) and former President of India
- M. Visvesvaraya — Engineer, renowned for his contributions to civil engineering
- Janaki Ammal — Botanist, known for her research in plant science
- M.S. Subbulakshmi — Classical (Carnatic) singer
- Salim Ali — Ornithologist (bird expert/naturalist)
🎨 Let Us Do
10Job Mix-Up! Notice what's unusual in the pictures (e.g., a chef driving a fire engine instead of a firefighter).
This activity asks you to spot mismatched jobs in pictures and write two sentences correcting each one, following the example: 'A chef's job is to cook delicious meals, not to drive a fire engine. That's something firefighters do.' Apply the same pattern to other mixed-up pictures in your textbook (e.g., a judge who should be checking patients — that's a doctor's job, not a judge's).