Vocation

The speaker in the poem is a young child (a little boy/girl). The child watches different workers going about their daily jobs and wishes to be like them, free to roam and work as they please.

The speaker wants to be a hawker because a hawker can roam freely from lane to lane, calling out to sell his wares whenever he likes. The speaker feels that a hawker has no fixed time to go to school and no one to tell him when to come home. This freedom attracts the speaker greatly.

The speaker likes the fact that the gardener can dig and plant in the garden all day long. The gardener works outdoors with his spade, and nobody scolds him or sends him indoors. The speaker admires the gardener's freedom to work in the open without any restrictions.

The speaker compares the street lamp to a giant with one red eye. When the watchman lights the lamp at dusk, it glows like the single red eye of a giant, which the speaker finds fascinating and magical.

Based on the poem, the speaker's daily schedule appears to be as follows:
- In the morning, the speaker has to get ready and go to school at a fixed time.
- During the day, the speaker attends school and has to follow rules and a timetable.
- In the evening, the speaker has to come home at a fixed time.
- The speaker has to go to bed at night when told to do so.

The speaker feels bound by this strict routine and envies the hawker, gardener, and watchman who seem to work freely on their own terms throughout the day and night.

The speaker admires people with different vocations because they appear to be free and independent. The hawker can roam the lanes at will, the gardener can dig and plant all day without being scolded, and the watchman can stay up all night and light the lamps. The speaker, being a child bound by school timings and bedtime rules, sees these workers as people who can do what they like, when they like. This sense of freedom and adventure makes the speaker admire them deeply.

(This is a personal/open-ended question. A sample answer is given below.)

On my way to school, I observe many interesting things. I see vegetable vendors and fruit sellers calling out to customers, auto-rickshaws and buses rushing past, children walking in groups with heavy school bags, and stray dogs resting near the roadside. I also notice shopkeepers opening their shutters and sweepers cleaning the streets early in the morning.

On my way back home, I see children playing in the park, women buying vegetables from the market, and street lamps beginning to glow as evening approaches. I also notice workers returning home after a long day's work. All these sights make my journey to and from school very lively and interesting.

The correct matches are:

- Gong → A metal disc that produces a loud sound when hit with a small hammer
- Spade → A tool used for gardening
- Lane → A narrow path
- Giant → An imaginary man-like creature of great height and strength
- Lantern → A case that holds a candle or light in any form and can be easily carried

Mistake: 'has' should be 'have'

Correct sentence: I have recently read a new book.

Mistake: 'for' should be 'to'

Correct sentence: The speaker goes to school at ten in the morning.

Mistake: 'fast' should be 'faster'

Correct sentence: The fox ran faster than the others.

Mistake: 'was slept' should be 'was sleeping'

Correct sentence: Mita was sleeping when the doorbell rang.

Mistake: 'slow' should be 'slowly'

Correct sentence: The old elephant walked slowly to the river.