NCERT Class 6 English Chapter 7 Vocation Poem Questions And Answers

NCERT Class 6 English Poetry Chapter 7 Vocation Question And Answers

The Poem ‘Vocation’ By Rabindranath Tagore Expresses A Young Child’s Curiosity Of His Surroundings And His Desire For Freedom. When The Child Saw A Hawker Selling Bangles While Walking To His/Her School In The Morning, He/She Wanted To Be A Hawker. He/She Felt That He/She Would Be Free And Happy. Then, While Returning From School, The Child Saw A Gardener Digging On

The Ground With His Spade On His Own Will. So, The Child Wanted To Be Like Him. When It Got Dark In The Evening, The Child Saw The watchman through The Window. The Watchman Was Walking Up And Down The Street. Hence, The Child Wanted To Be A Watchman

Stanza-wise explanation

Vocation Stanza 1

When the gong sounds ten in the morning and I walk to school by our lane,
Every day, I meet the hawker crying, “Bangles, crystal bangles!”
There is nothing to hurry him on, there is no
road he must take, no place he must go to, nothe
time when he must come home.
I wish I were a hawker, spending my day on the road, crying, “Bangles, crystal bangles”

Explanation: In the given lines, the speaker (a child) states that when he/she goes to school at 10 a.m., he/she sees a hawker selling bangles in the lane. The hawker does not seem to be in a hurry and moves from one place to another at his own will.

The hawker could take any road and return home whenever he wanted. The child thinks that there is no restriction on him. Therefore, he/she wants to be a hawker and sell bangles so that he/she can live as he/she, please

Read And Learn More NCERT Solutions For Class 6 English Poetry

Vocation Stanza 2

When at four in the afternoon I come back from
school, I can see through the gate of that house the gardener digging the ground.
He does what he likes with his spade; he soils
his clothes with dusty, and nobody takes him to
task if he gets baked in the Sun or gets wet.
I wish I were a gardener digging away at
The garden with nobody to stop me from digging.

Explanation When the child returned from his/her school at 4 p.m., he/she saw a gardener digging the ground outside the house. His clothes were dirty with soil as he was digging the ground continuously with his spade.

He was working under the Sun but nobody tried to stop him. The child wanted to be a gardener so that nobody would punish him/her for digging the ground as much as he/she wanted.

Vocation Stanza 3

just as it gets dark in the evening and my
mother sends me to bed,
I can see through my open window the
watchman walking up and down. The lane is dark and lonely, and the streetlamp stands like a giant with one red eye in its head.
The watchman swings his lantern and walks with his shadow at his side, and never once goes to bed in his life.
I wish I were a watchman walking the street
all night, chasing the shadows with my lantern.

Vocation Explanation In The Evening, When It Was Dark, The Mother Sent The Child To Sleep, He/She Looks Out Of The Window’ The Child Sees The Watchman Walking Up And Down The Dark And Lonely Street.

There Was Only One Big Red-Coloured Light On The Street’ The Watchman Was Swinging The Lantern And Walking All Alone’ Looking At The Watchman, The Child Thought That The Watchman Was Free To Roam Around In The Night.

So, He/She Wished To Be A Watchman So That He Could Walk Down The Street With A Lantern And Not Just Forced Down To Lie On Bed. In The Three Stanzas, The Child Longs For Freedom. He/She Wanted To Live Freely Without Any Restrictions.

NCERT Class 6 English Poetry Chapter 7 Vocation Word Meaning

Answer The following Questions 

Question 1. Who Is The Speaker In The Poem? Who Are The People The Speaker Meets? What Are They Doing?
Answer: The Speaker In This Poem Is A School-Going Child’ The Speaker Meets A Hawker, A Gardener, And A Watchman’ The Hawker Was Selling Bangles On A Road And The Gardener Was Digging The Ground Outside His House’ He/She Saw The Watchman Walking In The Streets At Night.

Question 2. What Wishes Does The Child In The Poem Make? Why Does The Child Want To Be A Hawker, A Gardener Or A Watchman? Pick Out The Lines In Each Stanza, that tell Us This.
Answer: The Child Wanted To Be A Hawker Or A Gardener Or A watchman in the poem’ It because he/she was not allowed to do many things. So, he/she wanted to enjoy freedom like them. The child says

I wish I were a hawker spending my day on the road.
I wish I were a gardener digging away at the garden.
I wish I were a watchman walking the street all night.

Question 3. From the way the child envies the hawker, the gardener, and the watchman, we can guess that there are many things the child has to do, or must not do. Make a list of the do’s and don’ts that the child doesn’t like. The first line is done for you. The child must come home at a fixed time.

The child must not
Get his clothes dirty in the dust’
Now add to the list your complaints about the things you have to do or must not do

Answer:

Question 4. Like the child in the poem, you perhaps have your wishes for yourself. Talk to your friend, using wish were… 
Answer: Do it yourself.

NCERT Class 6 English Poetry Chapter 7 Vocation Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1. At what time does the child go to school?

1. At 9 am
2. At 10 pm
3. At 10 am
4. At 8 am

Answer: 2. At 10 am

Question 2. What shape is a ‘gong’?

1. Square
2. Rectangular
3. Triangular
4. Circular

Answer: 4. Circular

Question 3. “There is nothing to hurry him on, there is no road he must take, no place he must go to, no time when he must come home.”

1. Why is the poet likely mentioning these details?
2. He is sad about the hawker’s life
3. There are things he is forced to do
4. These are sights he sees on the road every day
5. He is surprised by the Hawkert’s lack of discipline

Answer: 2. There are things he is forced to do

Question 4. Why does the poet wish to be a hawker?

1. So that he could spend more time on the streets
2. So that he could meet new people every day
3. So that he could own the crystal bangles
4. So that he could live as he pleased

Answer: 4. So that he could live as he pleased

Question 5. According To The Child, The Hawker Leads.

1. Relaxed Life
2. Stressful Life
3. Unhappy Life
4. Religious Life

Answer: 1. Relaxed Life

Question 6. A Spade Is Used By

1. The Watchman
2. The Gardener
3. The Hawker
4. The Child

Answer: 2. The Gardener

Question 7. ‘He Soils His Clothes With Dust’ The Underlined Word In The Above Line Means

1. Dirties
2. Damages
3. Cleans
4. Dries

Answer: 1. Dirties

Question 8. ” I wish were A Gardener Digging Away At The Garden With Nobody To Stop Me From Digging.” What Is The Poet Likely Feeling In The Lines Above?

1. Regret
2. Sorrow
3. Longing
4. Frustration

Answer: 1. Longing

Question 9. What sight Does the point see at Bedtime?

1. A Giant With One Red Eye
2. His Neighbour’s Open Window
3. The Watchman Walking In The Lane
4. People Walking Towards The Street-Lamp

Answer: 3. The Watchman Walking In The Lane

Question 10. Which Of These Does The Poet Do?

1. Uses Other’s Lives To Convey His Wishes
2. Creates Emphasis By Using Rhyming Words
3. Shows Sympathy For The People Around Him
4. Provides Descriptions To Show How Varied Life Is

Answer: 1. Uses Other’s Lives To Convey His Wishes

Question 11. “I Wish I Were A Gardener Digging Away At The Garden With Nobody To Stop Me From Digging.

1. The Speaker Wants To Become A Gardener
2. He Soils His Clothes
3. He Digs In The Rain
4. He Enjoys His Freedom Without Scolding
5. All Of The Above
6. All Of The Above

Question 12. What Is The Main Purpose Of The Poem?

1. To Explain The Reasons For The Poett Loneliness.
2. To Narrate The Poett Fondest Childhood Memories.
3. To Express The Poet’s Desire For The More Freedom In Life.
4. To Describe The Different People The Poet Met In His Daily Life.

Answer: 3. To Express The Poet’s Desire For The More Freedom In Life.

NCERT Class 6 English Poetry Chapter 7 Vocation Extract Based Questions

Question 1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

When the gong sounds ten in the morning and I walk to school by our lane,
Every day I meet the hawker crying, “Bangles, crystal bangles!”
There is nothing to hurry him on, there is no road he must take, no place he must go to, no time when he must come home.
I wish I were a hawker, spending my day on the road, crying, “Bangles, crystal bangles!”

1. Who Used To Cry “Bangles, Crystal Bangles”?
Answer: A Hawker Used To Cry “Bangles, Crystal Bangles” Every Morning On The Road.

2. What Was The Routine Of The Hawker?
Answer: The Hawker Would Sell Bangles In The Morning In A Calm And Unhurried Manner.

3. Why Did The Child Want To Be A Hawke?
Answer: The Child Wanted To Become A Hawker So That He Could Spend His Time As He Desired.

4. How Would You Define A Hawker?
Answer: A Hawker Is A Person Who Sells Goods By Moving On Roads.

5. The Word ‘Crying’ In The Extract Means
Answer: Shouting

Question 2. Read The Extract Given Below And Answer The Questions That Follow.

• When At Four In The Afternoon
• I Come Back From The School,
• I Can See Through The Gate of that House
• The Gardener Digging The Ground.
• He Does What He Likes With His Spade,
• He Soils His Clothes With Dust,
• Nobody Takes Him To Task,
• If He Gets Baked In The Sun Or Gets Wet’
• I Wish I Were A Gardener Digging Away At The
• Garden With Nobody To Stop Me From Digging.

1. Who Was Digging The Ground?
Answer: The Gardener Was Digging The Ground With His Spade.

2. What Did The Child Notice About The Gardener?
Answer: The Child Noticed That The Gardener Had Dirtied His Clothes Yet Nobody Had Punished Him For It

3. Why Does The Child Want To Be A Gardener?
Answer: The Child Wants To Be A Gardener Because He Wants The Freedom To Dig The Ground And Get Dirty Without Getting Scolded.

4. ‘Gets Baked’ In The Extract Means
Answer: To get sunburnt

5. Which Phrase From The Extract Means?
Answer: The Phrase ‘Takes To Task’ From The Extract Means ‘Scolds’.

Question 2. Read The Following Extract And Answer The Questions That Follow. Just as it got dark the evening My Mother sent me to bed.

I Can See Through My Open Window The Watchman Walking Up And Down’

The Lane Is Dark And Lonely, And The Street-Lamp ‘ Stands Like A Giant With One Red Eye In Its Head The Watchman Swings His Lantern And Walks With His Shadow At His Side, And Never Once Goes To Bed In His Life.

I Wish I Were A Watchman Walking The Street All Night, Chasing The Shadows With My Lantern.

Question 1. Who Sends The Child To Bed?

1. His Mother
2. His Sister
3. His Father
4. His Uncle

Answer: 1. His Mother

Question 2. Why Is The Street Lonely?

1. Becausethere Is Acurfew
2. Because It Is A Moonless Night
3. Because People Are Afraid To Come Out
4. Because People Are Asleep

Answer: 3. Because People Are Asleep

Question 3. The Word ‘Giant’ In The Extract Refers To

1. The Watchman
2. The Child
3. The Street Lamp
4. The Lantern

Answer: 3. The Street Lamp

Question 4. Which Word Is Opposite In Meaning To’never’?

1. Seldom
2. Always
3. Usually
4. Regularly

Answer: 2. Always

Question 5. The Word ‘Chasing’ In The Extract Means

1. Standing
2. Walking
3. Hitting
4. Following

Answer: 4. Following

NCERT Class 6 English Poetry Chapter 7 Vocation Very Short Answer Questions

Question 1. Who is the speaker in the poem? competency Based
Answer: The speaker in the poem is a school-going child’

Question 2. Who does the writer meet every morning’
Answer: The writer meets a hawker every morning’

Question 3. Where did the child meet a hawker?
Answer: The child met a hawker on the road when he was going to his school in the morning.

Question 4. When did the child see a gardener?
Answer: The child saw the gardener in the afternoon’

Question 5. Where does the child meet the gardener?
Answer: The child meets the gardener outside a house

Question 6. Why did the child want to be a gardener?
Answer: The child wanted to become a gardener so that he could dig the ground and nobody would stop him.

Question 7. How did the child see a watchman?
Answer: The child saw the watchman through an open window of his house.

Question 8. What will the child chase once he becomes a watchman?
Answer: The child will chase his shadow in the dark when he becomes a watchman.

NCERT Class 6 English Poetry Chapter 7 Vocation Short Answer-Type Questions

Question 1. What did the child mention about the hawker?
Answer: The child mentioned that the hawker was not in a hurry when he was selling the bangles. There was no specific road which he must take and there was no fixed time for him to return home.

Question 2. Which line indicates that the poet is not allowed to be out in the heat and rain?
Answer: The line ‘nobody takes him to task if he gets baked in the Sun or gets wet’ indicates that the gardener is not scolded for getting dirty or staying outside. However, the poet is not allowed to be out in the heat and rain.

Question 3. Describe the activity of the watchman.
Answer: The watchman was walking on the dark and lonely lane With His Lantern. He Was Following His Shadow At One Side. According To The Child, He Had Never Gone To Bed In His Life

Question 4. What Kind Of Life Is Led By The Hawker, Watchman And Gardener?
Answer: The Hawker, Watchman, And Gardener Are Performing Vocational Tasks. They Are Leading Their Life The Way They Want To. There Are No Restrictions On Them.

NCERT Class 6 English Poetry Chapter 7 Vocation Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1. Why Did The Child Find Others’ Life More Interesting?
Answer: The Child Found Others’life More Interesting Because He/She Was Under Strict Control Of His/Her Family. He/She Was Not Allowed To Move Anywhere And Return Home on time. He/She Did Not Like The Restrictions Imposed On Him/Her.

He/She Thought That The Hawker, Gardener, And Watchman Were Very Happy As They Could Do Things At Their Own Wish. They Could Go Anywhere At Any Time. Nobody Restricted Them And They Were Free To Enjoy Their Life. So, The Child Wanted To Exchange His/Her Life With That Of A Hawker, A Gardener And A Watchman.