Class 5 English - PUNJAB
Poetry: Vocation
The chapter 'Vocation' is a beautiful poem included in the Class 5 English syllabus for Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) students. Written by Rabindranath Tagore, the poem explores a child's innocent perspective on freedom, work, and adult life. As the child goes about their day, they observe a hawker, a gardener, and a watchman, each fascinated by their freedom and daily routines. The child wishes to trade their structured school life for the carefree life of these workers. For board exams, this chapter is crucial as it tests reading comprehension, poetic devices, and the student's ability to express personal interpretations of the poem's core themes.
Start Learning FreeKey Concepts
Hawker
A person who travels from place to place selling goods, whom the child watches in the morning without any hurry to go to school.
Gardener
A person who digs the ground and tends to plants, whom the child envies because nobody scolds him if he gets his clothes soiled.
Watchman
A person who walks the dark and lonely streets at night with a lantern, representing adult freedom and bravery to the imaginative child.
Innocence and Imagination
The central theme showing how a child romanticizes adult professions without understanding the hardships and responsibilities attached to them.
Free Verse
The poetic style used in the poem, which does not follow a strict rhyming scheme, making it read like natural, flowing thoughts.
Important Formulas
Board Exam Info
In the PSEB Class 5 English examinations, this chapter typically carries about 4 to 6 marks. Common question types include short answer questions about the child's wishes, reference-to-context questions from the stanzas, vocabulary matching (meanings of words like 'gong', 'spade', and 'bade'), and subjective questions on why the child wanted to become a hawker, gardener, or watchman.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the child want to become in the morning?
In the morning, the child wants to become a hawker and spend the day crying 'Bangles, crystal bangles!' without any fixed path or time to return home.
Why does the child want to be a gardener?
The child wants to be a gardener because he sees that nobody scolds the gardener if he gets his clothes soiled with dust or if he stands in the sun.
What does the watchman do at night that attracts the child?
The child is fascinated by how the watchman walks up and down the dark, lonely street with his red-lighted lantern, chasing away shadows and staying awake all night.
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