Available Answers

1. 1.

   In the first stanza, the boy says, I wish I were a hawker. Why does he wish that? Is it because he would like to carry and sell bangles, or because he would then be free from the rules he now has to observe? Which lines have the answer?

2. 2.

   What are the rules which the boy has to observe, but the hawker is free from? Does the boy have to hurry in the morning in order not to be late to school? Is he expected to take a particular road? What are two other rules that the boy has to follow and not the hawker?

3. 3.

   Why does the boy wish he were a gardener, in the second stanza? Does he think he would enjoy doing the things the gardener does, without being scolded? What are those things? Is he allowed to do any of them now? Are they nice things from the point of view of adults? Are they enjoyable things for a child?

4. 4.

   Read the first Iine of the third stanza. Which rule does it mention? Do you agree that all children dislike this rule the most?

5. 5.

   A part of the reason why the boy wishes to be a watchman is it looks nice to swing the lantern and chase the shadows in the night, but what do you think is the main reason? Which point is made with the greatest emphasis? (What does the boy think the watchman never once does in his life ?) Does this tell us which rule the boy considers the worst?

6. 6.

   What do you think may be the age of this child and the level of his school (Primary Middle, High)? Do you think it may be specially hard for children at that level to learn to obey rules and observe some discipline? If so, what may be the reason? (Have they ever done it before?) Think about such things and explain them in a paragraph.