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A · Chapter at a Glance
Class 5 English · Poem
| About this chapter | |
| Poet | Roald Dahl (1916 to 1990), as named in your textbook |
| Type | Poem (a happy, song-like poem about sweets) |
| Main theme | Love, kindness and imagination can make the world a sweeter place |
| Poem tools you will study | Repetition, rhyme, alliteration and word pictures (imagery) |
| Study time | About 50 to 60 minutes |
Roald Dahl (1916 to 1990) was a popular British writer. He wrote books for children and adults. Some of his famous books are James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG, The Witches and Matilda.
What you will learn
- Tell what each part of the poem is saying in your own words.
- Explain what the candy man can do and why his candy is special.
- Learn 15 new words with Hindi and Marathi meanings.
- Spot repeated words, rhyming words and alliteration in a poem.
- Use proper nouns, abstract nouns, adjectives and the modal verb can correctly.
- Write four lines of your own poem as the candy man.
Read the poem in your textbook (pages 92 to 94) first. Then use this lesson to understand it better. We do not copy the poem here. We only use short phrases from it.
| Section | What you do there |
| B · Before you read | Warm-up questions |
| C · Watch & Learn | Video and 3 things to notice |
| D · Word Power | Words, synonyms, antonyms, phrases |
| E · Understand the Poem | Part-by-part explanation |
| F · Characters and Moral | Speaker, setting, theme, moral |
| G · Summary | Short summaries |
| H · Grammar | Nouns, adjectives, the modal verb can |
| I · Questions & Answers | Exam practice |
| J · Writing Skills | Write your own short poem |
| K · Speak & Read Aloud | Pronunciation and speaking |
| L · Quick Quiz | 10 questions |
| M · Revision Card | One-page revision |
B · Before You Read
Think and talk about these before you read. There are no wrong answers.
- Which sweets or candies do you like most? What do they taste like?
- Has someone ever done a small kind act for you on a sad day? How did you feel?
- Be a baker! Imagine you could make any magical candy. What flavour would it be, and what special power would it have?
Your book shows famous story book characters and their authors. Match them. Tap to check.
1. Harry Potter 2. Paddington Bear 3. Tintin
Authors: (a) Hergé (b) J.K. Rowling (c) Michael Bond
Tap to see the answers
C · Watch & Learn
The video for this chapter will be added here. Until then, read and listen to the poem aloud with your teacher, parent or friend.
3 things to notice while reading or listening
- Which words and lines come again and again? How do they make the poem feel?
- Which words sound alike at the end of lines?
- How does the poem make you feel at the end?
Tap to see what to look for
D · Word Power
| Word | Simple meaning | Hindi | Marathi | Example |
| sprinkle | to scatter in small drops or bits | छिड़कना | शिंपडणे | She sprinkled sugar on the cake. |
| dew | tiny drops of water on grass in the morning | ओस | दव | The grass was wet with dew. |
| miracle | a wonderful thing that seems impossible | चमत्कार | चमत्कार | It was a miracle that nobody got hurt. |
| rainbow | a curved band of colours in the sky | इंद्रधनुष | इंद्रधनुष्य | We saw a rainbow after the rain. |
| sigh | a long, soft breath that shows feeling | आह भरना | उसासा | She gave a sigh of relief. |
| soak | to keep something in liquid until it is wet | भिगोना | भिजवणे | Soak the rice for ten minutes. |
| dip | to put something into a liquid for a moment | डुबोना | बुडवणे | He dipped the biscuit in milk. |
| sorrow | deep sadness | दुख | दुःख | The news filled her with sorrow. |
| collect | to bring things together | इकट्ठा करना | गोळा करणे | I collect colourful stamps. |
| cream | the thick, rich part of milk | मलाई | साय | The sweet was topped with cream. |
| satisfying | giving you a happy, full feeling | संतोष देने वाला | समाधान देणारा | A hot meal is satisfying on a cold day. |
| delicious | very tasty | स्वादिष्ट | चविष्ट | The jalebis were delicious. |
| childhood | the time when you are a child | बचपन | बालपण | My grandfather tells stories of his childhood. |
| wish | something you hope will happen | इच्छा | इच्छा | My wish is to visit the sea. |
| bake | to cook food in an oven using dry heat | सेकना / पकाना | बेक करणे | Willy Wonka can bake delicious treats. |
5 synonyms (words with the same meaning)
| Word | Synonym |
| sorrow | sadness |
| miracle | wonder |
| delicious | tasty |
| sprinkle | scatter |
| collect | gather |
5 antonyms (words with the opposite meaning)
| Word | Antonym |
| sorrow | joy |
| sweet | sour |
| sunrise | sunset |
| tomorrow | yesterday |
| love | hate |
3 phrases from the poem
| Phrase | Meaning |
| mixes it with love | puts care and kindness into the work |
| dip it in a dream | add imagination and wonder (a word picture, not real dipping) |
| makes the world taste good | makes life feel sweeter and happier |
E · Understand the Poem
Read each part. Then answer the Think Check question.
Part 1: The first verse – sunrise and dew
The poem asks who can take something as big as a sunrise and sprinkle it with morning dew. The poet then adds chocolate and “a miracle or two”. The answer comes in the repeated line: the candy man can. He can do this because he mixes his work with love. That makes the world taste good.
Think Check: What is the candy man’s special ingredient?
Part 2: The second verse – rainbow and sun
Next the poet asks who can take a rainbow and wrap it in a sigh. He can also soak it in sunlight and make a strawberry-lemon pie. These are not real things you can cook. They are word pictures that show how magical and colourful his candies are.
Think Check: Are these things real? Why does the poet say them?
Part 3: Willy Wonka’s sweets
Here the poem names Willy Wonka. Everything he bakes is satisfying and delicious. The poet also talks about childhood wishes and says you can even eat the dishes. This reminds us of the fun and wonder children dream about.
Think Check: Who is named in this part? How are his sweets described?
Part 4: The third verse – tomorrow and dreams
Now the candy man takes tomorrow and dips it in a dream. He also separates sorrow from the happy things and collects the cream. So he keeps the best parts and leaves sadness behind. This is a lovely picture of hope.
Think Check: What does the candy man do with sorrow?
Part 5: The ending
The poem ends by saying the world tastes good. It does so because the candy man thinks it should. This means that a kind, hopeful mind can make life feel sweeter for everyone.
Think Check: Why does the world taste good at the end?
The words the candy man can come again and again. This is called repetition. It puts stress on the main idea of the poem.
Words that end with the same sound are called rhyming words: cream and dream, sigh and pie, wishes and dishes, dew and two.
Alliteration means using the same starting sound in nearby words. In the poem: take tomorrow (t, t), dip it in a dream (d, d) and separate the sorrow (s, s).
F · Characters, Setting, Theme and Moral
Characters
| Who | What we learn |
| The candy man | A magical sweet-maker who turns beautiful things like sunrise and rainbow into candy. He works with love. |
| Willy Wonka | A famous candy maker, named in the poem. His sweets are satisfying and delicious. |
| The poet (speaker) | A cheerful voice that praises the candy man and asks us to think about our own wishes. |
Time: From morning (sunrise) to tomorrow, in the poem’s imagination.
Place: An imaginary world of candy, sunshine and rainbows.
Love, kindness and imagination can make the world sweeter and happier.
Do your work with love and kindness, and the world feels sweeter. Enjoy sweets in small amounts. (The poem does not state a moral; this is the usual lesson.)
The candy man is a loving sweet-maker whose candies make the world taste good.
G · Summary
5-line summary
- The poem asks who can turn beautiful things like a sunrise into sweets.
- The answer is the candy man, who mixes his sweets with love.
- He also uses a rainbow, sunshine and dreams to make magical treats.
- Willy Wonka’s sweets are described as satisfying and delicious.
- Because of the candy man, the world tastes good.
A loving candy man makes the world taste good with sunshine, dreams and love.
Remember this
- Poet named in the textbook: Roald Dahl.
- The words the candy man can are repeated. This is repetition.
- Rhyming pairs: cream and dream, sigh and pie, wishes and dishes.
- The candy man mixes his sweets with love.
- The poem teaches that love and imagination make the world sweeter.
H · Grammar from the Chapter
1. Nouns: common, proper and abstract
A noun is a naming word. A common noun names things you can touch, like cream or dish. A proper noun is the special name of a person or place and starts with a capital letter, like Willy Wonka or Roald Dahl. An abstract noun names a feeling, idea or quality that you cannot touch, like love or sorrow.
Common: candy, pie, dishes, rainbow · Proper: Willy Wonka, Roald Dahl · Abstract: love, sorrow, childhood, dream, miracle
Forgetting the capital letters in a proper noun: write Willy Wonka, not willy wonka. Also, sunrise and rainbow can be seen, so they are common nouns, not abstract nouns.
1. Pick the abstract noun: Kindness is the best gift.
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2. Pick the proper noun: Willy Wonka bakes sweet pies.
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3. Correct the sentence: willy wonka is a good baker.
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4. Make an abstract noun from the word happy.
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2. Adjectives
An adjective tells us more about a noun. It says what kind it is: sweet cream, delicious pie.
good · delicious · satisfying · strawberry-lemon (a pie)
Adjectives usually come before the noun or after is/are. Do not add -s to an adjective: write sweet candies, not sweets candies.
5. Underline the adjective: Willy Wonka bakes delicious sweets.
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6. Which is an adjective: sweet, run or slowly?
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7. Write the opposite adjective for sweet.
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3. The modal verb can
The modal verb can shows that someone is able to do something (ability). Use: who/subject + can + base verb. The poem asks Who can take a sunrise…? and answers The candy man can.
The candy man can mix sweets with love. · He can wrap a rainbow in a sigh.
Adding -s or using to after can. Say He can bake, not He cans bake or He can to bake.
8. Choose: The candy man ____ wrap a rainbow in a sigh. (can / must)
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9. Choose the correct sentence: (a) She cans sing. (b) She can sing.
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10. Make a question with who: The candy man can make the sweets.
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I · Q&A
1. Multiple choice (tap to see the answer)
1. Which famous sweet maker is named in the poem?
(a) Willy Wonka (b) Harry Potter (c) Tintin (d) Paddington
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2. What does the candy man mix into his sweets?
(a) sugar (b) milk (c) water (d) love
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3. What does the candy man wrap in a sigh?
(a) a sunrise (b) tomorrow (c) a rainbow (d) a dish
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4. What does he dip in a dream?
(a) a sunrise (b) tomorrow (c) a rainbow (d) cream
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5. Which word rhymes with cream?
(a) dream (b) dew (c) pie (d) sigh
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6. The poem is mainly about ____.
(a) a school (b) a sweet-maker whose work is full of love (c) a bus ride (d) a cricket match
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7. A strawberry-lemon pie is made from a rainbow in the poem. This is ____.
(a) a true recipe (b) a news report (c) a word picture (d) a rule
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8. Which of these is an abstract noun in the poem?
(a) cream (b) dishes (c) sorrow (d) pie
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9. What unusual thing can you eat in Willy Wonka’s sweet world?
(a) the chairs (b) the doors (c) the dishes (d) the windows
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10. Which two flavours make the pie in the poem?
(a) mango and banana (b) strawberry and lemon (c) apple and grape (d) chocolate and vanilla
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2. Fill in the blanks
1. The candy man mixes his sweets with ____.
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2. Willy Wonka’s sweets are satisfying and ____.
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3. The words the candy man can are an example of ____.
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4. Cream rhymes with ____.
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5. The candy man collects the ____ and leaves the sorrow.
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3. True or false
1. The poem is about a sad candy man.
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2. The candy man wraps a rainbow in a sigh.
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3. Sunrise and rainbow in the poem are real sweets you can buy.
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4. The poem says the candy man mixes sweets with love.
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5. Dew rhymes with sigh.
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4. Very short answers (1 mark)
1. Who is the poet named in your textbook?
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2. What does the candy man sprinkle on the sunrise?
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3. Which sweet does he make by soaking a rainbow in sunshine?
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4. Name the famous sweet maker in the poem.
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5. Name any two books written by Roald Dahl.
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6. What does the world do because the candy man thinks it should?
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5. Short answers (2 to 3 marks)
1. What does the candy man put in his candies? Does this make them special?
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2. How does the candy man’s candy taste? How does it make people feel?
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3. What does separate the sorrow and collect up all the cream mean?
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4. What is repetition? Give one example from the poem.
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6. Long answers (4 to 5 marks)
1. What message does the poet give through the poem Candy Man?
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2. What are the things that the candy man can do?
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3. Many sweets and dishes are named in the poem. Make a list and say whether we should eat many sweets.
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7. Reference to the context
Extract 1: “The candy man, the candy man can…”
a. Who is the candy man?
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b. What are the things that the candy man can do?
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Extract 2: “…’cause he mixes it with love / And makes the world taste good”
a. Who makes the world taste good?
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b. Does makes the world taste good mean he can make the world seem better? What do you think?
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Extract 3: “Who can take tomorrow, dip it in a dream…”
a. What does tomorrow stand for here?
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b. Find a pair of rhyming words in the poem that go with dream.
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8. Value-based questions
1. The candy man mixes his work with love. Why is it good to do our work with love?
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2. What are your childhood wishes? Why is it good to dream?
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J · Writing Skills
Imagine you are the candy man. Write 4 lines of a short poem about the candies you can make. Use at least one rhyming pair.
Model answer
I can take a drop of rain,
Mix it with mango sweetness again and again,
Add a little giggle and a pinch of cheer,
And everyone who tastes it smiles ear to ear!
Checklist
- Did I write 4 lines?
- Did I use at least one pair of rhyming words (like rain and again)?
- Did I use a word picture, like mixing rain with sweetness?
- Did I show that my candy is made with love or happiness?
- Did I start each line with a capital letter?
Extra task: a paragraph (60 to 80 words)
Topic: If I Were the Candy Man for One Day
If I were the Candy Man for one day, I would open a colourful shop called Rainbow Sweets. I would make Smile Chocolates that make sad people laugh. I would sprinkle golden sparkles and cream over every lollipop. I would give free sweets to children who have none, so that nobody feels lonely. My sweets would fill the whole town with love and happiness!
- Did I write a catchy title?
- Did I write 60 to 80 words in short, clear sentences?
- Did I describe my special candy and how it helps others?
K · Speak & Read Aloud
5 tricky words
| Word | Say it like this | In Hindi letters |
| miracle | MIR-uh-kul | मिरकल |
| sorrow | SOR-oh | सोरो |
| delicious | dih-LISH-us | डिलिशस |
| strawberry | STRAW-ber-ee | स्ट्रॉबेरी |
| satisfying | SAT-is-fy-ing | सैटिस्फाइंग |
Read aloud (4 lines)
He turns a rainbow into a pie.
His candies make us happy and kind.
So the whole world tastes good!
Tips: Read slowly. Let your voice go up a little on happy words and pause at the end of each line. Clap softly to the rhythm.
3 speaking prompts
- Speak for one minute: If I could invent a new ice cream flavour…
- If you were the candy man, what magical sweet would you make?
- What can we do to make the world a sweeter place?
✅ Section L: Quick Quiz
Answer 10 questions. You will see the correct answer and why after each one.
Start the quiz ➜M · Revision Card & Exam Tips
Key words
sprinkle · dew · miracle · rainbow · sigh · soak · dip · sorrow · collect · cream · satisfying · delicious · childhood · wish · bake
Characters and moral
- The candy man: a magical sweet-maker who works with love.
- Willy Wonka: a famous candy maker, named in the poem.
- Moral: work with love and enjoy sweets in small amounts.
Poem tools and grammar rules
- Repetition: the words the candy man can come again and again.
- Rhyming words: cream and dream, sigh and pie, wishes and dishes, dew and two.
- Common nouns name things; proper nouns (Willy Wonka) start with a capital; abstract nouns name feelings (love, sorrow).
- An adjective tells more about a noun: delicious pie.
- The modal verb can shows ability: He can bake. (Never: He cans bake.)
- Alliteration: take tomorrow, dip it in a dream, separate the sorrow.
5 likely exam questions
- What are the things that the candy man can do?
- What does the candy man put in his candies? Does this make them special?
- Explain: “…’cause he mixes it with love / And makes the world taste good”.
- Pick two proper nouns and two abstract nouns related to the poem.
- Write four lines of a short poem as the candy man.