Q1.
Take some time to observe the world around you. Over the next few days, pay attention to the colours, shapes, patterns, and textures found in nature. Look closely at the plants, trees, flowers, birds, and even the sky. Make detailed notes of what you observe, focusing on textures, movements, and how light plays with these elements. Record your observations in detail and the features that draw your attention the most — whether it's the soft ripple of water, the vibrant flutter of a butterfly or the colour of the birds or flowers. Now, write a descriptive paragraph based on what you've observed. Highlight the colours, shapes, textures, and unique details that made an impression on you. Give a title to your paragraph.
Answer
Work in two stages — notes first, paragraph after.
Stage 1 — the observation notes. Sit in one place for ten minutes on three different days and fill a table like this:
| Colour | Shape / pattern | Texture | Movement / light |
|---|---|---|---|
| rust-orange breast of a bulbul | the fan of a peepal leaf | the papery bark of the eucalyptus | light shivering on pond water |
Stage 2 — what the paragraph must contain: a title; an opening line that puts the reader in the place; three or four sentences packed with adjectives and sense details; at least one comparison; and a closing line saying what stayed with you.
Sample answer:
The Ten Minutes Before Sunset
Every day I sit on the low wall behind our house, and every day the same neem tree looks different. This evening its leaves were not green but a tired olive, and the light slid off them in thin silver lines whenever the wind pushed through. A bulbul with a rust-orange patch under its tail landed on the topmost twig, bounced twice, and was gone. The bark of the trunk felt rough and cracked, like dried mud in April, but a new shoot near the root was so soft that it bent when I touched it. Below, a line of black ants crossed the wall in a perfectly straight road of their own. I find it very interesting that a tree I have passed a thousand times can still show me something new — and what stayed with me was the silver on the leaves, which lasted for barely two minutes before the sun went down.
The Ten Minutes Before Sunset
Every day I sit on the low wall behind our house, and every day the same neem tree looks different. This evening its leaves were not green but a tired olive, and the light slid off them in thin silver lines whenever the wind pushed through. A bulbul with a rust-orange patch under its tail landed on the topmost twig, bounced twice, and was gone. The bark of the trunk felt rough and cracked, like dried mud in April, but a new shoot near the root was so soft that it bent when I touched it. Below, a line of black ants crossed the wall in a perfectly straight road of their own. I find it very interesting that a tree I have passed a thousand times can still show me something new — and what stayed with me was the silver on the leaves, which lasted for barely two minutes before the sun went down.
Tip: Use the prompts from the book — “Every day, I see…”, “I find it very interesting that…”, “I like… because…”, “My advice to all is…” — but weave them into sentences instead of listing them.