Read the following passage and do the activities.
We have a hibiscus plant in our garden. Every fortnight a flower blooms on it – big, bright and tender. Through the day it smiles with the sun and dances with the wind, but as evening approaches, it starts wilting. The morning after, it withers completely and by evening it falls and becomes one with the earth again. The flower comes to life only for a day, yet it does so in full splendour. What if we too lived our life, however short, to its fullest?
We went to a rocky beach and saw the spread of the majestic ocean and the rocks alongside, carved, sculpted and shaped by the water. Water is so gentle, rock so hard, yet, as the water flows over it every day, for years, the rock gives in. It takes the shape that the water commands. Our problems are so colossal and we are so small, yet if we persist ……
We saw small bits of grass peeping through the small cracks in a concrete pavement. It left us thinking : however impossible things may look, there is always an opening ……
A1. Write True or False within the boxes provided after each sentence
- We have a rose plant in our garden. → False
- As evening approaches, the flower withers completely. → True
- We went to a rocky beach. → True
- Our problems are not colossal. → False
A2. How should we deal with difficulties and problems?
Answer : When we come across difficulties and problems, we should not complain. We should be determined and persist till we have overcome the difficulties. However impossible things may look at that moment, there is always hope and we must pursue that hope with a positive attitude.
A3. Vocabulary :
Complete the table :
| Noun | Verb | Adjective | adverb |
| brightness | brighten | bright | brightly |
| persistence | persist | persistent | persistently |
A4. Grammar
Underline the verbs in the sentence below and say whether they are transitive or intransitive.
It withers completely.
Answer : It withers completely. – Intransitive verb.
Add a question tag and rewrite the sentence
It left us thinking.
Answer : It left us thinking, didn’t it
A5. Personal Responce Question.
Which things in nature attract you the most and how do you get motivated by constantly observing them?
Answer : Watching a seed grow into a plant, slowly but surely, motivates me. I like to watch how the shoots develop and then the little green leaves, fighting adverse conditions, if any. I am amazed and thrilled when the little seed finally grows into a big plant, giving flowers and fruit. This motivates me tremendously and makes me feel that all is well with the world, and I too can grow and develop well.
July 2025 Question Papers Maharashtra Board