There are many different varieties of trees and plants that are specific to our country India. These are highly beneficial due to their practical applications in healthcare, food and other uses. Some plants are rare, while some are very common, and are found all over the country and in other countries as well, such as the tulsi plant.
One such commonly found plant is Azadirachta indica, commonly known as neem plant or Indian lilac. Neem is a fast-growing, evergreen tree, and reaches a height of 20 meters. The branches are long and wide, with toothed, pinnate leaves. It has white and fragrant flowers, and small, olive-like, drupe shaped fruits that are bittersweet in taste.
The neem plant is native to the Indian subcontinent, and not only does it survive, but also thrives in less water. Furthermore, it can grow in different kinds of soil and is a tropical or subtropical tree. This plant can resist high temperatures, but not very low temperatures. Moreover, it can be found almost everywhere in India, growing in gardens, temples, parks, roadsides, and other public places. Known for its thick foliage, it is grown for its shade in different outdoor seating areas.
A highly versatile plant, it has various uses due to its long list of practical abilities and medicinal benefits. The leaves are used in cooking different vegetables, salads, and pickling. Neem is highly beneficial and possesses many medicinal qualities. Its leaves are used to cure skin diseases, and the oil is used to keep healthy hair, for improving liver function, blood detoxification, along with balancing blood sugar levels. Neem twigs are used as natural toothbrushes and tongue cleaners. It has other applications such as in cosmetics and sanitary products.
(286 Words)
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A time when you had to change your mind about something you had planned to do.
What was it?
Why did you have to change the plan?
How did you feel about it?
Sample answer
Plans are a very promising phenomenon that occurs regularly in our lives. But they change due to different factors. Many a time I have intended a lot of things with a lot of ambitions but had to cancel or change due to various reasons.
One such incident took place when I had planned a motorcycling trip to a hill station nestled deep in the crevices of the Himalayan Mountains, along with a few friends. On a warm summer day we were sitting at a cafe near my place, and while we enjoyed our drinks, when I suddenly came up with an idea to go to a beautiful location in the hills near Himachal Pradesh on our motorcycles. We all discussed the plan and after a lot of brainstorming, we finalized our visit in the upcoming month of May, during our vacations. I was very excited and took permission from my family as well. After their agreement, I started preparing for the expedition and confirming the trip to the last detail. Sadly, sometimes such things happen due to which our pre-planning goes for a toss. Two days before we had to leave, my friend came to me and told me about a devastating earthquake that happened in the area we had decided to visit.
As a result, I was despaired and had almost reached the point of tears. With a heavy heart, I then called up all my friends and told them about the last minute change and the cancellation of the trip. Even after the change of plan, I had decided to visit the place during the autumn and promised myself that I will propose this trip again.
(278 words)
word
meaning
Intended
planned or meant. Example – Julia had intended to gift David a book.
Crevice
A narrow opening. Example – Robert filled the crevice in the wall with cement.
Brainstorming
A productive group discussion. Example – The agents did some brainstorming to produce new ideas.
Another Similar Cue Card
Describe a plan in your life that is not related to the work or study.
You should say:
What is the plan?
How did you make it?
How will you approach in the plan?
And how would you feel if plan is successful?
(Download CUE Card)
SAMPLE ANSWER TWO:
Plan, not related to study or work is a plan that stems out of your interests and passions. That kind of plan is very interesting to be made. Other plans of study and work are merely the derivatives of the compulsions imposed on us by life. Many times, people are so busy in their lives, that it is only at the retirement, when they think that they didn’t plan or do anything to fan out their interests, but rather remained bugged in their work only. I have this plan of learning, how to play a harmonica. I have been very fond of listening to good music. In my childhood, I was gifted a mouth organ by my relative. I used to enjoy playing it for hours together and it is still my best companion. The kind of serenity and calmness that I feel, while I play my random tunes on it, is just out of this world. I feel so immersed and dissolved within myself. Therefore, I have this plan of learning harmonica from a skilled music teacher.
To execute this plan, I am planning to get enrolled in a music class with some good teacher. Because of my job schedules, I happen to travel to different places frequently. This is the reason due to which I am not able to join the class, which will prolong for at least 6 months, for me to be a non-amateur player. This time, due to the company’s assent, I might get the opportunity of staying longer in the present city of Dehradun. I have already started looking for a good music instructor for me. Few of them that I have found hitherto, are masters of hand operated instruments, so I am looking for someone who is better at air driven ones and very soon, I will be starting with it.
If I am able to learn play the harmonica well, I shall be feeling very delighted and cheerful. After proper classes, I shall be having grips on the tones and notes of music, which will enable me to play different kinds of music. I shall be enjoying it fully and will keep on practicing to become better and better.
STRONG WORDS
Word
Meaning
Prolong
continue for a period: Prolonged illness can bring severe weakness.
Amateur
one who is not very skilful: I am still an amateur in singing techniques.
Follow-up Questions
Q. 1 Why do we make plans?
Sample Answer: We generally make plans to execute a purposeful event in life that can be of good significance to us. For instance, if I plan to take up a course that can enhance my software skills, then it is done so as to have better, higher paying jobs in my offing. Similarly, if I plan to learn how to play a music instrument, then it is done to blossom my hobby which I enjoy pursuing.
Q. 2 Do children also make plans? What kind of plans?
Sample Answer: Yes, even a child of 3 to 4 years makes his plans. The only difference is that they involve very simple reasoning in their plain plans. They do not make complex elaborate plans rather simple ones. For instance, a small child may plan how should I convince my father to go to market so that I can have my favourite toy and so on.
Q. 3 Why do the plans fail sometimes?
Sample Answer: A person’s interests keep on shifting with the passage of time. For instance, I liked reading history till the time I was unaware of the past events. But once I knew most of those, I started reading psychology books. To know the what and how of brain and various processes and disorders related with it turned out to be an interesting read for me. Therefore, I think, based on the mind-set and changing interests, I keep on hopping on the subjects of different kind of books.
Q. 4 Do you like reading a story or watching that? Why?
Sample Answer: Most of the times, plans fail due to the lack of proper reasoning and concerted efforts in the right direction. Right mix of all the needed variables along with the right execution will not let a plan fail so easily. But still, some plans fail either due to lack of requisite resources or sometimes, due to reasons uncontrolled by us, can be called as environmental reasons. For instance, I plan to go for boating on the next day and it starts raining heavily then so I would have cancel my plan.
Describe something useful you learned from a member of your family.
What did you learn?
How did this become useful later in your life?
Explain why it was important for you?
(Download CUE Card)
Sample Answer
I have been brought up in a joint family with thirteen family members. Apart from my parents, my family consists of my grandparents, two uncles, and their wives and children. My family has always believed in moral values and the strength they can provide to one’s character. Due to this, I have always learned something from every family elder. Apart from this, my elders have also taught me many practical things and activities. My uncle taught me swimming, my aunt taught me painting and art, and my elder siblings taught me how to play outdoor games.
Out of this long list, I have one memorable lesson that I remember is the power of reading that my grandmother taught me. She was a teacher in her early days and has always been a strict academic. Even in such an old age, she still reads many books, mostly spiritual and religious texts. She started teaching me how to read from an early age and helped me incite interest in it. With her help, I used to learn new words, and read something new every day. I understood the benefits of reading due to her.
She started inspiring me to read books other than my academic books. As the days passed and I spent more time with her, I realized that I had gained a lot of knowledge, and that too earlier than other children of my age. I have won many orations, debating, and writing competitions due to this habit. I am grateful to her for giving me inspiration and confidence as I know this habit has helped me with my studies and with my intellectual growth.
Describe an occasion when you got up early in the morning
When did you get up early
Why you got up early
What did you do?
And how you felt about it.
SAMPLE ANSWER
There is no doubt that getting up early in the morning is always a good idea. Since ages it has been advocated that getting up early is good for our health. I too try to get up early in the morning so that I can utilise my time in the morning by doing some physical exercise. Due to my hectic work schedule I do not get enough time for physical activities throughout the day.
If I recall a time when I had to wake up extremely early in the morning, it was when I was supposed to board my first flight. I was travelling from Mumbai to Delhi and I had to take early morning 7 am flight to reach Delhi to attend a seminar which was scheduled to begin at 10 am and I didn’t want to get late. So I decided to take a morning flight to reach there on time.
I asked my Mom to wake me up and I also set an alarm for 3 am so that I could leave my house well in time. As it was my first journey by air I was extremely excited and kept visualising my trip while I lay in bed.
When my alarm rang in the morning, it was very hard for me to wake up but then I forced myself and got up. I quickly got ready, had my breakfast and by 4 am I was on my way to the airport with my father in his car. We left early as we didn’t want to get stuck in the traffic jam, which is a usual sight on the road to the airport.
I reached the airport at around 5 am, passed through security and boarded the plane, excited and happy to start my first plane journey.
Ever since, I decided to be an early riser. And nowadays my profession also demands me to get up early in the morning.
STRONG WORDS
WORDS
MEANING
Hectic
full of activity
Visualising
to form a picture of someone or something in your mind.
Another Similar Cue Card
Describe a time when you got up early.
When was it and where?
Why did you get up early?
What did you do then?
And how did you feel then?
(Download CUE Card)
SAMPLE ANSWER TWO-
People generally follow a discipline in their lives regarding day to day activities. For instance, most of the people have their almost fixed schedule for waking, going to office and returning, evening walks or exercises and finally going to sleep at the end of the day. This routine, over a period of time, turns into an inseparable habit and one sticks to it necessarily. On the same pattern, we can generalize that youngsters usually have a habit of sleeping and waking up in the late hours and I am no exception here. Almost every night, I sleep around midnight hours and wake up around 8 in the morning. But, there was one-time period, which I can recall vividly, when I used to wake up at 3 am in the morning. It was, when I had a three-day stay with my parents in an Ashram in Hardwar.
Ashram had its own regulations and code of conduct. Whoever used to stay there, for spiritual reasons only, had had to attend the early morning rituals and needed to pay offerings to the fire god. Even though there was no punishment ascribed for the absence, but the spirituality factor itself was the primary motivation for my parents, who then enjoined me to be a part of the morning ceremony.
After waking up, we had to make up our beds first and then we needed to take ablution in cold Ganges water. Thereafter, we had to adorn the particular clothing provided by ashram and stand in the queue, waiting for our turn to sit around fire pits and pay offerings.
Well, since I was habituated to wake up late, therefore it was a painstaking task for me for the first two days. My father used to switch on the lights and started hymning bhajans which automatically made me awake, although with a little irritation. But, once I became the part of that community consciousness in the rituals and ceremonies, I used to feel a very pleasant divine feeling. Meditative practices and postures, followed afterwards, dispersed waves of tranquillity in those crimson lights of the early dawn. I, then felt the importance of the morning calm and woke up voluntarily on the third and final day.
STRONG WORDS
Word
Meaning
Enjoin
instruct, urge: Schools were enjoined to conduct online classes in Covid.
Ablution
holy bath: Hindus perform ablution before worship.
Tranquility
peace, calmness: Meditation helps in keeping mind tranquil.
Crimson
deep red: Milk turns crimson if heated for longer periods.
Follow-up Questions
Q. 1 Why do people wake up early?
Sample answer: Manyatimes, people wake up early to take up their personal chores in the morning hours. For instance, morning hours are considered suitable for exercises and religious prayers. Similarly, those who have to commute long distance to offices, also wake up early to reach on time.
Q. 2 What are the benefits of waking up early?
Sample answer: With less vehicular congestion and limited polluting avenues in the morning, it is beneficial to perform physical exercises in the early hours. Apart from that, morning hours give us ample of time to be prepared for the forthcoming events during the day time. We can utilize these extra hours to clear the backlogs, if any, and do the necessary arrangements for the day. It is also believed that morning study enables quick learning and better retention of the texts, therefore it is favourable time for students too.
Q. 3 Why do children and youngsters generally wake up late?
Sample answer: Lack of responsibility and absence of active job are the crucial reasons due to which youngsters spend a lot of time on entertainment and other activities in the night. Also, it is a common trend, nowadays, for the students to study late in the night and wake up early. Although, those who are involved in the sports activities possess the habit of waking up early.
