Summary: “Hobbies” is Lesson 1 from the ASSEB (Assam State Board of Secondary Education) Class 7 English textbook Sunbeam English Reader II. The lesson introduces the concept of hobbies — activities that people enjoy doing during their leisure time that give them fun, joy, and relaxation. The lesson features several characters who share their own hobbies: Neeta loves singing, Irfan enjoys painting landscapes, Runa finds happiness in gardening and maintaining a small kitchen garden, Shyam likes reading, and Birlang collects stamps (philately). Through these personal accounts, the lesson highlights that hobbies can be broadly classified into indoor hobbies (such as stamp or coin collecting, listening to music, and reading) and outdoor hobbies (such as gardening, travelling, swimming, trekking, and photography). The lesson also teaches students that hobbies not only provide entertainment but also help in developing skills, building personality, and making good use of free time.
A. Understanding the Lesson
(a) What is a hobby?
Answer: Activities which give us fun and joy are called hobbies. A hobby is the work or activity that we like to do regularly for pleasure during our free or leisure time. For example, reading, playing, painting, gardening, collecting stamps, and listening to music are all hobbies.
(b) What do hobbies give us?
Answer: Hobbies give us fun, joy, pleasure, relaxation, and entertainment. They help us make good use of our leisure time and also help in developing our skills and personality.
(c) What is philately? What difficulty would you face if you take up philately?
Answer: The collecting and study of postage stamps is called philately. If we take up philately as a hobby, we would face the difficulty of finding and collecting new stamps, because nowadays people mostly communicate through email, SMS, and social media instead of writing letters. As a result, fewer letters are posted and fewer new stamps are issued, making it difficult to build a stamp collection.
(d) What is Irfan’s hobby? What does he like to do?
Answer: Irfan’s hobby is painting. He likes to sit and paint landscapes. Whenever he goes on a trip, he carries his painting materials with him so that he can paint the beautiful scenes and landscapes he comes across.
(e) Name a few indoor and outdoor hobbies.
Answer: Some indoor and outdoor hobbies are listed below:
| Indoor Hobbies | Outdoor Hobbies |
|---|---|
| Collecting stamps (philately) | Gardening |
| Collecting coins | Travelling |
| Listening to music | Swimming |
| Reading books | Trekking |
| Drawing and painting | Photography |
| Playing board games | Playing outdoor sports |
(f) What is a kitchen garden?
Answer: A kitchen garden is a small area of ground near one’s home where we grow all kinds of vegetables and fruits for our own use. It is usually maintained in the backyard of the house. The plants in a kitchen garden are often watered with kitchen waste water, making it an eco-friendly practice.
(g) What does ‘beds’ mean in “Every morning I water the plants and clean the beds”?
Answer: In the context of gardening, ‘beds’ means the piece of ground or a small plot of earth that is specially prepared and set apart for growing plants or vegetables. A garden bed is a defined area where plants are planted in an organized manner.
B. Vocabulary: Synonyms
Match the following words with their synonyms from the box given:
| Word | Synonyms |
|---|---|
| joy | happiness, pleasure, delight |
| beautiful | lovely, pretty, attractive |
| active | energetic, lively, sporty |
| leisure | free time, spare time, relaxation |
| start | begin, commence, launch |
| develop | grow, improve, evolve |
C. Objects and Activities
Match the following objects with the activities related to them:
| Object | Activity |
|---|---|
| Guitar | Singing / Playing music |
| Cricket bat | Playing cricket |
| Bicycle | Travelling / Cycling |
| Pen | Writing |
| Book | Reading |
| Boat | Rowing / Sailing |
D. Language Study
1. Rhyming Words Exercise
Fill in the blanks with words that rhyme with ‘bake’ to complete Parveen’s paragraph about her baking hobby:
My hobby is baking. I love to bake a __________ (cake). Baking makes me happy. First I __________ (take) the flour and mix it. Then I __________ (shake) the batter well. I put it in the oven and __________ (make) a delicious cake for my family.
Answer: cake, take, shake, make
2. Idioms
Learn the following idioms and use them in sentences:
| Idiom | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| As busy as a bee | Very busy; always working or doing something | My mother is as busy as a bee during the festival season. |
| A blessing in disguise | Something that seems bad or unlucky at first but turns out to be good | Losing that job was a blessing in disguise, as he found a much better one later. |
| Bag and baggage | With all one’s belongings; completely | He left the city bag and baggage and moved back to his village. |
| Beat about the bush | To avoid talking about the main point; to be indirect | Stop beating about the bush and tell me the truth directly. |
3. Suffixes: Adding -ment
Add the suffix -ment to the following words to form new words:
| Root Word | Word with -ment |
|---|---|
| advance | advancement |
| treat | treatment |
| encourage | encouragement |
| entertain | entertainment |
| develop | development |
| enjoy | enjoyment |
4. Identify Words by Suffix
From the lesson, find and list words with the following suffixes:
| Suffix | Words from the Lesson |
|---|---|
| -ion | combination, competition, collection, relaxation, communication |
| -ing | collecting, listening, gardening, travelling, painting, reading, singing, swimming |
| -ment | advancement, department, encouragement, entertainment |
5. Phrasal Verbs with ‘Take’
Find the sentences in the lesson that contain phrasal verbs with ‘take’. Understand their meanings and use them in your own sentences:
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| take up | To begin a hobby or activity; to start doing something regularly | I decided to take up gardening during the summer holidays. |
| take out | To remove something from a place; to bring something out | She took out her stamp collection to show her friends. |
E. Let’s Discuss
(a) Sit in groups based on your hobbies and discuss: Why do you like this hobby? How do you pursue it?
Answer (Sample Response — Reading): I love reading because it takes me to different worlds without leaving my room. I pursue this hobby by visiting the school library every week and borrowing books. At home, I read for at least 30 minutes before bedtime. Reading has improved my vocabulary and imagination greatly. It is a hobby that anyone can enjoy at any time and at very little cost.
(b) My hobby is __________. Write five sentences about your hobby.
Answer (Sample — Hobby: Gardening):
- My hobby is gardening.
- Every morning I water the plants and clean the garden beds.
- I grow vegetables like tomatoes, spinach, and chillies in my kitchen garden.
- Gardening keeps me active and also provides fresh vegetables for my family.
- I feel very happy and satisfied when I see the plants grow and bloom.
F. Writing Activity: My Travel Itinerary
Activity: Imagine travelling is your hobby. Create a travel itinerary for a trip you would like to take. Include: destination, duration, dates, accommodation, and activities planned.
Answer (Sample Travel Itinerary):
| Destination | Kaziranga National Park, Assam |
| Duration | 3 days / 2 nights |
| Dates | December 20–22 |
| Accommodation | Tourist lodge near the park |
| Activities | Elephant safari, jeep safari, bird watching, photography, visit to Orchid Park |
| Mode of Travel | Bus from Guwahati to Kohora |
Additional Questions and Answers
1. What are the two main types of hobbies? Give two examples of each.
Answer: The two main types of hobbies are indoor hobbies and outdoor hobbies. Indoor hobbies are done inside the home or in a sheltered place; for example, reading books and collecting stamps. Outdoor hobbies are done in the open air or outside; for example, gardening and trekking.
2. Name the characters in the lesson and mention the hobby of each.
Answer: The characters in the lesson and their hobbies are:
| Character | Hobby |
|---|---|
| Neeta | Singing |
| Irfan | Painting (landscapes) |
| Runa | Gardening (kitchen garden) |
| Shyam | Reading |
| Birlang | Collecting stamps (philately) |
3. Why is it important to have a hobby?
Answer: It is important to have a hobby because hobbies give us joy, pleasure, and relaxation. They help us make good and purposeful use of our leisure time. Hobbies also help in developing new skills and talents. They keep our mind active and healthy, reduce stress, and make our lives more enjoyable and balanced. A good hobby can also connect us with other people who share the same interest.
4. What is the difference between a hobby and a job?
Answer: A hobby is an activity that we do during our free time purely for pleasure and enjoyment, not for money. A job, on the other hand, is work that we do as a profession or for earning money. For example, painting may be Irfan’s hobby, but for a professional artist, painting is a job. Sometimes a hobby can develop into a career, but the key difference is that hobbies are done out of love and interest, while jobs are done as a duty or for livelihood.
5. What do you understand by the word ‘leisure’? How should we use our leisure time?
Answer: ‘Leisure’ means free time — the time when we are not working or studying and can relax or do activities of our choice. We should use our leisure time wisely by taking up a hobby that we enjoy and that also helps us learn or develop a skill. Pursuing a hobby during leisure time keeps us physically and mentally active, prevents boredom, and adds meaning and enjoyment to our daily lives.
6. How can hobbies help students in their studies?
Answer: Hobbies can help students in their studies in many ways. For example, reading as a hobby improves vocabulary, comprehension, and general knowledge, which directly benefits academic performance. Hobbies like painting and music improve concentration and creativity. Taking up a hobby reduces stress and keeps the mind fresh, so students can return to their studies with renewed energy and focus. Hobbies also teach discipline, patience, and perseverance — qualities that are equally important in studies.
7. Write five sentences about your favourite hobby using the words from the lesson.
Answer (Sample — Hobby: Photography):
- My favourite hobby is photography.
- I like to take photographs of beautiful landscapes, birds, and flowers during my leisure time.
- Photography has helped me develop an eye for beauty and detail.
- I always take my camera along when I go on a trip or outing.
- I hope to develop my photography hobby into a skill that I can use professionally in the future.
8. Make meaningful sentences using the following words: (a) hobby, (b) relaxation, (c) leisure, (d) philately, (e) landscape.
Answer:
- (a) hobby: Gardening is my favourite hobby, and I spend every evening in my kitchen garden.
- (b) relaxation: Listening to soft music gives me relaxation after a long, tiring day at school.
- (c) leisure: I use my leisure time to read story books and improve my knowledge.
- (d) philately: Birlang has taken up philately as his hobby and already has a large collection of stamps from different countries.
- (e) landscape: Irfan loves to paint the beautiful landscape of the Brahmaputra valley.