Spices that Heal Us — Class 6 English Poorvi Questions and Answers

Spices that Heal Us questions and answers: study Daadi’s letter in Class 6 Poorvi with comprehension, spice identification, modal verbs and the Tulsi listening fact sheet.

Source: NCERT Poorvi, Grade 6, Unit 3, printed pages 93–100; listening transcript 102; supplied reprint 2026–27. Open-ended and personal responses are examples to adapt. These explanations are study support, not an official NCERT answer key.

About the chapter

“Spices that Heal Us” appears in Unit 3, ‘Nurturing Nature’. It is written in the form of a warm, affectionate letter from a grandmother (Daadi) to her two grandchildren, Vikram and Vaibhavi, who have just recovered from an illness. In the letter, Daadi shares the everyday healing uses of common kitchen spices – turmeric, fenugreek, cumin, asafoetida, cinnamon, clove, ginger, black pepper, fennel, carom seeds and cardamom. The piece celebrates the wisdom of traditional Indian home remedies passed down through generations, while reminding readers to always consult an experienced elder before using any cure.

About the piece

The piece is presented as a letter from Daadi to Vikram and Vaibhavi, without a separate author byline in the supplied text. Daadi is the letter’s speaker, not a verified name for the lesson’s author. Its affectionate language explores family knowledge and intergenerational learning.

Summary

Daadi responds to Vikram and Vaibhavi’s message that they are feeling better. She recalls learning traditional home remedies from her own grandmother, describes the uses she associates with common kitchen spices, and encourages the children to remember and share this knowledge.

The letter mentions turmeric, fenugreek, cumin, asafoetida, cinnamon, clove, ginger, black pepper, fennel, carom seeds and cardamom. Its closing asks the children to identify spices in the kitchen and consult an elder before using them.

Passage-based learning: remedy descriptions and the Tulsi transcript below explain the textbook, not proven treatments or dosing advice. Natural products can have risks, and actual illness needs qualified medical guidance; do not replace prescribed care with home remedies. See NIH information for children and families.

Theme & message

The letter highlights affection, learning from elders and preserving family knowledge. Readers can value those experiences while asking questions and checking health claims. The story’s advice to consult an elder is important for children, but an elder’s familiarity is not a substitute for appropriate healthcare.

Word meanings

Let us do these activities before we read

I. A spice is any seed, fruit, root, bark, leaf or any other part of a plant used to give taste and colour to our food. Try to recall the names of three spices that are used for cooking in your home.

II. Given below are pictures of some spices. Work in pairs and write what you call them in your language. Their names in English are given in the last column.

III. Do you know if these spices can be used for something else other than cooking? Let us find out by reading the letter given below.

Let us think and reflect

I. Questions about Daadi’s grandmother

1. She found the ingredients in the spices and herbs kept in the kitchen.
2. Cough or cold is an example associated with seasonal changes in the letter. Avoid saying that a change in weather alone causes an infection or fever.
3. The speaker’s memories suggest a close, affectionate relationship: she learned from her grandmother and still remembers her advice.

II. Methi blanks

her sugar level and her body weight, according to Daadi’s account.

III. Spice not mentioned for body pain

2. Fennel seeds. The letter associates these with digestion, while turmeric, ginger and black pepper are mentioned for pain.

IV. Why share the knowledge?

Daadi believes the remedies helped the children and wants others to benefit. This explains her intention; it does not establish the effectiveness of every remedy.

V. Final advice

Identify the spices in the kitchen and consult an elder before using them.

VI. How knowledge passes between generations

Daadi learned from her grandmother and now writes to her grandchildren. The letter shows inherited knowledge being remembered and shared.

VII. Why learn about spices? — sample view

Learning helps us recognise foods and understand family traditions. We should also distinguish culinary uses from medicinal claims and seek qualified guidance about illness.

Let us learn

I. Spice observation table

Colour, texture and taste depend on whether you observe the whole spice or its powder. These are model observations.

II.1. Helping verbs and functions in the printed table

(i) may → B suggestion; (ii) should → D advice; (iii) can → E ability; (iv) must → C compulsion; (v) need to → F necessity; (vi) used to → A past habit.

These functions apply to this exercise; modals can have other uses in other contexts. ‘Need to’ and ‘used to’ are included as helping expressions, although they do not behave exactly like core modal verbs.

II.2. Dialogue — one suitable grammar model

Use each once: should; must; can; need to. This completes the printed dialogue’s wording; it is not medical advice endorsing its claim about cures. Other combinations may be discussed if grammatical and meaningful.

Let us listen / speak / write / explore

Let us listen — The Wonder Herb, transcript 102

Complete the numbered fact sheet in its original order:

1. Family: basil
2. First found in: north central India
3. Now found: everywhere in India (given)
4. Known as the Queen of herbs
5. Levels of glucose and cholesterol
6. Breathing and digestion
7. Mouth wash and toothpaste
8. raw; tea

The origin and health statements above report the audio’s wording. They are not independently established here as medical recommendations.

Let us speak — headband and sample

Make a paper band, draw and colour a spice on a small card, attach it and introduce yourself as that spice. Sample: ‘I am turmeric, or haldi. I come from a rhizome, an underground stem. I am orange-yellow and taste earthy and slightly bitter. My outside is rough. I add colour and flavour to food. Daadi’s letter also describes traditional medicinal uses.’

Let us write I — missing phrases, not a dosing guide

For the first passage, insert: a piece of fresh ginger; the mixture; you can have it; for cough. For the second: home remedy; grind to get; amount of honey. Unused: some leaves of basil; for high fever. Work with the printed paragraphs in the textbook; these are language answers, not instructions to prepare or administer a remedy.

Let us write II — paragraph based on the transcript

Sample: The listening passage introduces Tulsi as a shrub in the basil family. It says that the herb was first found in north central India and now grows widely in India. It calls Tulsi the Queen of Herbs and describes traditional health uses and products such as mouth wash and toothpaste. It also mentions leaves eaten raw or added to tea. These details summarise the transcript rather than prescribe treatment.

Let us explore — riddles

I.1. Asafoetida (heeng) matches Daadi’s account of the grandmother’s use for a baby’s tummy. I.2. Ginger (adrak) matches the underground spice and the historical use described.

II. Complete the methi riddle: yellow; bitter; control, based on the letter. Original sample riddle: ‘I am a little green pod / with dark seeds tucked inside; / I bring a fragrant flavour / when cooks open me wide.’ Answer: cardamom.

III. With your teacher, observe suitable spices by smell and touch. Identify their shapes and aromas; do not taste unknown material or inhale dry powders.

Additional ClearStudy questions

This practice is separate from the printed textbook exercises.

1. Who sends the letter?
Daadi writes affectionately to Vikram and Vaibhavi.

2. How does it show learning across generations?
Daadi recalls her grandmother’s knowledge and passes it on through a letter to her grandchildren.

3. What spices are associated with digestion in the letter?
Turmeric, cumin, black pepper, fennel, carom seeds and cardamom.

4. Why does the letter mention a dentist?
It describes cinnamon and clove as temporary relief until consulting a dentist, showing that the speaker recognises a need for professional care.

5. What distinguishes a green cardamom pod from its seeds?
The outer capsule is green; the small aromatic seeds inside are dark.

ClearStudy MCQs and assertion–reason practice

Assertion–Reason – choose: (a) A and R true, R explains A; (b) A and R true, R does not explain A; (c) A true, R false; (d) A false, R true.

Exam tips & common mistakes

FAQs