NCERT Solutions for Class 6th English Chapter 3 Spices that Heal Us — Let us learn

Book page 96 & 97 Updated on2026-09-19

Q1.

You have read the uses of spices in the letter. Complete the following table with the help of your teacher. You may use the words from the box given below. (Part of the plant: root/bark/leaves/flower buds/fruit/seeds; Texture: rough/soft/silky; Taste: bitter/sweet/sour/salty/spicy) — Turmeric, Fenugreek, Cinnamon, Clove, Black pepper, Cardamom

Part of the plant: root/bark/leaves/flower buds/fruit/seeds
Texture: rough/soft/silky
Taste: bitter/sweet/sour/salty/spicy

Spice (the photograph, described)	Name	Part of the plant	Colour	Texture	Taste
Two or three whole fresh turmeric rhizomes lying together; the cut ends are bright orange-yellow inside, the skin dull fawn.	Turmeric
A pale blue bowl heaped with small, hard, mustard-yellow fenugreek (methi) seeds.	Fenugreek
Three rolled quills of reddish-brown cinnamon bark lying across one another, with a small heap of cinnamon powder in front of them.	Cinnamon
A pile of dried cloves — each a hard brown nail-shaped bud with a round head at one end.	Clove
A heap of small, round, wrinkled black peppercorns.	Black pepper
Four or five plump green cardamom pods, one of them split open so that the small black seeds inside can be seen.	Cardamom

The word box and the table on page 96, reproduced blank. The pictures in the first column are photographs of real spices, described here in words; see the textbook for the photographs themselves.

Answer

Look at each spice, feel it and smell it before you write. Here is the completed table.

Spice	Part of the plant	Colour	Texture	Taste
Turmeric	root	yellow (orange-yellow when fresh)	rough (soft when powdered)	bitter
Fenugreek	seeds	brownish-yellow	rough	bitter
Cinnamon	bark	brown	rough	sweet
Clove	flower buds	dark brown	rough	spicy
Black pepper	fruit (dried berry)	black	rough	spicy
Cardamom	fruit (a pod holding the seeds)	green (the seeds inside are black)	rough	sweet

Notice how many different parts of a plant we eat: a root (turmeric), a bark (cinnamon), a flower bud (clove), a fruit (pepper, cardamom) and seeds (fenugreek). That is exactly the definition of a spice given on page 93.

Tip: Colour and taste may be argued about — a fresh turmeric finger is orange outside, and cinnamon tastes sweet-and-hot together. Write what you actually see and taste, and be ready to explain your answer.

Q2.

The words given in Column A are helping verbs. Match the helping verbs in Column A with their functions in Column B. (Column A: (i) may (ii) should (iii) can (iv) must (v) need to (vi) used to — Column B: a. past habit b. suggestion c. compulsion d. advice e. ability f. necessity)

Answer

Column A — Modal	Column B — Function	The sentence from the letter
(i) may	b. suggestion	“You may share them with your friends.”
(ii) should	d. advice	“You should try to remember these cures.”
(iii) can	e. ability	“It can help control cough and cold.”
(iv) must	c. compulsion	“You must consult an elder before you use them.”
(v) need to	f. necessity	“I need to soak the methi seeds overnight.”
(vi) used to	a. past habit	“I used to put heeng water on your tummy.”

How to tell ‘should’ from ‘must’: Should leaves you a choice — it is advice. Must leaves you none — it is compulsion. That is why Daadi advises the children to remember the cures, but compels them to ask an elder before using one.

Answer key in short: (i)–b, (ii)–d, (iii)–e, (iv)–c, (v)–f, (vi)–a.

Q3.

Complete the following dialogues with any four modals from the table given above. (Use a modal only once.) Ajay: Anand had fever last week. He (i) _____ take good rest. / Suman: Yes, he (ii) _____ or he will fall ill again. / Ajay: He (iii) _____ take grandmother's natural cures. / Suman: Yes, we (iv) _____ remember how effective they are.

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

The table on page 97 — the six modals in Column A are the ones you may choose from.

Answer

The completed dialogue:

Ajay : Anand had fever last week. He (i) should take good rest.
Suman : Yes, he (ii) must, or he will fall ill again.
Ajay : He (iii) may take grandmother's natural cures.
Suman : Yes, we (iv) need to remember how effective they are.

Blank	Modal	Why it fits
(i)	should	Ajay is giving advice about what would be good for Anand.
(ii)	must	‘…or he will fall ill again’ makes it a compulsion, not a choice.
(iii)	may	A gentle suggestion — he could try them if he likes.
(iv)	need to	Remembering is a necessity if the cures are to be of use.

Other correct fillings are possible (for example must in (i) and should in (ii)), but the rule of the exercise is strict: each modal only once, and the meaning must match. Check your four against the function table before you write the final answer.

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