Class 6 English · Original EZT practice
Spices that Heal Us (Class 6 English Chapter 9): Daadi's letter of kitchen remedies
When Vikram and Vaibhavi fall sick, their Daadi writes them a letter full of kitchen wisdom: methi water, jeera water, heeng on the tummy, adrak for cough, saunf after meals. This piece from Poorvi Unit 3, Nurturing Nature, shows how the spices in an Indian kitchen have been used as home remedies for generations. Below: a summary, spice-wise uses and practice questions. (Note: this is original practice, not a textbook exercise key.)
6 original worked examples, 6 fresh self-check questions and 4 mixed questions, with explained answers. These are not copied textbook exercises, an official chapter index or a full answer key. No affiliation with NCERT is claimed.
Official sources for topic and edition context, checked 22 October 2026:
1. Summary and setting
Daadi writes to her grandchildren Vikram and Vaibhavi, glad that the natural cures she shared helped them get better; she learnt these home remedies from her own grandmother, who used them for most weather-related common illnesses.
2. Spice-wise remedies (part 1)
Methi (fenugreek) seeds soaked overnight help keep weight in control; jeera (cumin) seeds soaked overnight improve digestion and help with sleeplessness; heeng (asafoetida) water on a baby's tummy gives relief from gas and can help control cough and cold.
3. Spice-wise remedies (part 2)
Dalchini (cinnamon) and laung (clove) give relief from toothache till a dentist can be consulted; adrak (ginger) helps with cough, cold and pain - and has been used in cooking for more than 4000 years; kali mirch (black pepper) helps digestion and body pain; saunf (fennel) and ajwain (carom) are served after meals to help digestion; elaichi (cardamom) helps digestion, respiratory troubles and bad breath.
4. Word meanings and safe use
The chapter builds kitchen vocabulary - soak, digestion, relief, remedies, aashirwaad - and Daadi ends with a safety note: identify the spices in the kitchen, and always consult an elder before using them.
Choose, solve, check, then try a fresh question.
Before calculating, read the method prompt and name the condition that makes it useful. Write your own attempt. Open the steps only when you need them, and use the check to catch a wrong sign, unit or interpretation. Finish with the fresh question before reading its answer.
Identify the letter and its writer
Choose the method: A grandmother's reply.
EZT practice question
Who wrote the letter in 'Spices that Heal Us', and to whom?
Show the worked solution
- The piece is written as a letter.
- It is addressed 'Dear Vikram and Vaibhavi'.
- The writer is their Daadi - glad to hear they are better.
Answer: Daadi (the grandmother) wrote it to her grandchildren, Vikram and Vaibhavi, after hearing they were better.
Check: The sign-off - 'My love and aashirwaad to both of you' - could only come from an elder.
Watch for this: Do not call it an essay - the whole piece is one letter from Daadi.
Now try it yourself
What does 'aashirwaad' mean in Daadi's sign-off?
Check your answer
Blessings.
'My love and aashirwaad to both of you.'
Trace where the remedies came from
Choose the method: Wisdom passed down.
EZT practice question
Where did Daadi learn these remedies, and what did her grandmother treat with them?
Show the worked solution
- Daadi says she learnt the remedies from her own grandmother.
- That was when Daadi herself was a child.
- Her grandmother used them for most weather-related common illnesses.
Answer: Daadi learnt them from her own grandmother when she was a child; her grandmother used these home remedies for most weather-related common illnesses.
Check: The chain of handing down - grandmother to Daadi to Vikram and Vaibhavi - is the chapter's quiet theme.
Watch for this: Do not credit doctors or books - the text says the knowledge came from her grandmother.
Now try it yourself
What does Daadi ask the children to do with these cures?
Check your answer
Remember them and share them with their friends.
So the chain of shared wisdom continues.
Explain one remedy
Choose the method: One spice, two uses.
EZT practice question
How does Daadi say jeera water helps us?
Show the worked solution
- Jeera is cumin.
- Soak the seeds in water overnight.
- It improves digestion and helps cure sleeplessness.
Answer: Jeera (cumin) seeds soaked in water overnight can improve digestion and help cure sleeplessness.
Check: Methi water follows the same overnight-soak method, but its use is weight control - keep the two apart.
Watch for this: Do not swap the uses - jeera helps digestion and sleep; methi helps keep weight in control.
Now try it yourself
What should be done with methi seeds before drinking the water?
Check your answer
Soak them overnight.
Same method as jeera.
Match spices to their uses
Choose the method: Pain, cough, and a very old spice.
EZT practice question
Which spices give relief from toothache, and what does adrak help with?
Show the worked solution
- Toothache: dalchini (cinnamon) and laung (clove) - until a dentist can be consulted.
- Adrak (ginger) helps with cough, cold and pain.
- Ginger has been used in cooking for more than 4000 years.
Answer: Dalchini (cinnamon) and laung (clove) give relief from toothache till a dentist can be consulted; adrak (ginger) helps with cough, cold and pain - and has been used in cooking for more than 4000 years.
Check: Daadi's toothache line is careful - the spices give relief 'till' the dentist, they do not replace one.
Watch for this: Do not say the spices cure toothache - they give relief until a dentist is consulted.
Now try it yourself
Which spice-water did Daadi put on the children's tummies when they were babies with gas?
Check your answer
Heeng - asafoetida - water.
It gave relief from gas and can help control cough and cold.
Explain the after-meal custom
Choose the method: Digestion is the reason.
EZT practice question
Why are saunf and ajwain served at the end of a meal, and what else helps digestion?
Show the worked solution
- Saunf (fennel) and ajwain (carom) are served after meals.
- They help in the digestion of food.
- Kali mirch (black pepper) and elaichi (cardamom) also help digestion.
Answer: Because they help in the digestion of food. Kali mirch (black pepper) also helps digestion and body pain, and elaichi (cardamom) helps digestion, respiratory troubles and bad breath.
Check: A restaurant's bowl of saunf after dinner is this very custom.
Watch for this: Do not say they are served for taste alone - Daadi gives digestion as the reason.
Now try it yourself
What three things does elaichi (cardamom) help with?
Check your answer
Digestion, respiratory troubles, and curing bad breath.
Daadi lists all three.
State the safety rule
Choose the method: Ask an elder first.
EZT practice question
What safety advice does Daadi give about using these remedies?
Show the worked solution
- Daadi first asks the children to identify the spices in the kitchen.
- Then comes the rule.
- 'You must consult an elder before you use them.'
Answer: 'You must consult an elder before you use them' - children should not try these remedies on their own.
Check: The letter shares wisdom, but its last word is caution - that pairing is the safety message.
Watch for this: Do not drop this caveat when retelling the remedies - it is part of the chapter's message.
Now try it yourself
What does 'soak the seeds overnight' mean?
Check your answer
Leave the seeds in water through the night.
Methi and jeera water both start this way.
Try a mixed set
Choose a method or explanation before opening each answer.
1. Who wrote the letter, and to whom?
Show answer and reason
Daadi, to her grandchildren Vikram and Vaibhavi.
Signed 'My love and aashirwaad to both of you.'
2. Spices for digestion?
Show answer and reason
Jeera, kali mirch, saunf, ajwain and elaichi.
Daadi lists each one's digestive use.
3. Spices for cough and cold?
Show answer and reason
Heeng (asafoetida) and adrak (ginger).
Adrak also relieves pain; used in cooking 4000+ years.
4. The chapter's safety message?
Show answer and reason
Consult an elder before using any home remedy.
Shared wisdom still needs guidance.
Try it yourself
Work these on paper before checking any notes. Answers are deliberately not shown here.
- Which two spices give relief from toothache until we can see a dentist?
- For how long has ginger been used in cooking?
- Which spice helps with cough and cold and also gives relief from pain?
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Questions about this practice page
- What is 'Spices that Heal Us' about?
- A letter in which a grandmother shares home remedies made from everyday kitchen spices with her grandchildren Vikram and Vaibhavi.
- Which spices help digestion, according to Daadi?
- Jeera (cumin), kali mirch (black pepper), saunf (fennel), ajwain (carom) and elaichi (cardamom) all help digestion.
- Which spices are suggested for cough and cold?
- Heeng (asafoetida) can help control cough and cold, and adrak (ginger) helps with cough, cold and pain.
- What is the chapter's safety message?
- Home remedies are shared wisdom, but children must consult an elder before using any of them.
- Are these the NCERT exercise questions for Class 6 English Chapter 9?
- No. EZT pages are original practice following the chapter's section order - use them to prepare for the textbook exercises, not as a substitute for your book.