English Notes Chapter 3.2 – The Magic Herb Class 6 Maharashtra Board

1. Introduction

• The story “The Magic Herb” is a Japanese folk tale.
• It teaches us about honesty and greed.
• The story is about a poor but clever merchant and a greedy innkeeper and his wife.

2. Main Characters

The Merchant

• He was poor and tired.
• Wore simple clothes and carried a small cloth bag.
• He was honest and polite.
• He requested food and a place to stay at the inn.
• He unknowingly tricked the greedy innkeeper.

The Innkeeper

• He was greedy and unkind.
• Judged people based on their looks.
• Wanted to cheat the merchant using the magic herb.
• His own trick failed, and he learned a lesson.

The Innkeeper’s Wife

• She was as greedy as her husband.
• She supported her husband’s cheating plan.
• She was excited about getting free merchandise.

3. Story Summary 

The Merchant Arrives

• The merchant was tired and poor.
• He knocked on the door of an inn and requested food and a place to stay.
• The innkeeper was unhappy to take in a poor customer.

The Innkeeper’s Plan

• The innkeeper complained to his wife about the merchant.
• He thought the merchant would pay very little.
• He had a magic herb that made people forget things.
• They planned to mix the herb into the merchant’s food so he would forget some of his merchandise.

The Trick Fails

• The merchant ate the meal with the magic herb.
• The next morning, the merchant was gone along with his belongings.
• The innkeeper and his wife searched the room, but nothing was left behind.

The Lesson Learned

• The wife realized that the merchant forgot to pay for the food and stay.
• The innkeeper’s trick backfired, and he never used the magic herb again.

4. Important Words & Meanings

Inn – A small hotel where travelers stay.
Beggarly – Very poor, like a beggar.
Merchandise – Goods or items for sale.
Afford – To have enough money to buy something.
Reputation – People’s opinion about someone or something.
Suspect – To think something is wrong or doubtful.

5. Moral / What We Learn from the Story

1. Greed always leads to loss.
2. Cheating people is wrong.
3. Tricks and lies can backfire.

6. Extra Learning – Silent Letters & Tenses

Silent ‘K’ Words: Knock, Knife
Silent Letters in Words:

• Write → write
• Wrist → wrist
• Listen → listen
• Hour → hour
• Scissors → scissors

Tenses in the Story:

• Past Tense: The merchant arrived, ate, forgot.
• Present Tense: The innkeeper is greedy.
• Future Tense: The innkeeper will never use the herb again.