NCERT Solution of Class 9 Poem Ch-5 A Legend of Northland
By Phoebe Cary
GLOSSARY
legend : old traditional story
Saint Peter : an apostle of Christ
provoke : make angry
Question 1:
Which country or countries do you think “the Northland” refers to?
Answer
“The Northland” could refer to any extremely cold country in the Earth’s north polar region, such as Greenland, the northern regions of Russia, Canada, Norway etc.
Class 9 Poem Ch-5 A Legend of Northland
Question 2:
What did Saint Peter ask the old lady for? What was the lady’s reaction?
Answer
Saint Peter asked the old lady for a piece of cake.
She was very selfish and kept reducing the size of the cake as to her it seemed too big to give away.
Class 9 Poem Ch-5 A Legend of Northland
Question 3:
How did he punish her?
Answer
He cursed her to become a woodpecker as a punishment for being so selfish.
Class 9 Poem Ch-5 A Legend of Northland
Question 4:
How does the woodpecker get her food?
Answer
The woodpecker gets her food by boring holes into trees.
Class 9 Poem Ch-5 A Legend of Northland
Question 5:
Do you think that the old lady would have been so ungenerous if she had known who Saint Peter really was? What would she have done then?
Answer
No, the old lady would not have been so ungenerous if she had known who Saint Peter really was. Instead, she would have tried to please him with her cakes for the fulfilment of her greedy desires.
Class 9 Poem Ch-5 A Legend of Northland
Question 6:
Is this a true story? Which part of this poem do you feel is the most important?
Answer
No, this is not a true story. It is a legend.
I feel that the point in the story where the old lady is changed into a woodpecker is the most important. This is because the punishment meted out to the lady teaches us the value of generosity and charity.
Class 9 Poem Ch-5 A Legend of Northland
Question 7:
What is a legend? Why is this poem called a legend?
Answer
A legend is a story from ancient times about people and events.
The title of the poem tells that it is a legend. The poet himself says that ‘I don’t believe it is true’.
Class 9 Poem Ch-5 A Legend of Northland
Question 8:
Write the story of ‘A Legend of the Northland’ in about ten sentences.
Answer
The poem is a story of an old woman. She is asked by Saint Peter for alms. But her greed forces her not to give him anything. He becomes angry and makes her a woodpecker who bores hard, dry wood to get food. Her clothes are burnt to ashes and she is left with a cap on her head. She continues boring into hard wood for her little food.
Class 9 Poem Ch-5 A Legend of Northland
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