In this post ‘A Legend of the Northland Question Answer Class 9 English’ we are discussing the answers to all the questions from “Thinking about the Poem” (A Legend of the Northland – Class 9th English, Beehive).
I want to remind you that you can also read the summary of A Legend of the Northland for a better understanding of the poem.
I. A Legend of the Northland Thinking about the Poem
Q1. Which country or countries do you think “the Northland” refers to?
Ans: The “Northland” refers to the cold polar regions near the North Pole, such as northern Europe, Siberia, or Canada, where days are short in winter and nights are very long.
Q2. What did Saint Peter ask the old lady for? What was the lady’s reaction?
Ans: Saint Peter asked the old lady for a small piece of cake because he was tired and hungry. The lady, though she had many cakes, was so greedy that she thought every cake was too big to give away. She refused to share even the smallest one.
Q3. How did he punish her?
Ans: Saint Peter punished the woman by turning her into a woodpecker. He cursed her to live in the trees, without a home or stored food, and to search for her food by boring into hard wood.
Q4. How does the woodpecker get her food?
Ans: The woodpecker gets her food by pecking and boring holes in trees to find insects and worms.
Q5. 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?
Ans: No, if the old lady had known that the person at her door was Saint Peter, she would not have been so selfish. Out of fear or respect, she would have immediately given him the cake.
Q6. Is this a true story? Which part of this poem do you feel is the most important?
Ans: No, this is not a true story. It is a legend, a traditional tale with a moral lesson. The most important part of the poem is the punishment of the woman, because it teaches us the moral that greed and selfishness are sins and one must always be generous.
Q7. What is a legend? Why is this poem called a legend?
Ans: A legend is an old traditional story that is passed from one generation to another, often with a moral or lesson. This poem is called a legend because it tells the old story of how a greedy woman was turned into a woodpecker by Saint Peter.
8. Write the story of ‘A Legend of the Northland’ in about ten sentences.
Ans: The Northland is a very cold region where days are short and nights are long. People travel in sledges pulled by reindeers and children wear furry clothes. A legend is told in this region about Saint Peter. One day Saint Peter was tired and hungry while preaching. He reached a cottage where a woman was baking cakes. He asked her for a small cake. The greedy woman baked cakes but each time thought it was too big to give away. Finally, she refused to give him even the smallest one. Saint Peter became angry and cursed her. She was turned into a woodpecker, forced to search for food by boring into trees.
II. Poetic Devices and Language
Q1. Let’s look at the words at the end of the second and fourth lines, viz., ‘snows’ and ‘clothes’, ‘true’ and ‘you’, ‘below’ and ‘know.’ We find that ‘snows’ rhymes with ‘clothes’, ‘true’ rhymes with ‘you’ and ‘below’ rhymes with ‘know’. Find more such rhyming words.
Ans: More such rhyming words are:
- Few – through
- Snows – clothes
- Know – below
- Done – one
- Lay – away
- Flat – that
- Head – said
- Flame – same
- Wood – food
Q2. Find legends in your own language and tell the class.
Ans: (This answer will vary depending on your region.)
Example: In Hindi, one famous legend is about “Shravan Kumar,” a devoted son who carried his blind parents on his shoulders to holy places. His story teaches the value of duty and service towards parents.
View all Chapter: Class 9th English Solutions