A Legend of the Northland Class 9 Questions and Answers
Textbook Questions
Thinking about the Poem
I.
Question 1.
Which country or countries do you think “the Northland” refers to?
आपके विचार में ‘नॉर्थलैंड’ से किस देश या देशों से अभिप्राय है?
Answer:
I think Northland refers to Sweden, Norway, Denmark etc.
Question 2.
What did Saint Peter ask the old lady for? What was the lady’s reaction?
सेन्ट पीटर ने स्त्री से क्या माँगा? उसकी क्या प्रतिक्रिया थी?
Answer:
St. Peter asked the lady to give him a single cake from her store of cakes. The lady did not give him any of the cakes because they seemed to her too big to be given. So she made a small cake, then smaller and still smaller but could not part with any because she was very selfish and greedy.
Question 3.
How did he punish her?
Answer:
She was turned into a woodpecker by Saint Peter’s curse.
Question 4.
How does the woodpecker get her food?
एक कठफोड़वा चिड़िया अपना भोजन कैसे प्राप्त करती है?
Answer:
The woodpecker gets her food by boring into dry, hard wood of the trees.
Question 5.
Do you think the old lady would have been so ungenerous if she had known who Saint Peter really was? What would she have done then?
क्या आप सोचते हैं कि बूढ़ी औरत उतनी ही अनुदार होती अगर उसे सेन्ट पीटर की असलियत मालूम पड़ जाती? तब उसने क्या किया होता?
Answer:
The old lady would not have been so ungenerous if she had known who St. Peter really was. She might have offered him the whole stock of her cakes. Such persons have another kind of greed and that is ‘to be in heaven’.
Question 6.
Is this a true story? Which part of this poem do you feel is the most important?
क्या यह सच्ची कहानी है? आप कविता के किस भाग को सर्वाधिक महत्त्वपूर्ण महसूस करते हैं?
Answer:
It might not be a true story as the poet himself thinks.
The part of the poem which tells us about the punishment of the old lady — how she was turned into a woodpecker due to her greed — is the most important part of the poem as it conveys a positive message, that is, not to be greedy and selfish.
Question 7.
What is a legend? Why is this poem called a legend?
पौराणिक कथा क्या होती है? यह कविता पौराणिक कथा क्यों है?
Answer:
A legend is an old traditional story. It is handed down from the past — from generations to generations. The present poem is a legend as it tells us about a popular traditional story of Northland.
Question 8.
Write the story of ‘A Legend of the Northland* in about ten sentences.
‘नॉर्थलैंड की एक पौराणिक कथा’ की कहानी लगभग दस वाक्यों में लिखो।
Answer:
Saint Peter used to go about preaching. One day he reached the door of an old woman’s cottage. She was baking cakes. Saint Peter was very hungry. He asked her to give her only one cake. But she thought all her cakes were too big to be given away. So she made smaller and smaller cakes. But she was so greedy and selfish that she could not part with any. Saint Peter was angry. He turned her into a woodpecker. Now she has to bore into hard wood to find food.
IV. Very Important Examination Questions
Short Answer type Questions
I. Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words :
Question 1.
What did the saint ask for and why?
संत ने क्या पूछा और क्यों?
Answer:
One day St. Peter, reached the old lady’s door. He was very hungry. He asked the lady to give him just one cake. But due to her greed, each time the piece of cake looked too big to her for giving. So, the saint changed her into a woodpecker.
Long Answer Type Questions
II. Answer the following questions about 100-150 words :
Question 1.
One should not be selfish and greedy. With reference to ‘A Legend of the Northland’ describe what traits should be person have to serve God’s creation?
किसी को स्वार्थी और लालची नहीं होना चाहिए। ‘ए लीजेंड ऑफ व नॉर्थलैंड’ कविता के संदर्भ में बताएँ कि मनुष्यों में कौन-से गुण होने चाहिए जिससे कि ईश्वर की रचनाओं की सेवा हो सके।
Or
What outstanding qualities should you imbibe to become a good human being with reference to the poem, ’A Legend of the Northland’?
‘ए लीजेंड ऑफ व नॉर्थलैंड’ कविता के संदर्भ में एक अच्छा मनुष्य बनने के लिए आपको कौन-से अतुलनीय गुणों को स्वयं में प्रतिरोपित करना चाहिए।
Answer:
With reference to the poem, ‘A Legend of the Northland’, we can say that one should not be selfish and greedy. We should be sympathetic towards the needy. This is our social and moral responsibility. Mahatma Gandhi used to remind us “Service to man is service to God”.
A person should have responsibility, generosity, empathy, humanity, and love to the living beings to serve the God’s creation. Nearly, one-fifth of our population still live in poverty. They are not able to manage to square meals in a day. So, the rich people should understand their social responsibility towards the poor. We should kind enough to devote our time and money to serve the needy people especially children, poor, elderly or ill people. We should help them to live their life with dignity.
I. Summary In English
Long long ago there lived an old lady in Northland. She was selfish and greedy. One day St. Peter, while preaching round the world, reached her door. At that time she was making and baking some cakes. St. Peter was very hungry. He asked the lady to give him just one cake. The old lady then made a small cake but it seemed to her too big to be given. She made another still smaller but that too seemed to her to be very big. Ultimately she made a paper thin cake, still could not part with it. This made St. Peter angry. He told her that she was not fit to live in a human form and enjoy food and warmth. His curse turned her into a woodpecker who has to bore in hard, dry wood to get its scanty food. The story may or may not be true but it has a message — ‘Not to be greedy and selfish’.
II. Complete Text With Hindi Translation And Extract Based Objective Type Questions
STANZA I
Away, away in the Northland,
Where the hours of the day are few,
And the nights as so long in winter,
That they cannot sleep them through.
Vocabulary : legend (लैजेंड) पौराणिक कथा (जो पीढ़ीदर-पीढ़ी चलती है); greed (ग्रीड) लालच।
अनुवाद : बहुत दूर नॉर्थलैंड में जहाँ दिन के घंटे कम और सर्दी की रातें इतनी लम्बी होती हैं कि पूरी रात सोया तक नहीं जा सकता।
(i) ‘Why are the hours of the day few’ in the Northland?
(ii) How long are the nights there?
(iii) What does ‘they’ in the last line refer to?
(iv) Frame a sentence with the phrase— ‘sleep through’.
Answer:
(a) The hours of the day are few because it gets dark soon and remains till long.
(b) The nights are so long that one can not sleep them through.
(c) ‘They’ refers to the general people.
(d) I shall sleep through my journey to Mumbai.
STANZA II
Where they harness the swift reindeer,
To the sledges when it snows;
And the children look like bear’s cubs
In their funny, furry clothes.
Vocabulary : harness (हारनैस) घोड़े/रेन्डीयर व अन्य पशु को जोतने का साज (जोतना); swift ( स्विफ्ट) तेज़ गति वाला; reindeer (रेन्डीयर) बर्फीले प्रदेश का एक जानवर जो बिना पहिये की गाड़ी खींचता है; sledges (स्लैजेज) बिना पहिये की बर्फ पर चलने वाली गाड़ियाँ; bear’s cubs (बियर्स कब्स) भालू के बच्चे; furry (फरी) फ़र वाली।
अनुवाद : यहाँ बर्फ पड़ने पर तेज़ रफ्तार से चलने/भागने वाले रेन्डीयर को बिना पहियों की गाड़ी में जोतते हैं और यहाँ बच्चे अपने अजीब फ़र वाले कपड़ों में भालू के बच्चों जैसे दिखते हैं।
(i) When are the reindeers harnessed?
(ii) What do children look like?
(iii) What does ‘they’ in the first line refer to?
(iv) ‘sledge’ is a …..
Answer:
(a) When there is snowfall, the reindeers are harnessed for quick movement.
(b) Children look like bear’s cubs.
(c) ‘They’ refers to the local people there engaged in this business.
(d) a cast drawn by reindeer there.
STANZA III
They tell them a curious story —
I don’t believe ’tis true;
And yet you may learn a lesson
If I tell the tale to you.
Vocabulary : curious (क्यूरियस) अनोखी/उत्सुकता से भरी; tale (टेल) कहानी।
अनुवाद : वह एक अजीब कहानी सुनाते हैं। मैं विश्वास नहीं करता कि वह सच होगी परन्तु फिर भी अगर मैं तुम्हें वह कहानी सुनाऊँ तो तुम्हें शिक्षा मिलेगी (सन्देश मिलेगा)।
(i) What do they tell?
Answer:
They tell an interesting story.
(ii) How does the poet feel?
Answer:
The poet does not believe the story to be true.
(iii) What is rhyme scheme of the stanza?
Answer:
abcb
(iv) Give a synonym for ‘tale’.
Answer:
story
STANZA IV
Once when the good Saint Peter
Lived in the world below,
And walked about it, preaching,
Just as he did, you know.
Vocabulary : preaching (प्रीचिंग) उपदेश देते हुए।
अनुवाद : एक बार सेन्ट पीटर, जब वह नीचे धरती पर रहते थे, उपदेश देते हुए घूम रहे थे, जैसा कि तुम जानते हो कि वह प्रायः ऐसा किया करते थे।
(i) Where did the good Saint Peter live before his death?
Answer:
The good Saint Peter lived in the world below.
(ii) How did he spend his days mostly?
Answer:
Saint Peter walked about preaching.
(iii) ‘He’ in the last line stands for?
Answer:
Saint Peter.
(iv) Use the word preach in your own sentence.
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi preached that truth and non violence are the ways to God.
STANZA V& VI
He came to the door of a cottage
In travelling round the earth.
Where a little woman was making cakes,
And baking them on hearth
And being faint with fasting,
For the day was almost done
He asked her, from her store of cakes,
To give him a single one.
Vocabulary : hearth (हर्थ) अंगीठी। fasting (फास्टिंग) व्रत रखना।
अनुवाद : दुनिया की यात्रा करते हुए वह एक कुटिया के दरवाज़े पर पहुँचे जहाँ एक छोटी-सी औरत केक बनाकर उन्हें अंगीठी में सेंक रही थी। दिन लगभग समाप्त हो रहा था और वह़ व्रत के कारण (दिन भर कुछ नहीं खाया था) बेहोश से हो रहे थे, अतः उन्होंने उस औरत से अपने केक के ढेर में से केवल एक केक देने को कहा।
(i) A little woman was baking ______.
(a) bread
(b) cake
(c) potatoes
(d) meat
Answer:
(b) cake
(ii) She was baking something on ______.
(a) gas
(b) coal
(c) hearth
(d) the gas
Answer:
(c) hearth
(iii) He was almost fainting because of ______.
(a) heat
(b) illness
(c) fasting
(d) shock
Answer:
(c) fasting
(iv) One day he went to ______ while travelling on earth.
(a) a shop
(b) a house
(c) a cottage
(d) a brick building
Answer:
(c) a cottage
(v) Identify ‘he’ in the extract.
Answer:
‘He’ here refers to Saint Peter who was travelling round the world preaching.
(vi) What was the woman doing?
Answer:
The little woman was making cakes and baking them on hearth.
(vii) Why was he almost fainting?
Answer:
Saint Peter was almost fainting because of hunger.
(viii) Where was ‘he’ going?
Answer:
‘He’ was travelling round the earth.
STANZA VII
So she made a very little cake,
But as it baking lay,
She looked at it, and thought it seemed’
Too large to give away.
अनुवाद : अतः उसने एक बहुत छोटा-सा केक बनाया, परन्तु जब वह पक रहा था तो उसने उसे देखा और सोचा कि देने के लिए यह बहुत बड़ा लगता है।
(i) Why did she make a little cake?
Answer:
Because that cake was meant to be donated.
(ii) What did she find when the cake was being baked?
Answer:
She found that the cake was too large to be given away.
(iii) What is the rhyme scheme of the given stanza?
Answer:
abcb
(iv) Use the phrase ‘give away* in one of your own sentences.
Answer:
The chief guest gave away the prizes.
STANZA VIII
Therefore she kneaded another,
And still a smaller one,
But it looked , when she turned it over,
As large as the first had done.
Vocabulary : kneaded (नीडिड) आटा गूँथना।
अनुवाद : इसलिए उसने आटा गूँथ कर एक उससे (पहले वाले से) भी छोटा केक बनाया, पर जब उसने उसे (पकते हुए केक को) पलटा, तो वह उसे पहले केक जैसा ही बड़ा दिखा।
(i) Why did she make a smaller cake?
Answer:
She made a smaller cake because she had to give it away.
(ii) How did it look when she turned it over?
Answer:
It looked bigger as the previous one.
(iii) What does ‘she’ refer to in the first one?
Answer:
‘She’ refers to the woman baker.
(iv) The rhyme scheme of the stanza is
Answer:
abab.
STANZA IX
Then she took a tiny scrap of dough,
And rolled and rolled it flat;
And baked it thin as a wafer
But she couldn’t part with that.
For she said, ‘My cakes that seem too small
When I eat them myself
Are too large to give away. ,
So she put them on the shelf.’
Vocabulary : dough (डi) गुँथा हुआ आटा; wafer (वेफर) बहुत पतला ( पेपर जैसा)।
अनुवाद : तब उसने गुँथे हुए आटे में से एक बहुत ही छोटा-सा टुकड़ा लिया और उसको बेल-बेल कर चपटा किया-कागज़ की तरह पतला। उसे पकाया। परन्तु उसे भी देने को उसका मन न हुआ। क्योंकि उसने कहा, “मेरे केक जब मैं उन्हें खाती हूँ तो इतने छोटे लगते हैं परन्तु (दूसरों को) देने के लिए बहुत बड़े लगते हैं।” अतः उसने उन्हें भी शैल्फ पर रख दिया।
(i) She took a small scrap of dough because
(a) she thought that he would eat little
(b) she was greedy and wanted to bake a very small cake
(c) she could make small cakes only
(d) she did not know how much dough to take
Answer:
(b) she was greedy and wanted to bake a very small cake
(ii) She rolled it thin like ______.
(a) a wafer
(b) a bread
(c) a paper
(d) a bread
Answer:
(a) a wafer
(iii) She said My cakes that seem too small’ as ______.
(a) she wanted to give bigger cake to St. Peter
(b) she thought it would be too large to give away
(c) she always ate small cakes
(d) she could not give small cakes to any one
Answer:
(b) she thought it would be too large to give away
(iv) She could not part with it because ______.
Answer:
she was greedy and thought it was too big to be given away.
(v) Identify the poem and the poet?
Answer:
The poem is ‘A Legend of the Northland’ by Phoebe Cary.
(vi) Who is ‘she’ in the above lines.
Answer:
‘She’ in the above lines is an old lady living in the Northland who was a baker.
(vii) Why was ‘she’ making a cake?
Answer:
‘She’ was making a cake for Saint Peter who came at the old lady’s door and asked for a cake as he was hungry.
(viii) Why did ‘she’ not part away with her cakes?
Answer:
‘She’ was too greedy and selfish to part away with her cakes. She feel that the cake she baked was too big to part with.
STANZA X
Then good Saint Peter grew angry,
For he was hungry and faint,
And surely such a woman Was enough to provoke a saint.
And he said, “You are too selfish To dwell in a human form,
To have both food and shelter,
And fire to keep you warm.
Vocabulary : provoked (प्रवोक्ड) उकसाया/भड़काया; dwell (ड्वैल) रहना।
अनुवाद : तब सेन्ट पीटर को गुस्सा आ गया क्योंकि वह भूखे थे और बेहोश से हो रहे थे और निश्चय ही ऐसी औरत एक सन्त को भड़काने के लिए काफी है। और उन्होंने कहा, “तुम इतनी स्वार्थी हो कि मानव शरीर में रहने के योग्य नहीं हो। तुम्हें दोनों चीज़ें-भोजन और आश्रय मिले और आँच की गर्माहट भी-तुम इन सबके योग्य नहीं हो।
(i) Saint Peter grew angry because ______.
(а) the greedy lady did not offer him food
(b) the cake she offered was not tasty
(c) the lady gave him small piece of apple
(d) he was hungry and faint and was provoked by the greedy lady
Answer:
(d) he was hungry and faint and was provoked by the greedy lady
(ii) ‘To dwell in a human form’ means ______.
(a) the lady was great
(b) she lived as a great human being
(c) she did not deserve to live in a human form as she was miserly
(d) she did not want to remain in human form
Answer:
(c) she did not deserve to live in a human form as she was miserly
(iii) The gready lady had been given ______ by God.
(а) food, cake and kitchen
(b) food shelter and fire
(c) food, cake and fire
(d) food, fire and kitchen
Answer:
(b) food shelter and fire
(iv) Saint Peter was fainting because he was ______.
(a) hungry
(b) tired
(c) hungry and tired
(d) weak
Answer:
(c) hungry and tired
(v) ‘Such a woman’ means a/an ______.
(a) selfish woman
(b) unfeeling woman
(c) greedy woman
(d) all of these
Answer:
(d) all of these
(vi) After getting provoked the saint ______ her.
(a) blessed
(b) cursed
(c) hated
(d) liked
Answer:
(b) cursed
(vii) St. Peter became angry because :
(a) the cakes were taking too long in getting baked.
(b) the woman was not ready to give even the smallest cake to him.
(c) the cake was too small for a hungry man.
(d) the cake she gave was burnt.
Answer:
(b) the woman was not ready to give even the smallest cake to him.
(viii) ‘such a woman’ implies a woman who is :
(a) greedy and selfish
(b) heartless
(c) miser
(d) cruel
Answer:
(a) greedy and selfish
(ix) St. Peter was provoked by the :
(a) unconsiderate attitude of the woman.
(b) the greed and selfishness of the woman.
(c) the slow speed with which she worked.
(d) to see the size of cakes that she thought of giving him.
Answer:
(b) the greed and selfishness of the woman.
(x) The word ‘provoke’ here means :
(а) arouse feelings to act
(b) to stir up purposely
(c) provide stimulus
(d) to excite
Answer:
(а) arouse feelings to act
(xi) The saint grew angry because ______.
Answer:
The woman was very greedy’ and did not give him anything to eat.
(xii) Who provoked the saint?
Answer:
The old lady whom he had asked for food provoked Saint Peter.
(xiii) What made the saint grow angry?
Answer:
The woman had refused to part with even a single cake from her store, while a famished Saint Peter kept waiting.
(xiv) What does ‘To dwell in a human form interpret’?
Answer:
This means that she did not deserve to live in a human form as she was selfish, unkind and greedy.
(xv) What did the saint do?
Answer:
He cursed the old woman and changed her into a bird.
STANZA XI
Now, you shall build as the birds do,
And shall get your scanty food
By boring, and boring, and boring
All day in the hard, dry wood;
Then up she went through the chimney,
Never speaking a word,
And out of the top flew a woodpecker,
For she was changed to a bird.
Vocabulary : scanty (स्कैंटी) बहुत थोड़ा-सा; boring (बोरिंग) सुराख करके; woodpecker (वुडपैकर) कठफोड़वा।
अनुवाद : अब तुम पक्षियों की तरह घर बनाओं और अपना बहुत थोड़ा-सा भोजन दिन भर सख़्त, सूखी लकड़ी में सुराख कर-कर के प्राप्त करोगी। तब वह एक शब्द भी न बोलते हुए चिमनी से ऊपर चली गई और चिमनी के ऊपर से एक कठफोड़वा उड़ा क्योंकि अब वह एक पक्षी में परिवर्तित हो गई थी।
(i) St. Peter converted the old woman ______.
(a) into a cow
(b) into a woodpecker
(c) into a rat
(d) into a rabbit
Answer:
(b) into a woodpecker
(ii) To get her scanty food the greedy woman will ______.
(a) have to build the nest
(b) have to gather grains
(c) have to collect worms
(d) have to bore the dry and hard wood
Answer:
(d) have to bore the dry and hard wood
(iii) ‘Bore’ here means ______.
(a) making holes in hard wood
(b) to take birth
(c) very little
(d) to sustain
Answer:
(a) making holes in hard wood
(iv) Who composed the above lines?
(a) Phoebe Cary
(b) Coates Kinney
(c) Robert Frost
(d) William Wordsworth
Answer:
(a) Phoebe Cary
(v) Who is the speaker in this extract?
(a) Fat woman
(b) St. Peter
(c) The people of Northland
(d) A stranger
Answer:
(b) St. Peter
(vi) The Father cursed the woman to get the little food by :
(a) cooking the food.
(b) making a’hole in the dry wood.
(c) searching in the forest.
(d) working very hard.
Answer:
(b) making a’hole in the dry wood.
(vii) Scanty food means :
(a) very little quantity of food.
(b) food for spoiling.
(c) food for giving someone.
(d) food for giving to animals.
Answer:
(a) very little quantity of food.
(viii) ‘She’ here is : –
(a) the little baker woman
(b) a shopkeeper
(c) a farmar woman
(d) a traveller
Answer:
(a) the little baker woman
(ix) The woodpecker in fact was :
(a) a cursed boy
(b) the cursed baker woman
(c) a little girl
(d) a cursed man
Answer:
(b) the cursed baker woman
(x) The woodpecker is a kind of :
(a) an insect
(b) a bird
(c) an animal
(d) a tool
Answer:
(b) a bird
(xi) She was changed into a bird because she:
(a) wanted to fly.
(b) was punished for being selfish and greedy.
(c) loved the life of a bird.
(d) had killed an innocent bird.
Answer:
(b) was punished for being selfish and greedy.
(xii) How did he punish her?
Answer:
She was turned into a woodpecker by Saint Peter’s curse.
(xiii) To get her scanty food the greedy woman will ______.
Answer:
have to bore the dry and hard wood
(xiv) How does the woodpecker get her food?
Answer:
The woodpecker gets her food by boring into dry, hard wood of the trees.
(xv) What did St. Peter convert the old woman into?
Answer:
St. Peter converted the old woman into a woodpecker.
STANZA XII
She had a scarlet cap on her head,
And that was left the same;
But all the rest of her clothes were burned
Black as a coal in the flame.
Vocabulary : scarlet (स्कारलैट) गहरा लाल रंग; flame (फ्लेम) आग की लपट।
अनुवाद : उसके सिर पर गहरे लाल रंग की एक टोपी थी, वह वैसी की वैसी रही, पर उसके बाकी के कपड़े आग की लपटों में जलकर कोयले जैसे काले हो गये। (कठफोड़वा एक काले रंग का छोटा-सा लम्बी चोंच और लाल कलगी वाला पक्षी होता है।)
(i) ‘She’ here refers to the ______.
(a) selfish woman
(b) bird
(c) saint
(d) cake
Answer:
(a) selfish woman
(ii) After Saint Peter’s curse, she changed into a ______.
(a) beautiful bird
(b) black bird
(c) smelly bird
(d) smoky bird
Answer:
(b) black bird
(iii) The Saint punished the lady for her ______.
(a) greed
(b) selfishness
(c) being unfeeling
(d) all the above
Answer:
(d) all the above
(iv) ‘that’ in second line refers to :
(a) the scarlet cap of the baker woman.
(b) the head of the woman.
(c) the scarlet top of the woman.
(d) the scarlet hair of the woman.
Answer:
(a) the scarlet cap of the baker woman.
(v) The rest of her clothes were :
(a) burnt
(b) torn
(c) destroyed
(d) taken away
Answer:
(a) burnt
(vi) ‘left the same’ implies :
(a) remained there only.
(b) not changed.
(c) taken away.
(d) not burnt.
Answer:
(b) not changed.
(vii) The scarlet cap did not burn as :
(a) it was fire proof.
(b) the flames did not reach it.
(c) it was left as a mark of identification.
(d) it was too beautiful to be destroyed.
Answer:
(c) it was left as a mark of identification.
(viii) How does the woodpecker get her food?
Answer:
The woodpecker gets her food by boring into dry, hard wood of the trees.
STANZA XIII
And every country school boy
Has seen her in the wood,
Where she lives in the trees till this very day,
Boring and boring for food.
अनुवाद : और हर गाँव के स्कूल जाने वाले लड़कों ने उसे जंगल में देखा है जहाँ वह आज भी पेड़ों में रहती है और खाने के लिए पेड़ों की लकड़ी में सुराख करती रहती है।
(i) Who sent ‘her’ to the woods?
Answer:
Saint Peter sent her to the woods as he told her that she was “far too selfish” to “dwell in human form”. He changed her into woodpecker with a scarlet cap on her head.
(ii) What has ‘she’ been changed into?
Answer:
She has been changed into a woodpecker to live on scanty food boring all the day in the hard and dry wood.
(iii) How did Saint Peter punish her?
Answer:
She was turned into a woodpecker by his curse.
(iv)Who is ‘she’?
Answer:
‘She’ is the greedy lady whom Saint Peter had changed into a woodpecker.