A Legend of the NorthlandPhoebe Cary
1. Word-Meaning
Legend= old traditional story.
Provoke= make angry
Reindeer= a kind of deer.
Sledges= a kind of cart.
Cubs= the young of certain carnivorous mammals such as the bear or wolf or lion.
Curious= strange; unusual.
Preaching= an address of a religious nature.
Hearth= surround of a fireplace.
Scrap= a small piece (something broken)
Dough= a flour mixture stiff enough to knead or roll.
Wafer= a thin, light, crisp cake or biscuit.
Selfish= only with yourself.
Dwell= live in or at a place.
Shelter= being protected.
Scanty= insufficient in quantity,
Chimney= a vertical pipe that provides a path through which smoke from a fire is carried away through roof of a building.
Woodpecker= birds usually having strong bills for boring wood.
Scarlet= a bright red colour.
Flame= shine with a fire light.
Provoke= make angry
2. Rhyming words:
Ans:- Below - know
Faint- Saint
Earth - Hearth
Same - Flame
Done - One
Form - Warm
3. Who is the poet of the poem "A Legend of the Northland"?
Ans:- Phoebe Cary is the poet of the poem "A Legend of the Northland".
4. Which country or countries do you think "the Northland” refers to?
Ans:- “The Northland” refers to a country in the extreme North, just near the North pole.
5. What did Saint Peter ask the old lady for? What was the lady's reaction?
Ans:- Saint Peter asked the lady for a cake. But the lady was very selfish. So, she made a very little cake but it looked big to her. So, she reduced its size again.
6. Why was the saint Peter very angry with the lady?
(Or) What did the woman do when St. Peter asked her for a cake?
Ans:- Saint Peter was very tired and hungry. He asked for a piece of cake from the lady. But she refused. St. Peter lost his patience. In this way St. Peter was provoked to curse the lady.
7. How did Saint Peter punish the little woman?
Ans:- He punished old lady by changing her into a woodpecker.
8. How does the woodpecker get her food?
Ans:- St. Peter changes the lady into a woodpecker. She then lives in the wood. The woodpecker gets her food by boring into dry hard wood.
9. 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:- The lady was very selfish and greedy. So it is very difficult to say with certainty what she would have done knowing about Saint Peter. She might have given him a very small cake.
10. What is a legend? Why is this poem called a legend?
Ans:- A legend is an old story that rolls down from the past. It is generally of doubtful nature.
The title of the poem itself says that it is a legend. The poet himself says that he doesn't believe it to be true. So, this poem is called a legend.
11. What is the specific quality of the Northland?
Ans:- The specific qualities of North land are as follows: The North land is a polar region. The days are shorter and nights are longer. It is a land of sledges. The people wear furry cloths. The children look like bear-cubs in their funny furry dresses.
12. How did St. Peter curse her?
Ans:- St. Peter cursed that for ever she would have to work very hard to get her food. He changed her into a woodpecker. Then she had to bore hard woods in search of food.
13. What was the effect of St. Peter's curse on the old lady?
Ans:- St. Peter's curse showed its immediate effect. The old lady changed into a woodpecker. She still had a scarlet cap. But all her clothes were burnt black. She went to the top and flew out of the chimney.
14. Why did not the lady give that little cake to St Peter?
(Or) Why didn't she even part with the third cake?
Ans:- The lady was very greedy. So like the first two cakes the third cake also appeared very big to her, Infact it was very small and made of a tiny scrap of dough. So, it looked like a wafer. But she did not give it to St. Peter due to her greed.
15. What did Saint Peter say to the woman who refuse to give him a cake he had asked for?
Ans:- St. Perer found the woman too selfish. According to him the lady disgraced 1 womanhood. She did not deserve food Shealso did not deserve shelter and fire to warm herself. The lady was very greedy. She lacked basic human qualities.
16. Why did Saint Peter punish the old lady?
Ans:- The old lady was very greedy and selfish. She made a very little cake for Saint Peter But the cake appeared to her very big. So, she reduced its size again. The hungry and almost fainted Saint Peter grew angry because the lady refused to give him the cake. He could not tolerate her rude behaviour. So, he punished the old lady.
17. Who was Saint Peter? Why did Saint Peter travel round the earth?
Ans:- Saint Peter was an apostle of Christ. His job was to spread the teachings of Christ. So, he traveled round the earth for preaching,
18. With what animals, does the poet compare the children in poem "A legend of the Northland"?
Ans:- The poet compares the children with bear's cubs in the poem
19. What was the lady doing when Saint Peter reached the door of her cottage?
Ans:- When St. Peter reached the door of the cottage of the lady, she was making cakes.
20. "And being........ from her store of cakes"
(a) When did Saint Peter reach the cottage?
(b) What did he ask for?
(c) Who is 'her referred to here?
Ans:- (a) Saint Peter reached the cottage in the afternoon.
(b) He asked for cakes
(c) Here 'her' is referred to the old lady
21. Saint Peter traveled round the earth to -
(a) Spread good massages
(b) Preach teachings of Jesus Christ.
(c) Seek alms
Ans. (b) Preach teachings of Jesus Christ.
Mr. Rupjyoti Goswami
Post Graduate Teacher (English)
Bhogeswar Hazarika Girls' Higher Secondary School, Bebejia, Nagaon, Assam.
Email: rupjyotigoswami983@gmail.com
Mobile: 9864425896.
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