Chapter: A Legend of the Northland
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
1. Who is the author of the poem "A Legend of the Northland"?
a. William Wordsworth
b. Phoebe Cary
c. Robert Frost
d. W.B. Yeats
2. What type of poem is "A Legend of the Northland"?
a. Sonnet
b. Epic
c. Ballad
d. Haiku
3. Where is the poem set?
a. In the Southland
b. In the Westland
c. In the Northland
d. In the Eastland
4. Why can't the people in the Northland sleep through the nights in winter?
a. The nights are too cold
b. The nights are too long
c. They are busy working
d. They have to travel
5. What are harnessed to the sledges when it snows in the Northland?
a. Dogs
b. Horses
c. Reindeer
d. Oxen
6. What do the children look like in their funny, furry clothes?
a. Fox's kits
b. Wolf's pups
c. Bear's cubs
d. Snowmen
7. Who came to the door of the little woman's cottage?
a. Saint John
b. Saint Peter
c. A traveler
d. A country schoolboy
8. What was the little woman doing when Saint Peter arrived?
a. Knitting clothes
b. Baking cakes on the hearth
c. Sleeping
d. Chopping dry wood
9. Why did Saint Peter ask for a cake?
a. He wanted to test her
b. He was faint with fasting
c. He wanted to buy it
d. He liked her cooking
10. How many cakes did Saint Peter ask for?
a. Two
b. A dozen
c. A single one
d. None
11. Why didn't the woman give Saint Peter the first cake she baked?
a. It was burnt
b. It was too small
c. She thought it seemed too large to give away
d. She wanted to eat it herself immediately
12. How thin did she bake the final piece of dough?
a. Thin as paper
b. Thin as a wafer
c. Thin as a leaf
d. Thin as a needle
13. What did the woman do with all the cakes she baked for the saint?
a. She threw them away
b. She gave them to her children
c. She put them on the shelf
d. She fed them to the birds
14. What was Saint Peter's reaction to the woman's greed?
a. He smiled and left
b. He grew angry
c. He cried
d. He begged for a crumb
15. What did Saint Peter say the woman was too selfish to possess?
a. Human form, food, shelter, and fire
b. Gold and silver
c. A cottage and a hearth
d. The love of her family
16. What bird was the woman turned into?
a. A sparrow
b. A crow
c. A woodpecker
d. A linnet
17. How does the transformed woman get her scanty food?
a. By catching insects in the air
b. By boring in the hard, dry wood
c. By begging from other birds
d. By eating leftover cakes
18. How did the woman leave the cottage after being cursed?
a. She walked out the door
b. She flew out of the window
c. She went up through the chimney
d. She dug a hole in the ground
19. What happened to the woman's clothes after her transformation?
a. They turned into feathers
b. They were left on the hearth
c. They were burned black as a coal
d. They remained exactly the same
20. What part of her attire remained unchanged when she turned into a bird?
a. Her furry coat
b. Her apron
c. Her shoes
d. Her scarlet cap
MCQ Answers:
1. b
2. c
3. c
4. b
5. c
6. c
7. b
8. b
9. b
10. c
11. c
12. b
13. c
14. b
15. a
16. c
17. b
18. c
19. c
20. d
Assertion and Reason Questions
1. Assertion (A) The nights are very long in winter in the Northland.
Reason (R) People there cannot sleep through the winter nights.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
(e) Both Assertion and Reason are false.
2. Assertion (A) The children in the Northland look like bear's cubs.
Reason (R) They wear funny, furry clothes.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
(e) Both Assertion and Reason are false.
3. Assertion (A) Saint Peter asked the little woman for a whole batch of cakes.
Reason (R) He was very hungry after fasting for many days.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
(e) Both Assertion and Reason are false.
4. Assertion (A) The little woman did not give Saint Peter the first cake she made.
Reason (R) When she looked at it, she thought it seemed too large to give away.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
(e) Both Assertion and Reason are false.
5. Assertion (A) Saint Peter was extremely pleased with the woman's final wafer-thin cake.
Reason (R) The woman happily parted with the wafer-thin cake and gave it to him.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
(e) Both Assertion and Reason are false.
6. Assertion (A) Saint Peter cursed the woman to build as the birds do.
Reason (R) He was angry because she was far too selfish to dwell in a human form.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
(e) Both Assertion and Reason are false.
7. Assertion (A) The woman flew out of the top of the chimney as a woodpecker.
Reason (R) She never spoke a word during her transformation.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
(e) Both Assertion and Reason are false.
8. Assertion (A) The woodpecker has a completely black body with no other colors.
Reason (R) All of the woman's clothes were burned black as coal in the flame.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
(e) Both Assertion and Reason are false.
9. Assertion (A) Ballads are passed on in a written format through textbooks.
Reason (R) Ballads are part of classical, high-society literature.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
(e) Both Assertion and Reason are false.
10. Assertion (A) The woman would have been generous if she knew the beggar was Saint Peter.
Reason (R) The woman was only pretending to be selfish to test the saint.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
(e) Both Assertion and Reason are false.
Assertion and Reason Answers with explanations:
1. b
Explanation: It is true that nights are very long in winter, and it is true that people cannot sleep through them. However, the reason they cannot sleep through them is because the nights are *so* long, not just a separate standalone fact.
2. a
Explanation: The children look like bear's cubs specifically because they are wearing funny, furry clothes in the cold environment.
3. e
Explanation: Saint Peter only asked for "a single one" cake from her store, not a whole batch.
4. a
Explanation: She withheld the first cake because when she looked at it baking, she thought it seemed too large to give away.
5. e
Explanation: Both statements are false. Saint Peter grew angry, and the woman could not part with the wafer-thin cake, putting it on the shelf instead.
6. a
Explanation: Saint Peter cursed her because he determined she was far too selfish to have food, shelter, and human form, so she would have to build like a bird.
7. b
Explanation: Both facts are true (she flew out the chimney as a woodpecker, and she never spoke a word), but her silence is not the reason she flew out the chimney.
8. d
Explanation: The assertion is false because she still had a scarlet cap on her head, which was left the same. The reason is true, as the rest of her clothes burned black.
9. e
Explanation: Both are false. Ballads are part of folk culture or popular culture and are passed on orally from one generation to the next.
10. c
Explanation: The assertion is true as the text suggests she would not have been so selfish if she knew it was him. The reason is false; she wasn't testing him, she was genuinely greedy.
Very Short Answer Type Questions (1 Mark)
1. Which region does the poem describe?
Answer: The poem describes the region of the Northland.
2. What animals are used to pull sledges in the Northland?
Answer: Swift reindeer are harnessed to the sledges when it snows.
3. Who is the main figure walking the earth in the poem?
Answer: Good Saint Peter is the main figure walking the earth, preaching.
4. What was the little woman doing when Saint Peter met her?
Answer: The little woman was making cakes and baking them on the hearth.
5. Why did Saint Peter ask for food?
Answer: He asked for food because he was faint with fasting and the day was almost done.
6. How many cakes did Saint Peter ask for?
Answer: He asked the woman to give him a single cake.
7. What did the woman do with the final, wafer-thin cake?
Answer: She could not part with it, so she put it on the shelf.
8. What did Saint Peter transform the woman into?
Answer: He transformed her into a woodpecker.
9. What was the only item of the woman's clothing that did not burn?
Answer: Her scarlet cap was left the same and did not burn.
10. What is a ballad?
Answer: A ballad is a song narrating a story in short stanzas, passed on orally from one generation to the next.
Short Answer Type Questions (2 Marks)
1. Describe the days and nights in the Northland.
Answer: In the Northland, the hours of the day are few. The nights are so long in winter that the people cannot sleep through them.
2. How are the children dressed in the Northland and what do they look like?
Answer: The children in the Northland wear funny, furry clothes to protect themselves from the cold. Because of these clothes, they look like bear’s cubs.
3. What was Saint Peter's condition when he reached the woman's cottage?
Answer: Saint Peter was tired from travelling round the earth. He was faint with fasting because the day was almost done.
4. Why did the woman refuse to give away the first cake she baked?
Answer: The woman made a very little cake, but as it lay baking, she looked at it and felt it seemed too large to give away. Her greed prevented her from parting with it.
5. What did the woman do with her third attempt at making a cake?
Answer: For her third attempt, she took a tiny scrap of dough and rolled it flat. She baked it as thin as a wafer, but she still couldn't part with that either.
6. What excuse did the woman give for putting the cakes on the shelf?
Answer: She said that her cakes seemed too small when she ate them herself, but they were yet too large to give away to someone else. Therefore, she put them on the shelf.
7. Why did Saint Peter grow angry with the woman?
Answer: Saint Peter grew angry because he was hungry and faint, and the woman's extreme greed and refusal to give him even a single cake was enough to provoke a saint.
8. What physical form did the woman take after being cursed?
Answer: After being cursed, she went up through the chimney without speaking a word. Out of the top, she flew as a woodpecker, having been changed into a bird.
9. What happened to the woman's clothing during her transformation?
Answer: She had a scarlet cap on her head, which was left the same. However, all the rest of her clothes were burned black as a coal in the flame of the chimney.
10. What does the glossary say about the term "legend"? Why is the poem titled this way?
Answer: The glossary defines a legend as an old traditional story. The poem is titled this way because it narrates an old story passed down to teach a moral lesson about selfishness.
Short Answer Type Questions (3 Marks)
1. Briefly describe the setting of the poem in the first two stanzas.
Answer: The poem is set "Away, away in the Northland," a cold region where winter days have very few hours and nights are exceedingly long. The environment is snowy, prompting people to harness swift reindeer to their sledges, and the children wear funny, furry clothes that make them resemble bear's cubs.
2. Explain the progression of the cakes the woman baked. How does it highlight her character?
Answer: When Saint Peter asked for a single cake, the greedy woman first made a very little cake, but deemed it too large to give away. She kneaded another, smaller one, but felt it looked as large as the first. Finally, she took a tiny scrap of dough, rolling it thin as a wafer, but still could not part with it. This progression highlights her intense selfishness and greed.
3. What were the specific privileges Saint Peter said the woman was too selfish to enjoy?
Answer: In his anger, Saint Peter told the woman that she was far too selfish to dwell in a human form. He stated that she did not deserve to have both food and shelter, nor did she deserve to have a fire to keep her warm.
4. Describe how the woman is punished to live her life as a bird.
Answer: As a punishment, Saint Peter declared that she would have to build her home as birds do. She would have to get her scanty food by continually boring, and boring, and boring all day in the hard, dry wood of trees.
5. How does the poet address the truthfulness of this story in the third stanza?
Answer: In the third stanza, the poet mentions that the people of Northland tell a "curious story," but explicitly states, "I don’t believe ’tis true". However, the poet continues to tell the tale because the reader may learn a valuable moral lesson from it.
6. How would the woman have behaved if she knew the true identity of the beggar, according to the text's Q&A section?
Answer: According to the provided answers in the text, if the old lady had known that the beggar was Saint Peter, she would have been more generous. She would have given him the cake and would not have displayed such severe selfishness.
7. What is a ballad, and what are its characteristics according to the provided text?
Answer: A ballad is defined as a song narrating a story in short stanzas. Ballads are an integral part of folk culture or popular culture and are traditionally passed on orally from one generation to the next. "A Legend of the Northland" serves as an example of this format.
8. What is the legend of Usha and Aniruddha mentioned in the local legends section?
Answer: The legend of Usha and Aniruddha is an ancient romantic story from Assamese folklore. It features Usha, the daughter of King Bana, and Aniruddha, the grandson of Lord Krishna. Usha dreams of Aniruddha and brings him to her palace with the help of her friend Chitralekha.
9. What is the legend of Lachit Borphukan?
Answer: The legend of Lachit Borphukan tells the story of a brave Assamese general who defended Assam against Mughal invasions. His remarkable leadership during the Battle of Saraighat is remembered and celebrated as a heroic act of bravery and sacrifice.
10. What does the old woman say to justify keeping all the cakes to herself?
Answer: The old woman rationalizes her greed by stating a contradiction. She says, "My cakes that seem too small / When I eat of them myself / Are yet too large to give away". This twisted logic allows her to put the final wafer-thin cake on the shelf instead of helping the starving saint.
Long Answer Type Questions (4/5/6 Marks)
1. Describe in detail the encounter between Saint Peter and the little woman. How did her actions lead to her doom?
Answer: Saint Peter, an apostle of Christ, was travelling round the earth, preaching. He arrived at the door of a cottage, faint with fasting as the day was almost done. He saw a little woman baking cakes on the hearth and asked her for just a single one from her store. However, the woman's extreme greed took over. She made a very little cake, but thought it was too large to give away. She then kneaded a smaller one, which also appeared too large to her. Finally, she rolled a tiny scrap of dough as thin as a wafer, but even then, she could not part with it, stating that her cakes seemed too small when she ate them but too large to give away, so she shelved them. This relentless selfishness provoked Saint Peter, who grew angry and cursed her, leading to her doom as she was transformed into a bird.
2. "And surely such a woman / Was enough to provoke a saint." Explain the context of this statement and how Saint Peter punished the woman.
Answer: This statement occurs after the little woman refuses to give even a wafer-thin scrap of baked dough to Saint Peter. Saint Peter was already weak, faint, and hungry from fasting all day. Seeing the woman's absolute lack of empathy and overwhelming greed provoked him to anger, which is notable since saints are usually known for their immense patience. In his anger, Saint Peter declared her too selfish to dwell in human form, or to possess food, shelter, and warming fire. He cursed her to build as birds do and to seek scanty food by boring all day in hard, dry wood. Consequently, she flew up the chimney without a word and emerged from the top transformed into a woodpecker, forever cursed to peck at wood for survival.
3. What is the central moral lesson of the poem "A Legend of the Northland"? How does the poet convey it?
Answer: The central moral lesson of "A Legend of the Northland" is a warning against extreme greed and selfishness. The poem teaches that humans should be generous, especially to those who are weary and in need. The poet conveys this by telling a "curious story" about an old lady who angered Saint Peter because of her greed. Despite having a store of cakes and a warm hearth, she refused to give a starving saint even a wafer-thin piece of bread. Her punishment—losing her human form, her food, her shelter, and her warm fire to become a woodpecker that must relentlessly bore into hard, dry wood for a scanty meal—serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of selfishness. The poet explicitly mentions that though the story might not be true, telling it serves to impart this crucial lesson.
4. Analyze the transformation of the little woman. What physical changes occurred, and what is the significance of the woodpecker's life compared to her human life?
Answer: When Saint Peter cursed the woman, she went up through the chimney without speaking a word and flew out the top as a woodpecker. During this magical transformation, the clothes she was wearing were burned black as a coal in the flame. The only thing that remained the same was the scarlet cap on her head, which became the red crest of the woodpecker. The significance of this transformation lies in the stark contrast to her previous life. As a human, she had a warm hearth, shelter, and a store of easily accessible food (cakes). Because she was too selfish to share these blessings, she was condemned to the harsh life of a bird. She must now build her own shelter in nature and endure the grueling task of boring all day into hard, dry wood just to secure a scanty amount of food, perfectly mirroring the hardness of her own heart.
5. Write a summary of the legend in your own words based on the text provided.
Answer: The ballad is set in the cold Northland, where nights are exceedingly long. The legend tells of good Saint Peter, who, while traveling and preaching on earth, arrived at a woman's cottage tired and faint from fasting. He asked the woman, who was baking on her hearth, for a single cake. Driven by intense greed, the woman repeatedly tried to bake smaller and smaller cakes, ending up with a piece of dough as thin as a wafer. However, she felt even that was too large to give away and put it on the shelf. Her extreme selfishness angered the starving saint. He cursed her, stating she was unworthy of human form, shelter, food, and fire. She immediately flew up the chimney and turned into a woodpecker with a red head and a coal-black body. To this day, schoolboys see her in the forest, endlessly boring into dry wood for food.
6. Discuss how "A Legend of the Northland" fits the definition of a ballad. Support your answer with details from the text.
Answer: According to the provided text, a ballad is a song narrating a story in short stanzas, which is part of folk or popular culture and passed on orally from generation to generation. "A Legend of the Northland" perfectly fits this definition. First, it narrates a clear story with a beginning, middle, and end—the tale of Saint Peter and the greedy woman. Second, the poem is structured in short, four-line stanzas. Third, the poet explicitly mentions that the people of Northland "tell them a curious story," highlighting its oral tradition and status as a local legend. Fourth, it has a simple, musical rhyme scheme (like 'snows'/'clothes', 'true'/'you') designed for easy memorization and recitation. Finally, like many traditional ballads, it carries a strong moral lesson about human behavior, specifically warning against selfishness.
7. Based on the local legends mentioned in the text (Usha and Aniruddha, Kamrup Kamakhya, Lachit Borphukan), explain how legends function to preserve culture and history.
Answer: The text mentions several local Assamese legends that illustrate how such stories preserve culture and history. For instance, the legend of Usha and Aniruddha preserves ancient folklore and romantic mythology linked to King Bana and Lord Krishna. The legend of Kamrup Kamakhya tells the story of an ancient temple, preserving religious beliefs about fertility and power, and maintaining its significance as a major pilgrimage site in India. Furthermore, the legend of Lachit Borphukan preserves the historical memory of a real brave Assamese general who defended his land from Mughal invasions. By remembering his leadership at the Battle of Saraighat as a heroic act of bravery and sacrifice, the culture ensures that future generations are inspired by historical valor. Like "A Legend of the Northland," these stories are passed down to impart values, historical pride, and moral lessons.
8. Describe the setting of the poem and how the poet uses it to establish the mood of the ballad.
Answer: The poet establishes a vivid and somewhat harsh setting right at the beginning to set the mood. The story takes place "Away, away in the Northland," a distant and cold region. The poet emphasizes the harsh winter environment by noting that the hours of the day are few, and the winter nights are so long that people cannot sleep through them. The imagery of snow, people harnessing "swift reindeer / To the sledges," and children bundled in "funny, furry clothes" looking like "bear’s cubs" paints a picture of a challenging, freezing environment. This cold setting implicitly suggests that resources, warmth, and shelter are precious. Consequently, when the little woman refuses to share her warm food from the hearth with the fainting, cold Saint Peter, her selfishness appears even more cruel and severe against the backdrop of the unforgiving Northland winter.
9. Read the stanza: "Then she took a tiny scrap of dough... But she couldn’t part with that." Critically analyze the psychological state of the woman regarding her greed.
Answer: This stanza represents the climax of the woman's greed. Despite Saint Peter asking for only a "single one" from her store of cakes, the woman's psychological attachment to her possessions is so pathological that she cannot bear to give anything away. She takes a "tiny scrap of dough" and rolls it "thin as a wafer". Even though this object has practically no material value and would not feed a starving man, her possessiveness distorts her perception. She rationalizes her greed by claiming her cakes seem too small when she eats them, but somehow too large to give away. Her mind is so consumed by selfishness that the act of giving itself, regardless of the size or value of the item, becomes impossible for her, ultimately sealing her fate when she puts the wafer on the shelf.
10. "And every country schoolboy / Has seen her in the wood". What does this concluding statement signify about the legacy of the old woman's actions?
Answer: The concluding statement that every country schoolboy has seen the woodpecker in the wood signifies the lasting legacy and the eternal nature of the woman's punishment. Because of her extreme greed in refusing food to Saint Peter, she was stripped of her human form forever. By stating that she lives in the trees "till this very day," boring for food, the poet transforms her into a living, permanent symbol of the consequences of selfishness. Every time a schoolboy or anyone else sees a woodpecker with a scarlet cap tapping endlessly on hard, dry wood, they are visually reminded of the legend. Her actions and subsequent doom serve as a timeless moral lesson passed down through generations to warn others against being ungenerous.
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