Find Complete A Legend Of The Northland Class 9 Questions And Answers For Easy Learning
FAQs on NCERT Solutions For Class 9 English Chapter 5 A Legend Of The Northland
1. Is 'A Legend of the Northland' a true story?
No, the poem describes a legend, which is a traditional folk tale passed down through generations and not a historically accurate event. Confusion arises because legends often feel believable, but their purpose is to teach a moral lesson, not to document history.
2. Was the woman in the poem punished for a single selfish act?
The little woman was punished for her extreme and repeated greed, not for a single mistake. Saint Peter, faint with hunger, asked for one cake, but she found every cake she baked too large to give away, showing a consistent pattern of selfishness.
The confusion happens because the final curse comes after the last attempt to bake a tiny cake. However, her actions escalate: she first bakes a standard cake, then a smaller one, and finally a wafer-thin scrap, yet her greed prevents her from parting with even that. This demonstrated that her selfishness was deep-rooted.
This is different from a one-time error. For instance, if she had initially refused but then felt remorse and given him the first cake, the outcome would likely have been different. The story’s moral hinges on the idea that her character was fundamentally uncharitable.
Her punishment to live as a woodpecker, constantly working for scant food, directly mirrors her refusal to share her abundance.
3. Do you have to pay for 'A Legend of the Northland' Class 9 questions and answers PDF?
No, you do not have to pay for the question and answer guide. The NCERT Solutions for this chapter are available as a Free PDF for download. This ensures all students can access quality study material to prepare for exams without any cost barriers.
4. What is actually included in the NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 5?
NCERT Solutions for 'A Legend of the Northland' provide complete, step-by-step answers for all the questions in the textbook, not just the final answers. Many students mistakenly think these are just answer keys, but they offer much more to aid understanding.
The solutions cover both the 'Thinking about the Poem' exercise questions and any in-text questions that might appear. Each answer is crafted to explain the reasoning behind it, often highlighting key lines from the poem, explaining literary devices like similes or alliteration, and discussing the central theme of charity versus greed.
For example, for a question about the woman's punishment, the solution won't just state she became a woodpecker. It will explain *why* this punishment was fitting for her crime of being greedy, connecting her new life of 'boring and boring for food' to her old life of hoarding it.
This structured approach helps you learn how to frame high-quality answers for your exams.
5. Is the 'Northland' in the poem a specific country?
No, the 'Northland' is a symbolic, cold region near the North Pole, not a specific, real country. The poem uses this setting to emphasize the harsh living conditions and long winters, making Saint Peter’s need for warmth and food more urgent and the woman's selfishness more pronounced.
6. Is the poem's main message just about how the woodpecker was created?
The poem's main theme is a moral lesson on the sin of greed and the importance of charity, not just an origin story for the woodpecker. The transformation into a woodpecker is the consequence that powerfully illustrates the central message.
Students sometimes focus only on the narrative—the story of how the woodpecker came to be. However, this is the framework used to deliver the moral. The poet, Phoebe Cary, uses this legend to teach that selfishness and greed lead to a miserable existence. The woman had a warm fire and plenty of food but couldn't share a tiny bit.
As a woodpecker, she gets to keep nothing, has only a 'scanty' amount of food, and must work relentlessly for it by 'boring and boring'. This punishment is a direct reflection of her earthly behaviour. The legend serves as a timeless warning against being uncharitable.
The story's power comes from its lesson, not just its explanation for a bird's existence.
7. Did Saint Peter curse the woman immediately after she refused him?
No, Saint Peter did not curse the woman immediately; he gave her multiple opportunities to be charitable. He waited patiently as she baked a cake, then a smaller one, and finally an even tinier one, showing his curse was a last resort after her repeated, selfish actions.
8. Can I skip reading the poem if I just use the Class 9 English Chapter 5 question answers?
No, NCERT Solutions are designed to be a study aid, not a replacement for reading the poem itself. Relying only on solutions prevents you from fully understanding the poem's rhythm, literary devices, and emotional tone.
The common mistake is to treat the solutions as a shortcut. However, their real value is in helping you *after* you have read the text. First, read 'A Legend of the Northland' to form your own interpretations. Then, attempt to answer the textbook questions on your own.
Finally, use the prepared NCERT question answers to check your work, fill in any gaps in your understanding, and learn how to structure your points effectively. For example, the solutions can point out the ballad form of the poem or the use of repetition, details you might miss that are important for a complete answer.
Using solutions this way enhances your learning instead of just helping you complete an assignment.
9. Are the solutions for this chapter just a simple summary?
No, the ncert solution class 9 english chapter 5 goes far beyond a simple summary by providing structured answers to specific textbook questions. While a summary gives a general overview, the solutions dissect parts of the poem to answer targeted questions about character, theme, and poetic devices.
A summary might say, "A greedy woman is turned into a woodpecker." In contrast, a solution for a question about her character would analyze her actions—baking smaller and smaller cakes—to prove her greed. It might also explain the significance of Saint Peter's curse as a form of poetic justice.
These detailed explanations, like those found in the Vedantu solutions, are designed to guide students in writing answers that are both accurate and well-supported by evidence from the text. They teach analytical skills, which a simple summary cannot.
Solutions explain the 'why' and 'how' behind the story, not just the 'what'.
10. Did the woman enjoy her new life as a woodpecker?
No, becoming a woodpecker was a harsh punishment, not a new life to enjoy. The poem explicitly states she must get her 'scanty food' by 'boring and boring all day in the hard, dry wood,' emphasizing a life of endless, difficult labour for very little reward.
11. Do Vedantu's NCERT solutions only help with textbook questions?
While the solutions directly address textbook questions, they are structured to help you tackle extra questions as well. By explaining the core concepts, character motivations, and themes in detail, they provide the foundational knowledge needed to answer any related question, including MCQs or short-answer types.

















