📜 Poem 5: A Legend of the Northland

Answer: "The Northland" most likely refers to the very cold regions in the extreme north of the globe, such as Greenland, the northern parts of Russia (Siberia), northern Canada, and parts of Norway and other Arctic areas. These regions are known for long, harsh winters, ice, and snow.

Answer: Saint Peter asked the old lady for one of her baked cakes because he was hungry. The lady baked three cakes in succession, each smaller than the first, but she could not bear to give any of them to him. She was extremely selfish and ungenerous.

Answer: He punished the old lady by turning her into a woodpecker. As a woodpecker, she had to live like birds do, building a home in trees, spending her days boring into hard, dry wood, and finding only a little food.

Answer: The woodpecker obtains food by pecking and boring into tree trunks to reach insects and larvae hidden inside the wood. She uses a strong beak to make holes and then extracts the insects from within the tree.

Answer: No, if the old lady had known that the visitor was Saint Peter, she would probably not have behaved so ungenerously. She would have offered him a proper cake to show hospitality and to gain his favour, instead of trying to give him almost nothing.

Answer: No, this account is not literally true; it is a legend. The most important part of the poem is the transformation of the old lady into a woodpecker. That moment highlights the moral lesson: selfishness brings punishment, and generosity is a valued quality.

Answer: A legend is a traditional tale from the past that people accept and pass down, though its historical truth cannot be verified. Legends often teach a moral lesson and sometimes contain supernatural or exaggerated events. This poem is called a legend because it uses a fanciful, memorable event — the old lady's transformation — to teach the moral importance of generosity.

Answer: Saint Peter visited the cottage of an old woman in a cold northern region while he was hungry. The woman was baking cakes when he asked her for one. She tried to make a small cake for him but always judged it too large to give away. Each time she made a smaller cake, she still would not part with it. At last she rolled a wafer-thin scrap of dough but refused to hand it to him. Angry at her selfishness, Saint Peter decided she was too selfish to remain human. He punished her by turning her into a woodpecker so that she would live in trees and bore for her food. Her clothes fell away in the change, leaving only a scarlet cap. She still lives in the woods, boring into trees for her food. This legend teaches us to be generous and kind to others.

Answer: More rhyming pairs in the poem:

• few – through
• long – through
• reindeer – snows (approximate)
• cubs – clothes (approximate)
• story – true
• Peter – below
• preaching – know
• cottage – earth
• cakes – hearth
• done – one
• small – all
• roll – coal
• same – flame
• wood – food

Answer: (Personal activity) This is a project-based question. Students are expected to research and present a legend from their own language or region. For example, in Hindi, one could narrate the legend of "Dhruva" or "Prahlad," or local folk tales about bravery and honesty. The key is to share a story that has been passed down orally and contains a moral lesson.