Q and Ans: The Road Not Taken

 

CLASS: IX

Poem 1 - The Road Not taken                                                                       B Poet – Robert Frost

 

Introduction

 In the poem - ‘The Road Not Taken’, the road symbolizes our life. The poet says that the path that we don’t choose in our life is ‘the road not taken’. He describes his feelings about that choice that he had left in the past. The path which we have chosen, decides our future, our destination. The important message that the poet wants to give is that the choice that we make has an impact on our future and if we make a wrong choice, we regret it but cannot go back on it. So, we must be wise while making choices.

The Central Idea

The poem revolves round a general problem that one, faces in life. It is of making a choice in life. Life gives us many opportunities and one has to take a decision and stick to it. One can’t get everything in life. The decision taken can sometimes be wrong also but the choice has to be made. The choice affects our life, but the step once taken cannot be retraced.

Word-Meaning

·        diverged: (of a road, route, or line) separate from another route, especially a main one, and go in a different direction.

·        yellow wood: refers to the forest in the autumn season, the road was full of grass and very few people had used it.

·        undergrowth: a dense of shrubs and other plants, especially under trees in woodland.

·        fair: as good as the other one.

·        claim: better option.

·        grassy: covered with grass.

·        wanted wear: had not been used.

·        trodden means walked over.

·        sigh: emit a long, deep, audible breath.

·        hence: in the future (used after a period of time)

Extract

Read the extract given below and answers the question that follow.

Question 1:
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follows :
Two roads diverged in yellow wood.
And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveller, long I stood And locked down once as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;

1.      At which point had the poet reached?

2.      Why was the traveller feeling sorry?

3.      Give the opposite to ‘met at a point’ from the passage?

Answer:

1.      The poet is standing at a point where two roads diverged in the yellow wood.

2.      The poet is feeling sorry because he could not travel both the roads.

3.      ‘Diverged’.

Question 2:
And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden back Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted it if I should ever come back

1.      Which road does the poet choose?

2.      Why was the poet doubtful about the first road?

3.      Find a word from the extract that means ‘crushed’.

Answer:

1.      The poet took the second road.

2.      The poet chose the second road over the first thinking that he would come to it some other day. Yet, he was very doubtful that he would ever be able to come back to it someday.

3.      Trodden.

Question 3:
Then took the other, just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same.

1.      Why did the poet take the other road?

2.      What did the poet discover while travelling on the other road?

3.      What do the given lines suggest about the speaker?

Answer:

1.      The poet took the other road because he thought that it was more challenging to travel on it as only a few had used (trodden on) it.

2.      The poet discovered, while travelling on the other road, that the second was almost equally used as the first one.

3.      The given lines suggest that the speaker loved challenges and difficulties.

Question 4:
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence;
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.

1.      How did the poet make his choice about the roads?

2.      What had made a lot of difference in the poet’s life?

3.      What does the term “road” stand for?

Answer:

1.      The poet took the road which was less travelled as it was grassy and less worn.

2.      The poet regretted his decision as he thought that he would have been successful if he would have taken the other road and so his life would have been different.

3.      The term “road” stands for opportunities and choices.

Question 5:
Then took the other, just as fair,”
And having perhaps the better chance,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same.

1.      What made the poet choose such a road?

2.      What does the poet mean by “just as fair”?

3.      Find the phrase from the extract that mean “had not been used”.

Answer:

1.      The poet chose such a road because grass has grown there and none had travelled so far on it.

2.      “Just as fair” means that the other road was as beautiful as the one seen earlier.

3.      Wanted wear

Question 6:
I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence;
Two roads diverged in a wood, and 11 took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.

1.      Write the name of the poem and the poet.

2.      Why did the poet take the road which was less travelled by?

3.      Why was the poet in dilemma?

Answer:

1.      The Road Not Taken – Robert Frost

2.      The poet took the road which was less travelled by because he wanted to be different from others in his life.

3.      The poet was in a dilemma while choosing one of the two roads.

Question 7:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood And sorry I could not travel both An be one traveller, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth.

1.      Where did the roads diverge?

2.      Where did the one road lead to?

3.      What does “yellow wood” stand for?

Answer:

1.      The roads diverged in the yellow wood.

2.      The one road led to dense growth of plants and animals.

3.      “Yellow wood” stands for the autumn season.

Question 8:
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

1.      Who has composed these lines?

2.      What does “both” refer to?

3.      Trace a word from the extract which means “suspected”.

Answer:

1.      These lines were composed by Robert Frost.

2.      “Both” refers to two roads which lead to different directions.

3.      Doubted.

Question 9:
And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden back.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

1.      What does “both” refer to in the stanza?

2.      Explain “in leaves no step had trodden back”.

3.      Write the rhyming scheme of the extract.

Answer:

1.      “Both” in the above stanza refers to two roads which diverged in different directions.

2.      “In leaves no step had trodden back” means that both the roads were covered with yellow leaves and nobody had walked on them.

3.      abaab

Question 10:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveller, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth.

1.      What problem does the poet faces?

2.      Where is the poet standing?

3.      Find a word from the extract that means “separated”.

Answer:

1.      The poet wasn’t able to decide which road or path he should tread upon.

2.      The poet is standing at a point where two roads diverge in a yellow wood.

3.      Diverged.

Question 11:
‘Two roads diverged in a yellow wood And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveller, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth’

1.      Why is the poet feeling sorry?

2.      What is the mood of the poet?

3.      Find the word from the extract which means the same as “branched out”.

Answer:

1.      The poet is feeling sorry because he could not travel both the roads.

2.      The mood of the poet is regretful and thoughtful.

3.      Diverge.

Short Answers

Question 1. What was the poet’s dilemma?

Answer: The poet was standing before the two roads. He had to decide which one would lead him to success. It was not easy for him to decide. So he stood there and introspected. Out the two options, he had to choose the one. Of course, it was not an easy choice.

Question 2. What was the poet’s opinion about both the roads?

Answer: The poet opined that both the roads were same. They were equally travelled and there was no difference between them. So he got confused. It was difficult to decide which road would be more convenient and comfortable. He wanted to choose the one that would take him to his intended destination.

Question 3. What do the roads represent?

Answer: The roads represent the problem of decision-making. Human beings suffer because of their choices and decisions. They find themselves in such situations at every step in their lives. Out of the available options, they have to choose the one that may take them to their destination. The choice decides the outcome in life.

Question 4. Did the poet take his decision haphazardly?

Answer: No, he speculated and brooded over the situation. He took this decision after a lot of contemplation. He did not take this decision haphazardly. No doubt, he was a bit confused. After all, it was not quite easy to make the right choice. But he exercised his option after much contemplation.

Question 5. Why did the poet choose that road?

Answer: The poet chose that road because it was less travelled. He wanted to do those activities which had not been done by anyone earlier. The poet didn’t seem to be interested in choosing a much trodden path of life. Avoiding the popular rat-race, he opted for the option that broke fresh grounds.

Question 6. What is the message of the poem?

Answer: The message of the poem is to make people aware of their analytical skills. The poet wishes to say that choices should be made carefully and thoughtfully. One should behave responsibly because life does not offer multiple chances every now and then.

Question 7. Did the poet make the right choice?

Answer: It is not easy to say whether the poet made the right choice or not. He, himself couldn’t reach to any such conclusion. It is possible that he may repent for making such a choice. He avoided the popular and off-beaten path of life. He dared to choose the path which was less frequented used by the people. This bold decision might bring all the difference in his life.

Question 8. Why did the poet take the ‘other’ road? Why did the ‘other’ road have a better claim than the first road?

Answer: The poet had to choose one of the two roads. He left the one which was a popular choice. He decided to take the ‘other’ road which was less frequented and travelled by the people. The ‘other’ road had a better claim as it was grassy. It invited the people to walk on it.

Question 9. Describe the conditions of both the roads that lay open before the poet on that morning.

Answer: In the yellow autumnal wood, two roads diverged into two directions. Both of them were covered with the fallen leaves. In the morning, both of them were still untouched. The steps of travellers have not blackened them. One was frequently used by the travellers. The other one was not a popular choice. It seemed to invite people to walk on it.

Question 10. Was the poet certain to come back on the road he had left for another day?

Answer: Life and its ways are complex and confusing. One roads leads to another. In this web, one has to make a choice. The poet left the one road and hope that he would use it on another day. But he was quite doubtful. It often happens that the road that is left once, is left forever. Rarely do we come on to that road again.

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