Gujarat Board GSEB Class 9 English Textbook Solutions Beehive Poem 1 The Road not taken Textbook Exercise Important Questions and Answers, Notes Pdf.
Gujarat Board Textbook Solutions Class 9 English Beehive Poem 1 The Road not taken
GSEB Class 9 English The Road not taken Text Book Questions and Answers
I. Thinking about the Poem:
Question 1.
Where does the traveller find himself? What problem does he face?
Answer:
The traveller finds himself in the yellow woods at a junction where the road diverges into two different directions. He could not decide which way he should continue his journey because it is not possible for him to travel both the roads at the same time.
Question 2.
Discuss what these phrases mean to you :
(i) a Yellowwood
Answer:
Yellowwood symbolises the autumn season. Autumn corresponds with old age. The poet could be symbolically talking about the later stage of life.
(ii) It was grassy and wanted wear.
Answer:
It conveys that the road was overgrown with grass and nobody had trodden that road.
(iii) ‘the passing there.’
Answer:
It means ‘the use of that road/path by passersby.’
(iv) …‘leaves no step had trodden black.’
Answer:
It means ‘passersby had not trodden that way. The leaves lying on that way had not changed their colour because of being trampled on and turned black.
(v) ‘how way leads on to way.’
Answer:
It means the poet was knowing that one way leads to another. It also symbolically means how certain decisions one makes in life could pave the way for many other decisions.
Question 3.
Is there any difference between the two roads as the poet describes them-
(i) In Stanzas two and three?
Answer:
In stanza two, the poet explains that the only difference between the two roads was that the road he took had the right to be chosen (the better claim) because it was grassy and it had not been used too much.
In stanza three, the poet says that both the roads were equally covered with leaves and no person had trodden them.
(ii) In the last two lines of the poem?
Answer:
In the last two lines of the poem, the poet says that there is a difference between the two roads as the road he had taken was less travelled by other people and it made all the difference to his journey.
Question 4.
What, do you think, the last two lines of the poem mean? (Looking back, does the poet regret his choice or accept it ?)
Answer:
The last two lines show the importance of making a choice in one’s life. The poet has taken a path that has been rather unused so far. And that has made all the difference for him. The poet made a choice and accepted the challenging path. He took the unexplored (untrodden) path in his life. He wanted to do something different in his life, so he has chosen the less travelled road. No, he does not regret his choice.
II.
Question 1.
Have you ever had to make a difficult choice (or do you think you will have difficult choices to make)? How will you make the choice (for what reasons)?
Answer:
No, till now I have never been in a situation in which I had to make a difficult choice. Perhaps I am still too young to make an independent choice. Yes, I think sooner or later I will have difficult choices to make. After completing my general education, I will have to make choice of profession whether I should become an engineer or doctor or something else.
I will have hundreds of options before me. Then it will be difficult to make a choice between them. I will make choice according to my capabilities and strong points at that time. I will choose a path that gives me satisfaction and mental peace. I will not join the rat race for money. Like the poet in poem, I will choose a challenging and unexplored path in my life.
Question 2.
After you have made a choice do you always think about what might have been, or do you accept the reality?
Answer:
Taking a decision sometimes makes or mars our future. Having made a choice, I accept the reality. Reconsidering a decision or contemplating over it is not a positive approach towards life. Such thoughts never allow us to be happy with what we have gained from our decision. Therefore, I believe in sticking to my decisions.
GSEB Class 9 English The Road not taken Additional Important Questions and Answers
Reading Comprehension
Read the following stanzas and answer the questions given below them:
Question 1.
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;
Questions :
(1) Where did the poet stand confused for a long time?
(2) Could the poet see the road to its end? Why?
(3) Pick out rhyming words from the stanza.
Answer:
(1) The poet stood confused at a junction from where two roads diverged/forked.
(2) No, the poet could not see the road to its end because it bent in the undergrowth.
(3) The rhyming words in this stanza are: wood – stood – could; both – undergrowth
Question 2.
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.
Questions :
(1) How was the second road different from the first?
(2) Explain ‘the better claim’ in this stanza.
(3) What is the rhyme scheme in this stanza?
Answer:
(1) The second road gave positive vibes to the poet. It looked more grassy and less trodden.
(2) ‘The better claim’ is that the poet thought that taking the second road would be more beneficial to him.
(3) The rhyme scheme in this stanza is: ‘abaab’.
Question 3.
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.
Questions :
(1) What made the choice of a road difficult for the poet?
(2) What doubt did the poet have after choosing one out of two roads?
(3) Identify and explain the Figure of Speech in the line – ‘Yet knowing how way leads on to way’.
Answer:
(1) The two roads equally lay having layer of fallen leaves, so the poet could not decide which way he should choose for his further journey.
(2) After choosing one road out of two, the poet doubted whether he would ever be able to come back to travel on the one that was left.
(3) The Figure of Speech in the line – ‘Yet knowing how way leads on to way’ is Repetition. The word ‘way’ is repeated to create poetic effect.
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.
Questions :
(1) What does the poet mean by the words – ‘telling this with a sigh’?
(2) What made ‘all the difference’ to the poet?
(3) Identify and explain the Figure of Speech in the line – ‘Somewhere ages and ages hence.
Answer:
(1) By these words in the line, the poet does not regret for the other road he has taken, but he uses the word ‘sigh’ to convey deep thoughts.
(2) Two roads were equally fair, but the poet chose ‘the one less travelled by. That has made ‘all the difference’ to the poet. This choice conveys the venturesome spirit of the poet.
(3) The Figure of Speech in the line ‘somewhere ages and ages hence’ is Repetition. The word ‘ages’ gets repeated in the line.
Figures of Speech
Choose the correct Figures of Speech in the following lines :
Question 1.
‘Two roads diverged in a yellow wood’.
A. Metaphor
B. Consonance
C. Assonance
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B’
Answer:
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B’
Question 2.
‘Then took the other, just as fair’.
A. Personification
B. Metaphor
C. Simile
D. Repetition
Answer:
C. Simile
Question 3.
‘Somewhere ages and ages hence.
A. Assonance
B. Repetition
C. Simile
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B’
Answer:
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B’
Question 4.
‘Because it was grassy and wanted wear.
A. Personification
B. Metaphor
C. Synecdoche
D. Repetition
Answer:
A. Personification
Questions – Answers
Answer the following questions in three to four sentences each:
Question 1.
Discuss the significance of the title ‘The Road Not Taken.
Answer:
It depicts the feeling of regret. After making a choice, he was plagued with the idea of not making the other choice. He regrets not adopting the other cause, the other road, the other choice. Even when we do well often making a choice we keep thinking of the games and success which could have been ours if we had taken the other choice.
Question 2.
Describe the two roads that the author finds. Which road does he choose?
Answer:
One day the poet comes to a bifurcation in the road and needs to decide which road he should take to continue his journey. One road was a beaten track. Many people had walked on it. It was lost in the small shrubs. The other road was grassy and seemed less trodden. Being adventurous in nature, the poet chooses the second road which was grassy and less walked on and left the first one for some other day.
Question 3.
What was the poet’s dilemma in the poem ‘The Road Not Taken?
Answer:
The poet faces a dilemma that every man faces in his life, i.e., making a right decision. One day during the walk the poet reached bifurcation in the road. Out of the two roads, he had to take only one. He decides to take the second road which was less frequented. Hence, the road is a symbolic of the choice. It is just not possible to make more than one choice and to take both the roads. So the poet decides to take the road less travelled.
Question 4.
Why did the poet keep the first road for another day?
Answer:
Once the poet had to make a decision as to which road he should travel out of two in front of him. He examines both the roads and finds the other road less travelled. He didn’t want to follow a beaten track and decides to take the other road and keep the first road for some other day. But somewhere in his mind, he is troubled with the thought that he may not be able to do so.
Question 5.
“I took the one less travelled by.” What do we come to know about the poet from this line?
OR
What does the choice made by the poet indicate about his personality in the poem ‘The Road Not Taken?
Answer:
This line reveals the adventurous nature of the poet because when he had to take a decision of making a choice, he did not take the beaten track. He chooses the path which is not frequented. He decides to leave the first road for some other day knowing full well that he will not get a chance to go back to it.
Answer the following questions in about five to six sentences each:
Question 1.
Write a brief note on the theme of Robert Frost’s poem ‘The Road Not Taken.’
Answer:
Robert Frost is known for writing poetry which had philosophical streaks. The poem ‘The Road Not Taken is based on, the theme of making a difficult choice which has a universal appeal. It concerns making the right choice, the right decision. Road is a symbolic word which stands for a choice.
It is just not possible to make more than one choice and to take both the roads. We have to make one choice, we have to take one road. While making our choice we do consider all the factors still it is not foolproof. So the element of regret remains which takes away our contentment. This is the great tragedy of life.
Question 2.
Why did the poet doubt his coming back on the same intersection in life?
Answer:
This poem is about choices, decisions and their consequences. It is a fact that once the choice has been made, there is no going back. The traveller standing on the road of life is confronted with a dilemma when both the paths or choices look equally promising. Once a road is chosen, the traveller has to move on.
There is no rewinding. There would never be a befitting time or opportunity for coming back and exercising the choice again. Time has changed, so has the psychology of the traveller. It will never be the same again. So one sticks to the road one has taken and makes it lead to the destination already decided.
The Road not taken Summary in English
The Road not taken Introduction:
Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963) was an American poet. He is known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. He frequently wrote about settings from rural life in New England in the early 20th century.
The Road not taken Summary:
The poem describes someone standing at a fork, or turning point, in a road in the woods, trying to decide which path he’s going to take. Fie looks down one road as far as he can see, and after thinking for another minute, decides to take the other one because it looks like nobody’s been that way yet, and he’s curious about where it leads.
He thinks maybe he might come back another day and try out the other path but he has a feeling that the road he’s chosen will lead him to new places and discoveries and he probably won’t be back. He thinks wistfully about that road, the road not taken and where he might have wound up ¡f he’d gone that way instead. Part of him regrets his decision, but he also realizes that the things he’s seen and the places he’s gone because of the direction he chose has made him who he is.