Short Answer Questions (with Solutions) Chapter 7 - The Road Not Taken, Class 9, English

1. What is the central idea of the poem 'The Road Not Taken'?

The central idea of the poem 'The Road Not Taken' is that our choices in life determine our future. The speaker is faced with a choice between two paths, and he takes the one that is less travelled by. This choice, he says, has made all the difference in his life.

2. What does the speaker mean by 'sorry I could not travel both'?

The speaker means that he wishes he could have taken both paths, but he knows that it is impossible. He must choose one path, and that choice will determine the course of his life.

3. Why does the speaker say that the second road was 'just as fair'?

The speaker says that the second road was 'just as fair' as the first because both paths were covered with leaves that had not been stepped on. This suggests that both paths were equally new and unexplored.

4. Why does the speaker say that he doubted if he should ever come back?

The speaker says that he doubted if he should ever come back because he knows that once he makes his choice, he will never be able to go back and take the other path. He will have to live with the consequences of his decision.

5. What does the phrase 'I took the one less travelled by' mean?

The phrase 'I took the one less travelled by' means that the speaker chose the path that was not as popular or well-worn as the other path. This choice, he says, has made all the difference in his life.

6. What is the overall tone of the poem 'The Road Not Taken'?

The overall tone of the poem 'The Road Not Taken' is reflective and contemplative. The speaker is looking back on a choice he made in his past and wondering what might have happened if he had chosen differently.

7. What is the significance of the title 'The Road Not Taken'?

The title 'The Road Not Taken' suggests that the speaker has made a choice that is different from what most people would do. This choice has led him down a different path in life, and he is reflecting on the consequences of that choice.

1. What did the narrator hope that he would do one day? Was he sure of doing so?

Answer- The narrator hoped to come back and try the other path someday. No, he did not think he would do so because he knew that one path led to another and it would be difficult for him to come back.


2. What does the poet mean when he says, ‘worn them really about the same’?

Answer-  The poet means to relay to the readers that both the roads that diverged in a yellow wood seemed similar and both of them looked as if they had not been used for a while.


3. What is the main problem or the dilemma of the poet?

Answer- Robert Frost’s ‘The Road Not Taken’ revolves around the dilemma of making the right choice in life. He suffers from an illusion that he can use the option he has left for the other day. Whatever ‘road’ or way of life he chooses, it makes all the difference in his life. Sometimes after a long time, he will have to repent for choosing the path that was less travelled by. It didn’t turn out to be quite a rewarding choice or option.


4. How does the poet resolve the dilemma? Which road does he choose and why?

Answer- The two roads represent two ways of life. They stand for two directions, two attitudes and even two careers in life. The dilemma is of making the right and the rewarding choice. Two roads diverge in different directions. They look equally beautiful and fair. The poet leaves the first road for another day. He opts for the road that was less travelled by and ‘wanted wear’. He opts for an option that is not very conventional, popular and risk-free.


5. ‘The Road Not Taken’ is a metaphor of life. Justify this statement. Justify the title.

Answer- In ‘The Road Not Taken’, Frost uses the fork in the road as a metaphor for the choices we make in life. Thus, the two roads are, in fact, two alternative ways of life. They represent two directions and two options open to the poet. He has made a choice. He has opted for the road which is ‘less travelled by’. He leaves the first ‘for another day’. It becomes impossible to come back on the road one has left. One’s choice makes ‘all the difference’ in one’s life. Hence, the title is appropriate and logical.


6. Why has the poet’s choice ‘made all difference’ in his life?

Answer- Robert Frost uses the fork in the road as a metaphor for the choices we make in life. The two roads represent two alternative ways, two options and two directions of life. One has to face the dilemma. He opts for an unconventional and risky path of life. He chooses to be a poet. This choice has made all the difference in his life. Perhaps he would realise late in life that he chose an alternative which was less rewarding than the one he had left.


7. Why did the poet leave the first road? Did he ever get a chance to walk on the road he had left for ‘another day?

Answer- The poet left the first road and chose the other one which was less travelled, grassy and ‘wanted wear’. He left the first road for another day. But he had a genuine doubt. He knew that one path leads to another and then he would not get a chance to go back.


8. Why do you think the poet sighs in the last stanza of the poem?

Answer- The last stanza reveals that the poet would be telling his story with a sense of regret as the alternative chosen by him did not yield the satisfactory result. He is not very excited while telling the story of his life as he feels that had he taken the other road things might have taken a better shape. Hence, the poet sighs with a sense of dissatisfaction in the last stanza of the poem.


9. The poet says, “I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference.” What is ‘the difference that the poet mentions?

Answer-  The poet says his choice of that particular road has shaped his life in a specific manner with which he is not very happy. Had he chosen the other road, his ambitions and aspirations in life might have been fulfilled and he would not have looked back with a sense of regret. Probably, he would have called himself a successful man.


10. What is the theme of the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’?

Answer- In ‘The Road Not Taken’, Robert Frost makes a fascinating use of two roads as a metaphor for life. The two roads serve as a metaphor for the choices one makes in life. ‘Thus, the roads are, in fact, two alternative ways of life. The choice one makes has a far-reaching consequence. Elie poet leaves the first road for the road less travelled by and accepts challenges and dares to walk on the untrodden path which has made all the difference in his life.


11. Why did the poet leave the first road?

Answer- The poet left the first road thinking that he would use it on some other day. He found the second road more inviting. The second road was less travelled by and it also wanted wear.


12. Justify the title ‘The Road Not Taken’.

Answer- The tide ‘The Road Not Taken’ is quite appropriate. It clearly brings out the theme of the poem. The title hints at the dilemmas of life—the choices that one makes in life. Whatever ‘road’ or the way of life one chooses, it makes all the difference. It is the ability to do things differently that makes one stand out in the crowd. Many times, the man yearns for what he has denied himself in life, rather than what he has chosen. Hence, the poet has given his poem the title ‘The Road Not Taken’.