Class 9 Beehive Poem Chapter 1 Important Question Answers - The Road Not Taken

Ques 1: Why will the choice between two roads that seem very much alike make such a big difference many years later in the life of the poet?
Ans: A choice between two roads that seem very much alike will make such a big difference many years later in the poet’s life. This particular decision, this path, opened up many different opportunities for him in future. The decisions that he now makes will influence him and his life and the rest of the decisions. Since the two roads are the same, they still have varied options in them.

Ques 2: Does the speaker feel that he has made the wrong choice in taking the road “less travelled by”? If not, why does he “sigh”? What does he regret?
Ans: No, the speaker does not feel that he has made a wrong decision by taking the road less travelled. The poet wanted to explore both roads. He tells himself that he will explore one and then come back and explore the other, but he knows that he will probably be unable to do so.

Ques 3: And that has made all the difference. What is your opinion of the difference- was it for the better or the worse? Substantiate your answer.
Ans: The poem does not clearly state whether the choice made by the poet made him happy or sad. However, if we examine the way of the world, we find that the individuals who have achieved recognition and fame have always eschewed the beaten track. Hence, we can reason that the poet-poet-traveller was made happy by choosing the less travelled path, not the beaten track. The concluding line of the poem, “And that has made all the difference,” connotes the poet’s joy.

Ques 4: After reading the poem, can you detail the tone of the entire poem?
Ans: The overall tone of the poem is one of regret. He believes that at some time far in the future, he will still be thinking of his two possible paths “with a sigh”. He does not anticipate being any less conflicted than or any more satisfied with his choice. He realizes that his choice will have made “all the difference” in his life, but he is presently uncertain about what the difference will turn out to be.

Ques 5: Was the poet doubtful or clear that he would return to take the other path, which he could not do earlier?
Ans: Throughout the poem and the poet’s journey, he faces an archetypal dilemma. He doubts if he would ever be able to come back to take that other road, which might have given him some other more lucrative options in life. The poet believes, and we all know, that one road leads to another, so going back to the original path is not easy.

Ques 1: Does the poem, ‘The Road Not Taken’, symbolize or reveal a meaning or aspect of freedom or responsibility?
Ans: The poem reveals the complex nature of a seemingly simple decision. The narrator is conflicted as he thinks about which road to take. Even after some deliberation and the fact that he “Had worn them really about the same,” he cannot help wondering, but then doubting “if I should ever come back”. He is even trying to convince himself that he has made the best choice as, when he looks back, “Somewhere ages and ages hence”, he is sure that he will be able to say that he made the best choice and that it “has made all the difference”.
This poem highlights the fact that freedom (of choice in this instance) brings with it its own set of responsibilities. His poem also, perhaps, indicates the futility of overthinking some situations. If even trivial decisions require so much thought, how can anyone ever make life-changing decisions? Apparently, for the narrator, this is life-changing. At least the choice is his to make.

Ques 2: What do the two roads symbolize in the passage 1? What is the significance of choosing a road?
Ans: The two roads that the poet-traveller faces in his walk or journey are symbolic of the choices that we have to encounter in our lives. The journey or a simple walk itself is a metaphor for the great journey of life. In the poem, the poet, after prolonged thought, decides to take the road less travelled, accepting its challenges and uncertainties. The decision is final and irreversible and it has its own consequences, may be positive or negative. In real life, we also confront such critical situations where we face life-altering options. The decision we make is crucial. We should contemplate our choices before deciding our priorities. Once we make the decision and proceed accordingly, we can never reverse it. The life takes its own course, and it does not give a second chance to alter our decision and change our course of life. Hence, decide wisely.

Ques 3: What is the theme of the poem “The Road Not Taken’?
Ans: The poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ offers a profound perception of the process of decision-making. The traveller at the crossroads of the diverging roads is symbolic of an individual at a decisive moment in his life’s journey. His decision or choice of future action is of utmost significance since the decision decides his destiny. The poet, Robert Frost, through this poem, asserts the importance of the right decision at the right time. In life, we have to make our choices; sometimes, we have to make these choices without a full understanding of the state of affairs. Even then, we should arrive at a decision only after carefully considering all the available options. We may regret our choices, or we may be excited about our choices, but the choices we make at crucial moments will determine and change the path of our lives. Hence, the poem stresses the need for deep and critical analysis of the situation before we arrive at a life-transforming decision.

Ques 4: Discuss the anticipation or remorse in The Road Not Taken.
Ans: There is a fair amount of irony in the poem, but this is also a poem infused with the anticipation of remorse. Its title is not ‘The Road Less Travelled’ but “The Road Not Taken”. Even as he makes a choice (a choice he is forced to make if he does not want to stand forever in the woods, one for which he has no real guide or definitive basis for decision-making), the speaker knows that he will second-guess himself somewhere down the line— or at the very least he will wonder at what is irrevocably lost: the impossible, unknowable Other Path. However, the nature of the decision is such that there is no right path— just the chosen path and the other path. The Road Less Travelled is a fiction the speaker will later invent, an attempt to polarize his past and give himself, retroactively, more agency than he really had. What is sighed for ages and ages hence are not so much the wrong decisions as the moments of decision themselves— moments that, one atop the other, mark the passing of a life. This is the more primal strain of remorse.

Ques 5: What appeals to you in the poem?
Ans: The poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is extremely appealing as it, in simple words and style, presents the importance of making judicious decisions at critical moments in our lives. In life, we have to choose our options; sometimes, we have to make these choices without a full awareness of the circumstances. Even then, we should come to a decision only after vigilantly considering all the alternatives that are offered. We may regret our choice, or we may be thrilled with our choice, but the choice at the vital moment will determine and transform the path of our life. Hence, the poem emphasizes the necessity for deep and serious reasoning of the circumstances before we arrive at a life-transforming decision.