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

Q1: What is wood? What did the narrator see in the woods? Were the paths similar?
Ans. Wood means a forest. He saw two paths diverging and disappearing in the undergrowth. No, one had more grass and seemed less used than the other.

Q2: What did the narrator hope that he would do one day? Was he sure of doing so?
Ans. 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.

Q3: Does one road seem to be more appealing than the other? Use examples from the poem to support your answer?
Ans. At first the narrator comes to a fork in the road and is not able to decide which path to take. One of the roads looks more frequented by people while the second road appears to be less travelled on. Though he is tempted to walk on both, he decides to take the second path with the intention of walking on the first one sometime in the future.

Q4: What does the poet mean when he says, ‘worn them really about the same’?
Ans. 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.

Q5: What is the main problem or the dilemma of the poet?
Ans. Robert Frost’s ‘The Road Not Taken’ revolves around the dilemma of making the right choices 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.

Q6: How does the poet resolve the dilemma? Which road does he choose and why?
Ans. 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 diverged 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.

Q7: ‘The Road Not Taken’ is a metaphor for life. Justify this statement. Justify the title.
Ans. 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.

Q8: Why has the poet’s choice ‘made all the difference’ in his life?
Ans. 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.

Q9: 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?
Ans. 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.

Q10: ‘I doubted if I should ever come back’. Why does the poet doubt he should ever come back?
Ans. The poet doubts whether he should ever come back to tray-: the other road because he knows that one road leads to another. As a reckless and curious traveller, he was sure to continue to move on in the journey of life. Thus there were no chances of his retracing his steps. Normally one sticks to the decision once taken.

Q11: What does the divergence in the road signify in real life?
Ans. The divergence in the road signifies that many times in real life we have difficult choices to make. We take a long time thinking about which of the two would be a better option and only time can tell whether we were right in making the choice we made. The forking of one road into two is symbolic of the confusion or dilemma we face in life while confronting a problem and making a decision.

Q12: Why did the poet stand long on the forked road to make the decision?
Ans. The poet took a long time to make a decision because he could not foresee which choice would prove to be beneficial for hint As he looked at the roads he couldn’t see beyond a particular point. One road was well-trodden and the other showed no signs of anyone treading on it. Thus the poet stood there for a long time undecided which one to experiment with.

Q13: What impact did the choice of the ‘other road’ make on the poet’s life?
Ans. While making a choice of the roads, the poet took time deciding which one to take. The poet’s choice shaped his life in a different manner. He had a shade of regret about his choke. He knew that his life wouldn’t have been as it was presented if he had taken the other road.

Q14: 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?
Ans.  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.

Q15: What does the poet mean by ‘yellow wood’?
Ans. ‘Yellow wood’ refers to the jungle with decomposing leaves shed from the trees. It stands for a world where people have been living since long.

Q16: Which road does Robert Frost choose and why?
Ans. Robert Frost chooses the second road less travelled by the travellers. He chose the second road because it was more inviting and wanted to wear’.

Q17: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.” What do the two roads indicate here? What was the poet’s dilemma?
Ans.  The two roads indicate the choices or decisions one has to make in one’s life. The poet has presented the dilemma that one goes through while taking a decision regarding one’s future. The poet, too, is faced with the dilemma of which road to choose for the course of his travel.

Q18: What is the theme of the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’?
Ans. In ‘The Road Not Taken’, Robert Frost makes 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 far-reaching consequences. 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.

Q19: Justify the title ‘The Road Not Taken’.
Ans. The title ‘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’.

Q20: In the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’, why did the poet feel like travelling both the roads?
Ans. Both the roads lay in front of the poet almost in the same condition. He chose the second road and felt sorry about not choosing the first one. The poet wanted to experience both situations. He was also not sure of the outcome of his choice. So, the poet wanted to travel by both roads.

Q21: What moral lesson do you get from the poem ‘The Road not Taken’?
Ans. According to the poet, one should not adopt the shortcuts in life. We should choose the daring and experimental path that involves turmoil and tension. These practices ennoble a man for his life. In order to seek the truth, we should not follow the easy, convenient and trodden path. The poet has chosen the other road which is less trodden by the people.

Q22: What problem did the poet feel while standing on the intersection of the two roads?
Ans. While standing on the crossing, the poet saw two roads diverged in a yellow forest. For the poet both the roads looked fascinating. One was widely trodden and the other was untrodden. At last, he chose the second road and hoped to travel the first on some other day.

Q23: Explain “Way leads on to way.”
Ans. Here we can find two meanings. In the first, we find that the poet is undecided to follow the road. Once a choice is made, there is no retreating back even if the choice is wrong. Same is true for our life. We must make a definite choice where there is no turning. Situations do change and may require adjustments but we must not return.

Q24: Why did the poet keep the first road for another day?
Ans. The poet kept the first road for another day in the hope that he would travel it in the future. But all know that our future is uncertain. No one can predict it. One can never hope to return to the original starting point to resume the path.