Assignments [The Road Not Taken ]

A] Shorts questions and answers

Q1. What is wood? What did the narrator see in the wood? Were the paths similar?
Ans. A forest is represented by wood. In the undergrowth, he noticed two paths diverging and
disappearing. No, one had more grass and appeared to be less used.
Q2. What did the narrator hope that he would do one day? Was he sure of doing so?
Ans. The narrator hoped to return someday and try the other path. No, he didn’t think so
because he knew one path led to another and it would be difficult for him to return.
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 arrives at a fork in the road and is unsure which path to take. One of
the roads appears to be more heavily traveled, while the other appears to be less so. Though
tempted to walk on both, he chooses the second path with the intention of returning to the first
path later.
Q4. What does the poet mean when he says, ‘worn them really about the same’?
Ans. The poet intends to convey to the readers that both roads that diverged in a yellow wood
appeared similar and both appeared to have not been used in a long time.
Q5. 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 took the less traveled, grassy, and ‘wanted wear’ road instead of the first. He
abandoned the first road for another day. But he had genuine reservations. He was aware that
one path leads to another and that he would not be able to return to the road he was leaving.
Q6. Why has the poet’s choice ‘made all the difference’ in his life?
Ans. The fork in the road is a metaphor for the choices we have and the decisions that we make
in life, according to Robert Frost. The two roads represent two alternative routes, two options,
and two life directions. One must confront the dilemma. He chooses an unconventional and
risky life path. He decides to become a poet. This decision has changed his life forever. Perhaps
he would realize later in life that he had chosen a less rewarding alternative than the one he
had left.
Q7. ‘The Road Not Taken’ is a metaphor of life. Justify this statement. Justify the title.
Ans. Frost uses the fork in the road as a metaphor for the choices we make in life in “The Road
Not Taken.” As a result, the two roads represent two distinct ways of life. They represent the
poet’s two options and two directions. He has made a decision. He has chosen the “less
traveled by” route. He puts the first one aside “for another day.” It becomes impossible to
return to the path one has left. A person’s decision makes “all the difference” in their life. As a
result, the title is both appropriate and logical.
Q8. How does the poet resolve the dilemma? Which road does he choose and why?
Ans. The two roads represent two perspectives on life. They represent two paths in life, two
attitudes, and even two careers. The dilemma is choosing the right and rewarding option. Two
roads diverge in opposite directions. They are both attractive and fair. The poet abandons the
first path for another day. He chooses the less traveled and ‘wanted wear’ route. He chooses a
less conventional, popular, and risk-free option.
Q9. What is the main problem or the dilemma of the poet?
Ans. ‘The Road Not Taken,’ by Robert Frost, is about the dilemma of making the right decision in
life. He is under the impression that he can use the option he set aside for the next day.
Whatever ‘road’ or way of life he chooses, it will make or break his life. Sometimes, after a long
time, he will have to repent for taking the less traveled path. It did not turn out to be a
particularly rewarding option or choice.
Q10. Where does the traveler find himself? What problem does he face?
Ans. The traveler finds himself in the yellow woods at the intersection of two roads.
His problem is that he can’t decide which road to take to continue his journey.

B] Long questions and answers

Q1. Discuss the anticipation or remorse in ‘The Road Not Taken’.

Ans. There is a fair amount of irony in the poem, but it is also infused with the anticipation
of remorse. Its title is “The Road Not Taken,” not “The Road Less Traveled.” Even as he
makes a decision (a decision he is forced to make if he does not want to stand forever in
the woods, and one for which he has no real guide or definitive basis for decision-making),
the speaker knows he will regret it later—or, at the very least, he will wonder what is
irrevocably lost: the impossible, unknowable Other Path.

However, the decision’s nature is such that there is no Right Path—only the chosen path
and the other path. The Road Less Traveled is a fiction that the speaker will later invent in
order to polarize his past and give himself more agency than he actually had. What is
sighed for ages and ages are not so much the wrong decisions as the moments of
decision—moments that, one on top of the other, mark the passing of a life. This is the
more primitive form of remorse.

Q2. What appeals to you in the poem ?

Ans. The poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is extremely appealing because it
conveys the importance of making wise decisions at critical points in our lives in simple
words and style. In life, we must choose our options; sometimes we must do so without full
awareness of the circumstances. Even so, we should make a decision only after carefully
considering all of the available options. We may regret or be thrilled with our decision, but
the decision at the critical moment will determine and transform the course of our lives. As
a result, the poem emphasizes the importance of deep and serious consideration of the
circumstances before making a life-altering decision.

Q3. Bring out the symbolism in the poem “The Road Not taken”.

Ans. The poem is about more than just picking a path through the woods. The narrator’s
choice of a road can be interpreted as a metaphor for any choice in life between
alternatives that appear almost equally appealing. Only after years have passed can we
truly evaluate the decisions and choices we make based on the outcomes of these
choices. If we find success, we have made the right decision; if we find failure and pain, we
have clearly made the wrong decision.

Q4.The road is used as a metaphor for life in this poem. Can you think of another
metaphor and explain why that has been used to describe life.

Ans. Another metaphor for life is a puzzle. A puzzle requires one to constantly keep figuring
out the answers, and once one decision is made, there are new problems to solve.
Similarly, life is full of uncertainties and questions. When we are able to figure out solutions
and make appropriate decisions, another problem frequently arises. We are constantly
figuring things out. As a result, life can be described as a puzzle.

Q5. Bring out the contrast and similarities between the two roads mentioned in the
poem.

Ans. Both roads mentioned in the poem are branches of the same road. These two roads
are formed as the mother road running through the ‘yellow woods’ forks into two. Both are
equally appealing and leave the traveler perplexed as to which path to take.

A careful examination reveals that, in contrast to the other road, one of the roads is well-
traveled. A majority of people have frequently chosen it. Perhaps it is regarded as a less
difficult path. However, it takes a turn and its end cannot be seen, just as the destination of
the other road cannot be predicted.

Both roads are well-covered in leaves in the morning because no one has ventured on
either of them. Both routes, once chosen, must be followed. Years later, whichever road
was not taken would be looked back on with nostalgia, and one would wonder if the right
decision had been made.
Q6. Describe the two roads the author finds.

Ans. One day while walking, the poet came across a fork in the road. There were two roads,
and he could only take one. He stood there weighing the pros and cons and carefully
examining both roads. The poet stared at the first road until it bent in the undergrowth, as
far as his eyes could see. He noticed that the other road was more grassy and needed to be
walked upon. But after walking for a short distance, he noticed that the other road was also
grassy.

Q7. As the poet who took the road not taken by many people, write a letter to your
friend stating how “It has made all the difference”.

Ans.

Dear Jeff

As you are aware, I have established myself as a poet, but my journey in life has not been
easy. I have to tell you about the time when I had to choose between two roads to walk on,
and I chose the less frequented one, leaving the first for another day. I was well aware that I
would not be able to return to it. Now I wish I’d taken the first option. But, dear friend, this is
the irony of life: we cannot travel on all available roads, no matter how we wish.

The most Important thing is to make the right decision because we can’t go back in time.
Only time will tell whether our decision was correct or incorrect. It has made all the
difference since I took the road less traveled—the outcome is known to you. I’ll tell you the
rest in the following letter.

Yours,

Keith

Q8. What is the moral presented by the poet in the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’?

Ans. According to Robert Frost, this is an inspirational poem that is also quite difficult. The
poem is an antithesis. The traveler comes to a fork in the road and wishes to take both
options, which is impossible. He describes one of the roads as grassy and ‘wanted wear,’
then claims that both roads look the same. This represents man’s eternal quandary when
he discovers that the grass is greener on the other side.

The poem’s message is that we have many choices in life, and those decisions affect how
we will turn out. Every choice we make has repercussions, and once we’ve made a
decision, we can’t go back and reverse it. The poem serves as a reminder that even if our
choices are not the most common or straightforward, we should not be scared to take
chances and try new things.

The poem demonstrates that the traveler had a decision to make and had to choose which
path to follow. He had the option of taking the well-traveled route, which would have been
the safer and more well-liked option, but he made the decision to go the other way. This
choice led him to a new and unknown experience that he would not have had if he had
taken the other path.

The poem’s lesson Is that we shouldn’t be frightened to explore new things and take risks.
Sometimes choosing the less-travelled path can result in incredible opportunities and
experiences that we would not have had if we had chosen the safer or simpler route. The
poem also serves as a reminder that once we make a decision, we cannot change it.
Making the most of our decisions means accepting the results of our actions.

Q9. Why does the poet doubt he should ever come back?

Ans. This poem is about choices, decisions, and the consequences of those choices. It is
true that once a decision is made, there is no turning back. When both paths or choices
appear to be equally promising, the traveler on the road of life is faced with a quandary.
Once a route is chosen, the traveler must proceed. There is no going back in time. There
would never be a suitable time or opportunity to return and exercise the option again. Time
has passed, and so has the traveler’s psychology. Nothing will ever be the same. So one
stays on the path one has chosen and directs it to the desired destination. Therefore, the
poet doubts he should or would ever come back.

Q10. Does the poem, ‘The Road Not Taken’, symbolizes or reveals a meaning or aspect
of freedom or responsibility?

Ans. The poem reveals the complexities of what appears to be a simple decision. The
narrator is conflicted as he considers which path to take. Even after some thought and the
fact that usage “Had worn them really about the same,” he can’t help but wonder, but then
doubt, “if I should ever come back.” He is even attempting to persuade himself that he has
made the best decision because, “Somewhere ages and ages hence,” he is confident that
he will be able to say that he made the best decision and that it “has made all the
difference.”

This poem emphasizes the fact that freedom (in this case, of choice) comes with its own
set of responsibilities.

His poem also, perhaps, indicates the futility of over-thinking some situations. How can
anyone make life-changing decisions if even minor decisions require so much thought?
This appears to be a life-changing experience for the narrator. At the very least, he has a
choice.,