Chapter 2 – The Road Not Taken (Poem) Solutions
Question - 1 : - Where does the traveler find himself? What problem does he face?
Answer - 1 : - The traveller finds himself at a forked road while travelling in a yellow wood. He faces the problem of choosing between the two roads as he could not travel both at the same time.
Question - 2 : - Discuss what these phrases mean to you.
(i) A yellow wood
(ii) It was grassy and wanted wear
(iii) The passing there
(iv) Leaves no step had trodden black
(v) How way leads on to way
Answer - 2 : -
(i) The phrase ‘a yellow wood’ signifies the autumnal setting of the poem.
(ii) The grass on the road that the poet decides to take was still afresh and the road seemed less worn out. This implies that not many people had walked on it.
(iii)This refers to the people passing through that road.
(iv) This means that there were no footmarks on the leaves strewn on the paths since nobody had walked on them.
(v) Here, the poet refers to the fact that one road always leads on to another and so on.
Question - 3 : - Is there any difference between the two roads as the poet describes them
(i) in stanzas two and three?
(ii) in the last two lines of the poem?
Answer - 3 : -
(i) In stanzas two and three, the poet, vaguely expresses the similarities but at the same time, tries to determine the differences between the two roads. He says that although the second road seemed 'just as fair' and almost as same worn-out as the first yet it was somehow the 'better claim' since it was still afresh and less-trodden. That morning, both the roads were equally strewn with leaves that had not yet been trampled by the travellers.
(ii) According to the last two lines of the poem, one of the two road was 'less travelled by' than the other and the poet's decision to walk on this road made all the difference in his life.
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 - 4 : - In the last two lines, the poet says that he chose the less-trodden road and that this choice made all the difference in his life. Whether he regrets his choice or accepts it is ambiguous. The poet uses word ‘difference’, which does not clarify the implication, whether good or bad. However, the word 'sigh' suggests that the decision was possibly more of regret than satisfaction.
Question - 5 : - 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 decisions)?
Answer - 5 : - No, I have never been in a situation in which I had to make a difficult choice. But I think the time will come when I will have to choose a stream, among science, commerce and humanities, after tenth grade. This decision will be a crucial one as it will determine my career prospects in future. I will make this decision on the basis of my interests as well as my aspirations and future goals in life.
Question - 6 : - After you have made a choice do you always think about what might have been, or do you accept the reality?
Answer - 6 : - 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.