2.

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN Robert Frost

About the Poet

Robert Frost (1874-1963) was an American poet. He was born on 26 March 1874 in San Francisco in
California. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize four times. He was invited to speak at the presidential
inauguration, when President Robert Kennedy became the President of the United States. He wrote
his first poem; ‘My Butterfly: An Elegy’ in 1984 and it was published in a weekly literary journal, ‘The
Independent’. After settling in England, he published his first book of poems: ‘A Boy’s Will’, followed by
another book: ‘North of Boston’. He also met two other famed poets, Ezra Pound and Edward Thomas
and they were the first people to review his writings. It was the poet Edward Thomas’ habit of taking long
walks across the countryside that inspired Frost to write the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’. Shortly after
World War I broke out in August 1914, Frost and Elinor were forced to return to America. He continued
his work of teaching and writing after his return to America. He died in January 1963.
Theme
The theme of the poem suggests that in life all of us have several choices. They appear very rosy before
us at the beginning and we do not know which one to choose. Some of these choices are easy to carry
out whereas others are difficult. If one makes the easy choice, the results are lukewarm. If one makes a
difficult choice, we are forced to work hard to achieve it. Thus our hard work pays dividends in the end
and we achieve success in our lives.

The Poet
• An outdoor man who likes to walk.
• Enjoys the untouched beauty of nature, particularly wooded walkways in forests.
• Introspective individual who likes to think things out for himself.
Characters • Rational in his thoughts and thinks out things before acting.
• Not easy going and in life prefers to take the difficult option.
• Thinks about the past.
• The poet speculates and wonders what might have happened had he made the opposite decision.
• Confident individual who feels happy about taking the harder ways in life.

Action Problem
The poet states that he took the The poet, while out on his travels
second choice which was less Setting through a forest, finds a fork in his
path and he has to choose one of
travelled. The reader concludes that
the path less travelled in life is the The setting is outdoors through a forest the two to continue his journey. He,
one that is harder to traverse and where there are several paths. There are no therefore, stopped to assess which
thus most people prefer to take the signs on the road but travellers are free to would be his course of action as
easier option. The poet feels happy make their own trail choices. The paths are the two paths lay covered in leaves
on taking the tougher route because covered with grass where the easier trails and had not been trodden upon that
in later life he enjoys the fruits of it. are much frequented, wearing off the grass. morning. Instead of making a blind
The trails wind their way through the forest guess, he continued to examine the
and visibility is limited till the next curve in two paths closely and found that one
the path. of them had been less travelled as
there were no footsteps to be noticed
on it.

Summary
The poem talks about a decision taken by the poet Stanza 1: Rhyme Scheme: a,b,b,b,a....
when he sets out on a walk through the woods. It The poet says that he was walking through a forest
was the first poem in his collection titled ‘Mountain when he noticed that there were two paths ahead of
Interval’.
260 Together with® English Communicative—9
him. He felt sorry about the fact that he could not Stanza 3: Rhyme scheme: d,e,d,d,e
travel along both paths and had to make a choice, as In the morning, both the paths lay before the poet
he was a single person. This made him stand at the exciting him to make his choice. They were covered
fork where the two paths diverged as he could not with fallen leaves that had not been disturbed by
decide which path he should take. He tried to make people walking over it. The poet then made the
up his mind about the choice of path while trying to decision to keep the first of these paths to be
see how far down the path he could see. His gaze
walked upon later on, yet he also had doubts about
took him to a point where he could look ahead as
returning to it later on, because when one begins
far as the undergrowth, for at that point there was a
walking along a wooded path, it is common to see
bend in the path, obstructing his visibility. This verse
that one trail leads on to another one, thereby
also signifies the paths in life. We are sometimes
faced with choices in our lives which are like the making it unlikely for the person to walk back to
paths in the forest. When we try to decide on which the starting trail. In life, too, when we choose to go
path to travel along, we can see till only a certain down one path, that path leads on to the next path
distance into our future, and beyond that the rest or goal and we seldom come back to the starting
remains unknown, because the course of our lives point of our lives. Life keeps on going and does not
does not run along a straight path. revert back to our childhood once again.
Stanza 2: Rhyme scheme: c,d,c,c,d Stanza 4: Rhyme scheme: e,f,f,f,e
The poet tried to make up his mind by closely The poet regrets his position as he reflects back to
examining both the paths. When he looked down the time when he had chosen one path over the
the second path, at the start of it there seemed to other. He recalls how there were two paths ahead
be no visual difference because it was as appealing of him in the woods and he had consciously chosen
as the first one. Besides, it seemed to be a better to take the path along which only a few travellers
option to travel by because it was a grassy path and had walked. It was obviously a more strenuous path.
had not been trodden upon, although the two paths That was why a few walkers decided to walk on
had been equally used. In life, so many paths or it. In life, it is the harder of two choices that is
choices that we are offered are not original ones. taken by a determined few. The poet realises that
These choices have been availed of by several others by choosing the less travelled path, he has taken
too, and the signs of its use are available all over the right decision.
the place.

Outcome
The final outcome of choosing to take a path less travelled is that it makes all the difference in his life.
He achieved success because of his hard work. This is also illustrated in the life of the poet.

Word-Meaning

Diverged: separated; Woods: the forest; Undergrowth: bushes and small trees; Wanted wear: that has
not been used so frequently; Trodden: walked; Ages and ages: (here) after many years

CBSE Textbook Exercises

1. Sometimes the choices we make have far-reaching consequences. Think about choices you make
on a daily basis, and the importance of these choices.
Ans. Do yourself. Answers may vary.
 Literature Textbook 261
2. Complete the web chart showing choices and decisions you may have to make in the next few
years and the factors that affect these choices.

Determining factors

Interests
Friends Parents

Choices

Share your choices and decisions with your partner.

Ans. Determining factors

Interests
Friends Parents

Choices Spending
Entertainment
money

Eating healthy Taking extra

food classes
The factors that affect these choices:
(a) Entertainment: Unlike earlier, when my parents bought me toys and other playthings, this
year, I have to make a choice about the kind of bicycle I need to buy in order to go to my
extra tuition classes, music classes and also for going to the market. There are varieties of
bicycles but I must choose a model that suits my purpose.
(b) Spending money: Before this, I got money occasionally. Even when some relatives gave me
some money, I would give it to my mother. Now I plan to handle my money carefully, so that
I can enjoy a few favourite things such as ice cream, buy tickets for movies, cricket matches
once in a while and some savings for buying my mother a gift for her birthday.
(c) Eating healthy food: I must make a choice of eating healthy food instead of eating burgers
and snacks. This will help me to stay active. I will learn to regulate my diet and know that
fast food is an occasional indulgence and not to be taken too often.
(d) Taking extra classes: I must plan to start extra coaching classes because I want to take up a
career course in college. Before I make a choice about taking tuition classes, I must realize
that extra would mean making time out for doing the assignments given in these classes.
That would mean a complete reorganization of my study schedule among other things.
3. Have you made choices that are acceptable and less ‘risky’ or have you followed the beaten track?
Why?
Ans. I have made choices that are acceptable and therefore less risky. This is because the option to make
a choice is not a license to do whatever our whims and fancies dictate. Choice making includes the
responsibility of making decisions that are good for us. Otherwise, it defeats its purpose. Making
262 Together with® English Communicative—9
a choice gives the freedom to choose what is best for ourselves and not choose something that
will be destructive for us in the long run. The very fact that we are left to choose something, is
fraught with risks. These risks have to be taken because without taking them we are not likely to
move ahead. They are, what might be called, calculated risks.
4. List common dilemmas that teenagers face involving the choice or one or more ‘roads’. Give
examples of ‘roads’ that you must travel (e.g. facing peer pressure, choosing friends, observing
rules laid down by school and parents acting on your own values).
Ans. Facing Peer Pressure: Many a time our friends seem to have all the freedom they want and you
feel that without following their way, one will be left without friends or support. This is quite
baseless. It is one’s fear that dictates such thoughts. The best way to overcome such pressure is
to take things out for oneself and with the help of elders and teachers at times. To counter the
fear of ridicule, one can tell these ‘so-called’ friends that you are allowed many things by your
parents and only a few things are not allowed.
Choosing Friends: I like to choose friends after interacting with them personally rather than
in their company. This is because I feel that a true friend is someone who helps me in adverse
circumstances. A true friend is one who helps in taking the right decisions, a person who has the
same sort of likes and dislikes and is willing to be honest in his relations with me. He should not
be a flatterer who has a motive behind his friendship with me.
Observing Rules: I find observing rules a far more comfortable way of living rather than being a
rule breaker. As a rule breaker, I have to think of several ways in which I can cover up my actions,
tell lies and remain tense. Of course, rules are not always pleasant things to keep but they are
made for our safety and protection. It gives me a free mind and the feeling of being cared for.
Acting on the Values: Acting on my values is the best way to respect the values that I have chosen
to make. If it is I who am breaking and bending the rules then how can I expect others to follow
them?
5. Listen to a recording of the poem.
(a) What choice did the poet have to make?
(b) Did he regret his choice? Why? Why not?
Ans. (a) The choice that the poet had to make was that there were two roads ahead of him and he
could not travel on both, simultaneously. Thus the poet had to decide along which of the
two roads he was going to travel.
(b) The poet did not regret his decision in taking the road that was less travelled in a literal sense,
since it helped him in the future. He was happy that he had made the choice. Metaphorically,
the road less travelled is the choice that has impediments on the way. That is why it remains
a lesser choice. But the poet’s option of choosing hard choice right in the beginning made
the rest of the journey smooth.
7. On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions by ticking the
correct choice.
(a) In the poem, a traveller comes to a fork in the road and needs to decide which way to go
to continue his journey. Figuratively the choice of the road denotes ____________________ .
(i) the tough choices people make on the road of life.
(ii) the time wasted on deciding what to do.
 Literature Textbook 263
(iii) life is like a forest.
(iv) one must travel a lot to realize his dreams.
(b) The poet writes, ‘Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.’ The word diverged means
___________________ .
(i) appeared
(ii) curved
(iii) branched off
(iv) continued on
(c) The tone of the speaker in the first stanza is that of ___________________ .
(i) excitement
(ii) anger
(iii) hesitation and thoughtfulness
(iv) sorrow
(d) Select the quote that captures the central idea of the poem most appropriately.
(i) We often confuse what we wish for with what is.
(ii) I have always been much better at asking questions than knowing what the answers
were.
(iii) You are free to make whatever choice you want, but you are not free from the
consequences of the choice.
(iv) To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.
Ans. (a) (i) the tough choices people make on the road to life.
(b) (iii) branched off
(c) (iii) hesitation and thoughtfulness
(d) (iii) You are free to make whatever choice you want, but you are not free from the
consequences of the choice.
8. Answer the following questions briefly.
(i) Describe the two roads that the author comes across.
(ii) Which road does the speaker choose? Why?
(iii) Which road would you choose? Why? Give reasons for your choice.
(iv) Does the speaker seem happy about his decision?
(v) 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?
(vi) Comment on Frost’s use of nature to establish a connect with a human situation.
(vii) The poem carries a tinge of regret. Do you agree? Explain with a reason.
(viii) Establish a connection between the given quote and the poem.
If you want to achieve something you’ve never had, you have to move out of your comfort zone
to travel towards it.
Ans. (i) The two roads that the author comes across are located in a yellow wood of which one was
curved when it reached the undergrowth while the other road was grassy and less travelled
by.
264 Together with® English Communicative—9
(ii) The speaker chooses the second and less travelled road. This is because the speaker analysed
that while both the roads looked equally attractive in the very beginning, he chose the second
one because the grass on it clearly showed that it had not been trampled upon, indicating
thereby, that the road was less in use and therefore, a more challenging option for the
speaker.
(iii) Like the speaker, I would analyse the options before me carefully. Then I would choose
the second one, because in the starting phase of journey or life, one is still fresh and full of
energy and therefore, able to tackle the harder option.
(iv) The speaker definitely seems to be happy about his choice because the second tougher road
helped him in his future life and gave him the strength to face troubles which came his way.
(v) The difference is that by opting the tougher road in life, we build our character to face the
adverse circumstances of life. In this way, we not only become strong in character but also
become a person who is not bullied around by others and have the strength of mind and
will to face up the challenges.
(vi) 1. Nature provides Frost with a suitable metaphor to describe human life.
2. It gives him the chance to state that life is an exploration.
3. Nature helps the poet to express that life is complicated because of the choices we have.
(vii) There is regret emerging from the uncertainty that the poet faced about which road he
should travel on. By choosing one road, he regrets not knowing what the other road could
have changed in his life.
(viii) This quote is true to a certain extent. When we move out of our comfort zone we recharge
our creativity to meet challenges. But we do not always reflect on the outcomes of choosing
the alternate option as the poet had done.
8. Read Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s ‘It Might Have Been’.
[Link to the poem: http://www.ellawheelerwilcox.org/poems/pitmight.htm]
Compare the poem to ‘The Road Not Taken’ and complete the following, based on your insights.
The Rod Not Taken It Might Have Been

What’s
common?

What’s different? What’s different?

Through a discussion, share your insight with others in class.

Ans. Do yourself.
9. Identify the rhyme scheme of the poem ‘The Road not Taken’.
Ans. The rhyme scheme of the poem is ab, aa, b.
10. Fill in the blanks to complete the following paragraph that gives the theme of the poem. Use the
words given in the box below.
decision sorry foresee choices pleasant direction
fork trail rewarding chance wonder both
 Literature Textbook 265
The poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is about the __________________ that one makes
in life. It tells about a man who comes to a __________________ in the road he is travelling upon.
He feels __________________ that he can not travel __________________ paths as he must choose
one. Frost uses this fork in the road to represent a point in the man’s life where he has to choose
the __________________ he wishes to take in life. As he thinks about his __________________ he
looks down one path as far as he can see trying to __________________ what life will be like if
he walks that path. He then gazes at the other and decides the outcome of going down that path
would be just as__________________. At this point he concludes that the __________________
that has been less travelled on would be more __________________ when he reaches the end of
it. The man then decides that he will save the other path for another day, even though he knows
that one path leads to another and that he won’t get a __________________ to go back. The man
then says that he will be telling this story with a sigh, someday in the future suggesting that he
will __________________ what life would have been like if he had chosen the more walked path
even though the path he chose has made all the difference.
Ans. (i) choices (ii) fork (iii) sorry (iv) both (v) direction (vi) decision
(vii) foresee (viii) pleasant (ix) trail (x) rewarding (xi) chance (xii) wonder
11. Roads are fascinating as metaphors for life, change, journeys, partings, adventure, etc. or simply
as roads. This is probably why they, and all their attendant images, have permeated art, literature
and song. In the poem, Frost uses the fork in the road as a metaphor for the choices we make
in life. Thus the roads are, in fact, two alternative ways of life. What other nouns could be used
to represent life?
• River
• ___________________________
• ___________________________
• ___________________________
• ___________________________
Ans. Nouns to represent life are:
(i) river (ii) tree (iii) mountain
(iv) earth (v) ocean
12. In groups of six, select, write the script of and present a skit that demonstrates decision making
and conflict resolution. Follow the steps given below:
• choices to be made
• options to be considered
• influence of others
• decisions/actions taken
• immediate and future consequences of the decision.
Ans. Skit
Six girls and boys of Class X during the break. They are sharing their tiffins and chatting.

Characters:
Rohit, Rama, Raminder, Mohana, Mohit, Savita

Scene:
Lunch break in school. The boys and girls of Class IX have gathered together.
266 Together with® English Communicative—9

Rohit: I say, this is yummy! Who brought this burger? It’s full of cheese and butter and it’s the
latest variety, topped with chocolate.
Rama: Well, I brought it along. Today, mother was not well and I got up late. So, my Dad gave
me some money to buy tiffin. I went to the canteen. Though there were more nutritious choices
like bread wrapped with home-cooked vegetables, I preferred a burger for a change.
Raminder: Aw! Goodie, you should be figure conscious and not eat all this forbidden stuff. You
should be a saint and eat dry chappatis and wash it down with water. (laughs)
Rama: Thanks for the advice, Raminder. Next time, you can eat roti and I will eat your paratha
for a change.
Raminder: Aw! I only meant it as a joke. I know you don’t indulge yourself every day.

Mohana: Why are we discussing food all the time? Look at me. I only eat what is healthy. I live
on fruits, nuts and curd. Nothing else… See, I did not touch that burger. I don’t even take sweets.

Savita: You will become an old woman and then you will regret not having tasted these nice things.
Mohana: Not at all. At home, we are allowed to choose what we want for tiffin and I willingly opt
for chappati and vegetables, without additional butter or ghee. Instead of sweet, I prefer to have
fruit or a handful of nuts. I feel energized. Of course, on Sundays we are given a free choice.
Raminder: Well said. That is why you don’t fall sick as often as I do. Why, you never seem to
have a upset tummy either. I think it’s better to take the road less travelled when it comes to our
desires. I’m a changed man now.
Rohit: Well, I think Raminder has a point. Did you see the footballers who came for an exhibition
match at school? They had such a meagre lunch and all they ate was plenty of salad and fruits.
Mohana: The majority decision stands. If we want to be healthy, we will have to make a change
in our tastes. This will help us in many ways. Tomorrow it’s my turn to bring something nice for
tiffin. I know…
All Roti and chappati rolls. Hurrah!
13. ‘The Road Not Taken’ is a biographical poem. Therefore, some personal biographical information
is relevant to the deeper understanding of the poem we have read. Go to www.encarta.com and
complete the following worksheet about Robert Frost.
(a) What ‘momentous decision’ was made by Frost in 1912?
(b) How old was he when took this decision?
(c) Why was it so difficult to take that decision? Think and give more than one reason.
(d) Was the ‘road’ Frost had taken easy ‘to travel’?
(e) Do you think he wrote ‘The Road Not Taken’ before sailing from the USA to England or
after? Can you quote a line or two from the poem that can support your answer?
(f) Do you think Frost finally became popular in America as a poet?
Ans. (a) The momentous decision that Frost made in 1912 was to move to England and start a new
life there and publish his poems. The following year, a London publisher accepted his poems
and launched his career as a poet.
(b) When he took this decision, Frost was 32 years old and had a family to look after.
(c) It was quite difficult to make this decision because it involved not just himself but also
members of his family. He was the breadwinner of his family and his children were very
young. There was no surety that his poems would be accepted by London publishers and
thus he was taking a huge risk which might put him, as well as his family into discomfort.
 Literature Textbook 267
(d) The road that Frost had taken was not an easy one to travel. He was already a failed poet
in America and he had no openings in England. It seemed at that point that he should have
remained back in America and continued to eke out an ordinary existence, but he took the
harder decision and over the years, it proved to be the wise one.
(e) He wrote the poem after he reached England. The poem shows the poet thinking back on
his decision after he had achieved success. Thus the line: ‘I took the one less travelled by, and
that has made all the difference.’
(f) Yes, Frost became finally popular in America. Because he was widely acknowledged and
appreciated as a poet.

Solved question bank

T
R C Reference-to-Context Questions

1. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
(a) Where were the roads situated?
(b) What choice baffled the writer?
(c) What is another word for ‘diverged’?
(d) Why is the wood described as ‘yellow’?
Ans. (a) The roads were situated in a wood where the vegetation had turned yellow.
(b) The choice that he could not travel down the two roads at the same time baffled the writer.
(c) ‘separated’
(d) The wood was filled with the colours of autumn when the leaves of the tree had changed
from green to varying shades of yellow. Hence, the wood had acquired this look.
2. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear
(a) Why did the poet take the alternative choice?
(b) Which road had a better claim?
(c) Why is the road chosen a ‘better claim’?
(d) Explain: ‘as just as fair.’
Ans. (a) It was just as fair and beautiful as the first one.
(b) The second road had a better claim because it was still grassy.
(c) It led to a brighter future.
(d) It means that the road was the same and too much beautiful as the first one.
3. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same
(a) Who is ‘them’ in the given lines?
(b) What has been worn out?
268 Together with® English Communicative—9
(c) What was the poet’s dilemma?
(d) Explain: ‘really about the same.’
Ans. (a) Them refer to ‘both the roads’.
(b) The surface of the two roads has been worn out.
(c) The poet was in a dilemma which road to be chosen. He was not in a position to take proper
decision.
(d) Both of the roads were worn out equally or the same. It was quite impossible to differentiate.
4. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow. [CBSE 2016]
‘Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.’
(a) Whom does ‘I’ refer to?
(b) Which road does the poet choose and why?
(c) Which word in the passage means the same as ‘to be uncertain’?
(d) What does the term ‘way leads on to way’ mean?
Ans. (a) ‘I’ refer to the poet.
(b) The poet chose the second road keeping the first road for another day.
(c) ‘doubted’
(d) The term refers to the fact that one road always leads on to another road instead of turning
back to the old road. Similarly, in life, one stage of life leads to the next, without getting
back to the earlier stage.
5. Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow. [CBSE 2015]
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
I took the one less travelled by,
(a) What does the poet want to convey in the first line?
(b) What was the difference the speaker mentions here?
(c) What does the word ‘hence’ mean?
(d) What does the choice of a less travelled road suggest about the character of the person?
Ans. (a) The poet wants to convey his dilemma and worry about his choice.
(b) The difference mentioned by the speaker is that he took a less travelled road.
(c) ‘From now onwards’
(d) The choice of a less travelled road suggests that the traveller is not one who is given to
instant gratification but prefers to make difficult choices and wait for results on a later date.

A
S Short Answer Type Questions

1. ‘The Road Not Taken’, is a poem for all times. Comment on it. [CBSE 2015]
Ans. The poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ is based on a universal theme. It is concerned with taking of
hard choices, happens in the lives of all people and in every age. Thus, it is a poem that is for all
times.
 Literature Textbook 269
2. How does the poet make the poem sound mysterious?
Ans. The poet states that after the bend in the road there is only undergrowth and nothing is visible.
It creates suspense. He also states that the fallen leaves remained intact as no one had walked
on them.
3. Why did the first path have a better claim?
Ans. The first path had a better claim because while both paths looked equally fair, the first path was
grassy and inviting for a walk. Besides, there was no undergrowth to be seen at the point of a bend.
4. What decision did the poet make regarding the first path? What was its after thought?
Ans. The poet decided that he would walk down the first path, his alternative choice on another day.
He, thereafter, realized that we seldom return to the original path as we follow the diversification
leading off the path on which we are walking.
5. Why is the word ‘sigh’ used to describe feelings at the end of the journey?
Ans. The word ‘sigh’ suggests that the poet is looking back on his life and begins to reflect on his
lifestyle in his later years, as he compares his choice taken with the one he had left aside.
6. When the poet examines the choices before him, what does he realize?
Ans. When the poet examines the two paths lying before him, he compares his status and is confused
because both of them look equally used and had been worn out in equal measure.
7. What road did the poet finally choose? What was the outcome?
Ans. The poet chose to travel by the less travelled route for the betterment in his life. Though it was
a less inviting choice because it was not the popular route, the poet benefited in the long run, by
following it.
8. Why do we know that the choice the poet made was important?
Ans. It was an important choice for the poet because it affected his future. It was also important enough
for him to recall in later years with a sigh of remembrance.
9. What is the significance of the word ‘I’ being repeated at the beginning of the next line?
Ans. By repeating the word ‘I’, the poet conveys the idea of taking a decision, after deliberating on it.
We do not rush ahead but always think before taking the final step. I also convey the hesitation
the poet felt about which path he should choose.

A
L Long Answer Type Questions

1. What dilemma does the poet face in the poem, ‘The Road Not Taken’? How does he overcome
this dilemma? Substantiate.
Ans. The poem, “The Road Not Taken” discusses the dilemma of making the right choice in life. The
course of action of our life depends on the choice of life we make in our lives. At this juncture,
the poet is in a dilemma how to make the right choice, which path should he adopt? There are
two roads before the poet. Both seem to be fair. At first, the poet sees that on the first road, a
lot of people have travelled. While on the second path, a few people have travelled. So, the poet
chooses the second path that is less travelled. This path represents the obstacles and struggles
that come in the life of mankind. The road which the poet did not opt would have been more
rewarding than the previous one. But once choice is made, it can’t be taken back. The choice
makes all the difference in life. The poet is a man of adventurous nature. That is why he likes to
follow the unconventional path. It is a lesson to those people who always want to lead their life
in comfort zone. One must lead the life of struggle and also carve out a niche for himself in the
adverse circumstances.
270 Together with® English Communicative—9
2. The poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ points out the need to take decisions for ourselves. Comment.
Ans. The poet in this poem took an independent decision and thus enjoyed the outcome at first hand.
Independent work makes us more rational and responsible. It also makes a huge difference in our
lives. Taking a decision independently makes us understand our strengths and weaknesses as well as
our advantages and disadvantages. It builds in us the courage to take the road less travelled, as did
the poet when he was faced with a lesser option. It makes us independent, futuristic in outlook,
and a useful member of the society.
3. How does the line ‘And that has made all the difference’ give us a double edged meaning?
Ans. On the one hand, the line suggests that the poet is ruminating in later life about his success on
account of a crucial decision taken earlier. It may also suggest a sense of regret at having taken
a wrong decision at the fork in our lives and then regretting it for the rest of our lives. It also
suggests that having taken one path he is left with no knowledge of what could have happened
with the opposite choice. This is a very clever ending because it leaves its interpretation. Open
because in life, our decisions cannot be either always right or always wrong. It also suggests that
the poet does not know for sure whether it was a right or a wrong decision.
4. What do you learn about the character of the poet from this poem? Use examples to prove your
points.
Ans. The poet like to go for long walks in the woods and examines various paths. He is an adventurous
traveller and likes to explore his surroundings and thus examines the paths carefully before deciding.
He likes to follow difficult decisions in life and chooses the less travelled path. He examines
things before deciding and thus weighs out both paths before deciding. He likes to think of the
consequences of his actions and reflect upon them later, as he does about his decision of choice.
5. Does the speaker seem happy about his decision? [CBSE 2012]
Ans. The speaker’s future has been affected by that hard decision he had taken at the outset. The reaction
being a happy one, makes us presuppose that the decision was a wise one. It had made a difference
to his life, Only a wise decision makes a difference. A wrong decision leads to disappointment
at the end. The speaker is not regretful of the decision but happy. We only feel elated when
we are doing the right. The road was not an easy one By tackling it successfully, he was happy.