NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Poem The Road Not Taken

Thinking about the Poem

Question:- I. 1. Where does the traveller find himself? What problem does he face?

Answer:-  The traveller finds himself at a point in the forest where two roads diverge. The problem is that now he has to decide on which road he should walk.

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:-  (i) The forest during the autumn season.

(ii) It means that the road was full of grass as it has been less used to

travelled. It need people to walk on it so that it can wear out.

(iii) It refers to walking on that road.

(iv) It means that the falling leaves were not crushed under the passengers’ feet.

(v) It refers to the fact that one way leads to another. As a result, once the poet has chosen one of the two pathways, he worries if he will ever be able to return to the same intersection and choose the other.

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:-  (i) There is no difference between the two roads as the poet describes them in stanzas two and three.

(ii) In the last two lines of the poem the poet tells that the road he opted for is less travelled.

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:-  The last two lines of the poem talk about  making a choice and accepting the consequences, whether good or bad. The poet took the less-traveled road, shows that he made a decision that most others would not take generally. In the last two lines of the poem he says that his choice of taking the road   has made all the difference. He does not seem to regret on his choice.

Question:-  II. 1. 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 reasons)?

Answer:-  On a daily level, we all make decisions. However, I have never had to make a difficult decision.  As I grow older, I will be faced with new challenges. Then I’ll have to make tough decisions. I’ll have to decide on my profession, my field of interest, and so on.  I believe that if such a situation arises, I will not simply follow the herd. I’ll consider it and then make a decision.  If necessary, I will follow the poet’s footsteps and will take unexplored path.

2. After you have made a choice do you always think about what might have been, or do you accept the reality?

Answer:- Regretting or speculating on what may have been is pointless. Such thinking will always keep us stuck in the past and never allow us to realise the rewards of the decisions we have made. Accepting truth is the most effective method to get out of any circumstance.