NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Poem Chapter 1 The Road Not Taken

Thinking about the poem
(Page 16)

I.
Question 1.
Where does the traveller find himself?
What problem does he face?
Answer:
The traveller finds himself at a point where two roads diverge. His problem is to decide on which road he should walk.

Question 2.
Discuss what these phrases mean to you.

  1. a yellow wood
  2. it was grassy and wanted wear
  3. the passing there
  4. leaves no step had trodden black
  5. how way leads on to way

Answer:

  1. A forest in the autumn season.
  2. The road was grassy because it was a less travelled road. It wanted people to move on it.
  3. It implies walking on the road.
  4. It means the leaves had not been crushed under the feet of travellers.
  5. How one road leads to another?

Question 3.
Is there any difference between the two roads as the poet describes them?

  1. in stanzas two and three?
  2. in the last two lines of the poem?

Answer:

  1. There is no difference between the two roads in stanzas two and three
  2. In the last two lines of the poem the poet tells that the road he opted for is less travelled.

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: The last two lines of the poem talk about taking a decision and accepting its consequences- good or bad. The poet chose the road that was less travelled by, which indicates he took a decision that people would not take generally.

He says in the last line of the poem that his choice of taking the road less travelled by has made all the difference. He does not seem to regret his choice.

II.
Question 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:
Such situations occur in everyone’s life. In today’s world people have numerous alternatives. But the decision should be taken after considering all the ins and outs of the situation. We must ruminate over the disadvantages also.

Students can write their own experiences.

Question 2.
After you have made a choice do you always think about what might have been, or do you accept the reality?
Answer: There is no point in regretting or thinking about what might have been. Such thoughts will always keep us in the hold of past and never let us see the benefits of the choices we made. Accepting reality is the best way to overcome any situation.