The Road Not Taken NCERT Solutions & Summary Class 9 English PDF
Subject: English (Beehive) | Poem: 1 | Poet: Robert Frost
📥 Download Notes PDF 📢 Join Telegram📖 Poem Summary: The Road Not Taken
This famous poem by American poet Robert Frost is about making choices and the choices that shape our destiny. The poet finds himself standing at a fork in a forest during the autumn season (a "yellow wood"). He can only choose one path to continue his journey. He stands there for a long time, looking down both paths as far as he can see.
Eventually, he chooses the second road because it looks "grassy and wanted wear," meaning fewer people had walked on it. However, as he starts walking, he realizes both paths are actually worn about the same. He decides to save the first road for another day, even though he knows that one choice leads to another, and he will probably never come back. In the end, the poet reflects that in the future, he will look back with a "sigh" and realize that taking the road "less traveled by" has made all the difference in his life.
✨ Key Poetic Devices
- Metaphor: The entire poem is an extended metaphor. The "diverging roads" represent the choices we make in life.
- Symbolism: "Yellow wood" symbolizes the autumn of life or a time of transition.
- Rhyme Scheme: The rhyme scheme of the poem is ABAAB.
- Alliteration: "Wanted wear" (w sound is repeated).
📚 Part 1: NCERT Solutions (Textbook Questions)
Q1: Where does the traveler find himself? What problem does he face?
Ans: The traveler finds himself in a "yellow wood" at a point where two roads diverge (fork in the road). His problem is that he is a single traveler and cannot travel both roads simultaneously. He has to make a difficult choice and select only one path to continue his journey.
Q2: Discuss what these phrases mean to you: (i) a yellow wood (ii) it was grassy and wanted wear (iii) the passing there.
Ans:
(i) a yellow wood: It refers to a forest during the autumn season when the leaves turn yellow. It symbolizes a time of transition or older age.
(ii) it was grassy and wanted wear: It means the road was covered with grass because very few people had walked on it. It was inviting the poet to walk on it.
(iii) the passing there: It refers to the people who had walked on those paths in the past.
Q3: 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?
Ans:
(i) In stanzas two and three: The poet feels that both roads are almost equally worn out. In the morning, both roads were covered with leaves that had not been crushed black by footsteps.
(ii) In the last two lines: The poet distinguishes between the two roads by saying that he took the road which was "less traveled by" (the unconventional path), and that choice made all the difference in his life.
Q4: What do you think the last two lines of the poem mean? (Looking back, does the poet regret his choice or accept it?)
Ans: The last two lines highlight the theme of the poem—the impact of choices. The poet says he took the road less traveled by, which changed the course of his life. The word "sigh" is ambiguous; it could mean a sigh of relief (satisfaction) or a sigh of regret. However, it largely shows acceptance that choices are irreversible and they shape our ultimate destiny.
⚡ Part 2: Extra Practice Questions (Important Extracts)
Q5: Read the extract and answer:
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood..."
(a) Why was the poet 'sorry'?
(b) What does 'yellow wood' symbolize?
Ans:
(a) The poet was sorry because as a single traveler, he could not travel on both roads at the same time. He had to let go of one option.
(b) The 'yellow wood' symbolizes the autumn season, and metaphorically represents the later stages of a person's life or a critical phase where a major decision must be made.
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Q: What is the underlying theme of the poem 'The Road Not Taken'?
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