JKBOSE 9th Class English Solutions chapter – 11 THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

It was the autumn season. The poet was going through a forest. He reached a point from where the road diverged in two directions. Being the only traveller, he could not travel by both the roads at the same time. He had to choose one of the two. The poet stood there and thought for a long time. He looked down one of the roads as far as he could. He could see it up to the point where the road bent behind A the bushes. The poet decided to take the other road. It was as beautiful as the first It use one. Grass grew on this road. It showed that the road had not been used much. The poet thought this road had better claim to be travelled by. However, in fact, both the roads had been used almost equally.

That morning both the roads were covered with leaves. No traveller had gone by them so far. Neither of them had been made black by of any treading on them. The poet decided to go by the second road and kept the first one for another day. However, the poet knew that there was little chance of his coming back, since every road leads to a new road. The poet imagines a time many ages hence. He says that he will then recall to his mind how he had chosen one of the two roads which diverged in a forest. He will recall how he had decided to travel by the less-frequented road. He will then see that his choice had made all the difference. In other words, it affected not only the future course of the poet’s life on this earth but also the course of his spirit after his also the course of death.

पतझड़ का मौसम था। कवि एक जंगल में से जा रहा था। वह उस जगह पहुंच गया जहां से सड़क दो दिशाओं में बँट गई थी। केवल एक ही यात्री होने के कारण वह एक ही समय दोनों सड़कों पर यात्रा नहीं कर सकता था। उसे उन दोनों में से एक चुननी थी । कवि वहां खड़ा रहा और काफ़ी देर तक सोचता रहा। उसने उनमें से एक सड़क के ऊपर इतनी दूरी तक नज़र दौड़ाई जहां तक वह देख सकता था । वह इस सड़क को उस जगह तक देख सकता था जहां यह झाड़ियों के पीछे से होती हुई मुड़ जाती थी। कवि ने दूसरी सड़क पर जाने का निश्चय कर लिया । यह सड़क उतनी ही सुन्दर थी जितनी कि पहली सड़क। इस पर घास उगी हुई थी। इससे पता चलता था कि सड़क को ज्यादा इस्तेमाल नहीं किया गया था। कवि ने सोचा कि उसके लिए इस सड़क पर यात्रा का अधिक ठोस कारण बनता था। फिर भी वास्तव में उन दोनों सड़कों को लगभग समान रूप से इस्तेमाल किया गया था।

उस प्रातः दोनों सड़कें पत्तों से ढकी हुई थीं। अभी तक कोई भी यात्री उन से गुजरा हुआ नहीं था। उनमें से किसी पर भी पैरों के चलने से काले चिन्ह नहीं पड़े थे। कवि ने दूसरी सड़क से जाने का निश्चय कर लिया, और पहली सड़क को किसी अन्य दिन के लिए रख लिया । किन्तु कवि इतना अवश्य जानता था कि उसके लौटकर आने की सम्भावना बहुत कम थी क्योंकि प्रत्येक सड़क में से कोई न कोई दूसरी सड़क निकल आती है। कवि कई युगों के बाद के समय की कल्पना करता है। वह कहता है कि तब वह अपने मन में इस बात को फिर याद करेगा कि किस प्रकार उसने उन दो सड़कों में से एक सड़क को चुना था जो एक जंगल में दो दिशाओं में बँट जाती थीं। वह इस बात को याद करेगा कि किस प्रकार उसने कम इस्तेमाल हुई सड़क पर जाने का फैसला कर लिया था । तब वह देखेगा कि उसके इस निर्णय ने कितना भारी अन्तर डाल दिया था । अन्य शब्दों में, इसने कवि के न केवल धरती पर के जीवन को प्रभावित किया अपितु मृत्यु के बाद भी उसके आत्मिक जीवन को प्रभावित किया ।

The poet brings out the importance of making a right choice. The correct choice can make one’s future. The wrong one can mar it. A choice once made can hardly be reversed later. Once the poet had to choose between two roads. He chose the one that was less travelled by. And that, he says, has made all the difference.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveller, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Explanation : Once the poet was travelling through a forest. He reached a point from where the road diverged in two directions. Being only one traveller, he could not travel by both these roads at the same time. He had to choose one of the two. The poet stood there and thought for a long time. He looked down one of the roads as far as he could. He could see up to a point where the road bent behind the bushes.

 (A) (i) How many diverging roads were there ?

(ii) Where did the roads diverge ?

(iii) What was the poet sorry about ?

(iv) What did he keep looking at ?

(B) What is the rhyme scheme used in the poem ?

(C) Explain the meaning of yellow wood’.

(i) There were two diverging roads.

(ii) The roads diverged in a yellow wood.

(iii) He was sorry that he couldn’t travel by both the roads at the same time.

(iv) He kept looking at one of the two roads.

(B) The rhyme scheme used here is – abaab.

(C) Yellow wood’ means a forest where the foliage had turned yellow because of

the autumn season.

Then took the other, just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear ;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same.

Explanation : The poet decided to take the other road. It was as beautiful as the first one. Grass grew on this road. It showed that the road had not been used much. The poet thought that this road had a better claim to be travelled by. Up to the point where the poet stood, both the roads showed equal signs of use and wear.

(A) (i) How does the poet find the two roads similar ?

(ii) Later, what difference did he find between them ?

(iii) Which road, in the poet’s eyes, had better claim and why ?

(B) Choose the most appropriate options:

(i) The two roads were similar as both the roads …….. .

(a) were equally fair (b) were equally worn (c) were equally trodden (d) were equally black.

(ii) The word ‘better’ is the comparative degree of ………..  .

(a) good (b) well (c) both (a) and (b) (d) none of these three.

(iii) After thinking for a long while, the poet took …….. .

(a) the black road Sendi (b) the winding road agreb(c) the grassy road (d) the road to the left.

(C) Do you think the grassy road had never been used before ?

(A) (i) He finds that the two roads look fair almost equally.

(ii) Later, he found that one road had been used less than the other.

(iii) In his eyes, the grassy road had the better claim because it had been used less.

(B) (i) (a) were equally fair (ii) (c) both (a) and (b) (iii) (c) the grassy road.

(C) Of course, it had been used, but not so much as the other one.

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day !

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

Explanation : That morning both the roads were covered with leaves. No traveller had gone by them so far. Neither of them had been trodden black. The poet decided to go by the second road and kept the first one for another day. However, the poet knew that there was little chance of his coming back since every road leads to a new road.

1. What were the two roads covered with ?

2. What showed that neither of the two roads had been used that morning ?

3. What did the poet keep for another day ?

4. What did the poet doubt and why ?

1. They were covered with the leaves.

2. There were no no signs of steps on them.

3. He kept the first road for another day.

4. He knew that one road always leads to another. So he doubted if he would ever come back to take the first road.

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,

And that has made all the difference.

Explanation : The poet imagines a time many ages hence. He says that he will then recall to his mind how he had chosen one of the two roads which diverged in a forest. He will recall how he had decided to travel by the less-frequented road. This choice of the poet had made all the difference. It affected not only the future course of his life on this earth, but also his spiritual life after death.

(A) (i) What would the poet be telling with a sigh ?

(ii) Where did the two roads diverge ?

(iii) What had made all the difference ?

(B) Choose the most appropriate options :

(i) The word ‘hence’ as used here means ……….. .

(a) the time from now  (b) the future time (c) the time long past   (d) therefore.

(ii) The word ‘diverged’, tense-wise is in …….. .

(a) past indefinite tense (b) past progressive tense (c) past perfect tense (d) present perfect tense.

(iii) The poet’s choice made e made……. .

(a) no difference  (b) a little difference (c) the poet dejected   (d) all the difference.

(A) (i) He would be telling how he had taken one of the two diverging roads in a wood and also how that choice had made all the difference.

(ii) They diverged in a wood (forest).

(iii) His choice between the two roads had made all the difference.

(B) (i) (a) the time from now (ii) (a) past indefinite tense (iii) (d) all the difference.

Ans.— He finds himself at a place where the road diverged in two different directions. He couldn’t decide which way to go by.

Ans.— One of the roads was much travelled by while the other was grassy and wanted wear.

Ans.— The poet chooses the road that was rather unused so far. And that has made I think the poet regrets his choice of taking the road that was less travelled by.

Ans.— (a) ‘a yellow wood’: It means a forest where the foliage had turned yellow because of the autumn season. (b) bent in the undergrowth’: It means a point where the road bent behind the bushes. (c) ‘trodden black’: It means turned black by being used very much.

Ans.— Making a right choice is the theme of this poem. The correct choice can make one’s future. The wrong one can mar it. A choice once made can hardly be reversed later.

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