Samacheer Kalvi 9th English Solutions Poem Chapter 1 Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Poem Chapter 1 – Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Tamilnadu Samacheer Kalvi 9th English Solutions Poem 1 Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Textual Questions

B. Read the following lines and answer the following questions.

1. He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

Question (a).
Who does ‘he refer to?
Answer:
‘He’ refers to the owner of the woods.

Question (b).
Identify the season with these lines.
Answer:
It is winter season.

2. My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near

Question(a).
Who Is the speaker?
Answer:
The poet Robert Frost is the speaker.

Question (b).
Why should the horse think It queer?
Answer:
There is no farm house near and it is night time, the woods are dark. So the horse might think it strange to stop there.

Question (c).
Pick out the rhyming words.
Answer:
queer – near

3. He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.

Question (a).
Whom does ‘he’ refer to in these lines?
Answer:
‘He’ refers to the horse.

Question (b).
Why does ‘he’ give his harness bells a shake?
Answer:
He shakes the harness bells as if he is asking the poet whether there was any mistake in stopping at the wrong place.

Question (c).
How does the horse communicate with the poet?
Answer:
The horse communicates with the poet by shaking his harness bells.

4. The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,

Question (a).
How are the woods?
Answer:
The woods are lovely, dark and dense.

Question (b).
Who does ‘I’ refer to?
Answer:
I refers to the poet, Robert Frost.

Question (c).
What are the promises the speaker is talking about?
Answer:
Duties and responsibilities in life are referred to as promises.

5. And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Question (a).
Why the poet has used the same line twice?
Answer:
In order to emphasize the fact that he has to fulfill his duties and responsibilities before his death, the poet has used the same line twice.

Question (b).
Explain miles to go before I sleep.
Question:
Miles to go refers to leading the rest of his life until his death.

Additional Questions

1. Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;

(i) Is the poet familiar about the ownership of the woods?
(ii) Where is the owner’s house?
(iii) Pick out the rhyming words.
Answers:
(i) Yes
(ii) The owner’s house is in the village.
(iii) know; though

2. Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

(i) Which night is referred here as the darkest evening of the year?
(ii) What were the two sides of the road filled with?
(iii) Identify the rhyme scheme.
Answers:
(i) December 21 is referred to as the darkest evening of the year.
(ii) The two sides of the road were filled with woods and frozen lake.
(ii) a, b

3. The only other sound’s the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake.

(i) Was the place noisy?
(ii) Which were the sounds he could hear?
Answers:
(i) No
(ii) The only sounds that the poet could hear were of wind and fall of snowflakes.

Alliteration:

Question 1.
His house is in the village though;
Answers:
his – house

Question 2.
He will not see me stopping here see – stopping
Answer:
see – stopping

Question 3.
To watch his woods fill up with snow. watch – woods
Answer:
watch – woods

Question 4.
He gives his harness bells a shake he -his – harness
Answer:
he – his – harness

Hyperbole: To watch his woods fill up with snow.

C. Complete the summary of the poem by filling in the blanks.

After a long travel the poet entered a (1) …………………. He wondered to whom the wood (2) …………………. ! He realized that the owner of the wood lived in a (3) ………………….. He thought that the owner would not be able to (4) ……………….. him stopping in his woods to watch (5) ……………… fill the woods. The poet felt that the horse would think it very (6) ……………….. to stop near the woods as he had never (7) …………… He was actually standing between the woods and (8) …………………. The time was (9) ……………. The horse indicated that the poet has made a (10) ………………… by shaking its head. The poet felt that the woods are lovely, (11) ………………. and (12) …………….. He suddenly realized that he had worldly (13) ……………………. which would not allow him to (14) …………………….. in the woods for a long time.
Answers:

1. wood
2. belonged
3. village
4. see
5. snow
6. strange
7. done
8. frozen lake
9. late evening
10. mistake
11. dark
12. deep
13. commitments
14. stay

D. Answer the questions in two or three sentences.

Question 1.
What information does the poet highlight about the season and the time of the day in the poem?
Answer:
There is snow falling in its full swing. Snowflakes are downy So it is the winter season. The time of the day is the darkest evening of the year. Thus the poet highlights the season and the time of the day.

Question 2.
In which way is the reaction of the speaker different from that of the horse? What does it convey?
Answer:
The speaker is spellbound by the beauty of the place. He forgets his purpose and dwells deep into Nature’s beauty. Completely mesmerized, the speaker who stops for a while, fails to return to his duties. On the other hand, the horse seems to be responsible and more duty-conscious. The horse does not get attracted to beauty but wants to complete the task. The difference in the attitude displayed by the man and his horse conveys the struggle between human responsibility and one’s pull towards worldly desires.

Question 3.
What are the sounds heard by the poet?
Answer:
The poet heard the sound of the harness bells and the wind blowing through the trees beside the falling of the snowflakes.

Question 4.
The poet is aware of two choices. What are they? What choice does he make ultimately?
Answer:
The two choices are – either to stop and enjoy nature standing between the woods and frozen in the darkest evening of a winter season or get back to work. Though the poet is attracted by the beauty, he understands his responsibilities and so continues his journey.

Question 5.
Answer:
“Woods fill up with snow” ,“easy wind”, “downy flakes”, “lovely dark and deep” are the words that bring to mind peace and quiet,

E. Identify the rhyme scheme used in each stanza. One example has been done for you.

Answers:

1 Stanza – a a b a
2 Stanza – b b c a
3 Stanza -c c d c
4 Stanza -d d d d

F. Complete the table b identifying lines, against the poetic deices from the poem. One example is done for you.

Answers:

ALLITERATION:

1. watch his woods
2. sound’s the sweep;

PERSONIFICATION:

1. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near;

REPETATION:

1. And miles to go before I sleep;

IMAGERY:

1. The darkest evening of the year.
2. Of easy wind and downy flake.

Writing:

G. Answer the following questions in a paragraph about 80-100 words.

(a) It is said that, “the choices made by one, shapes one’s destiny”. Ponder on the thought and write a paragraph.

Answer:
The poet was on his way home. He came across the forest. He knew who the owner of the forest was, The owner lived in his village. There was complete silence in the forest. The only sound that could be heard was of easy wind and downy flake. The poet stopped there for some time to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the woods. His horse found it strange to stop there at that time.

He shook his harness bells to draw the attention of his master. He had a lot of work to do before he could sleep. He realized his responsibilities he had to fulfill. He decided to go home even though he wanted to enjoy the beauty more and more. The poet’s choice had shaped his destiny to go home to complete that day’s work and sleep.

H. Work in pairs and discuss the factors that contribute towards making a choice and make a presentation to the class.

Answer:
Choices are tough and there can be many factors that contribute towards making a choice. Some choices can be based on emotion, while others can be well-thought-of and taken with our mind and wisdom. Some choices can even be based on our instinct rather than logic. Say for example an opportunity is brought upon us and we have to make an instant choice. We might decide by just thinking about what is right at that moment. But that choice could have the power of deciding the future course of our life. So we must think carefully before making our choices.

The following factors may contribute towards making a choice:

1. Personal likes or dislikes
2. Good or bad experiences of our past
3. Social customs and beliefs
4. Individual-level of intellect and wisdom
5. Differences in age and education
6. Conscience and sincerity

About The Poet: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Lee Frost 

Robert Lee Frost (1874 – 1968) was an American poet famous for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. He frequently wrote about settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and philosophical themes. During his lifetime, he received four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry and was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1960 for his poetic works. Some of his famous works are The Road Not Taken, Fire and Ice, The Oven Bird, West Running Brook, Mending Wall, After Apple-Picking, etc.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Summary:

The poet Robert Frost stopped by some woods on a snowy evening. He knew the owner of the woods and where he resided. He knew the owner lived in the village and so he won’t worry about the poet stopping there. He continued watching the natural beauty of the snow-covered woods. The horse must have thought it as a strange act to stop there between the woods and the frozen lake in the dark evening. The horse was puzzled that there was no farmhouse nearby so the journey is not complete.

The horse was shaking its head, ringing the bell attached to its harness, as if he was asking his master whether there was any problem as it was unusual for him to stop by the woods in the darkness. Frost enjoyed the woods and wanted to stay there for a long time. But he had other responsibilities in life. He had to go a long way before he slept. So, he could not admire the lovely, dark, and deep woods.

He had to move on. The last line of the poem is repeated to attract the attention of the readers. In the very last line lies the allegorical interpretation – sleep may refer to death. We in our real-life have many things to look at with awe, many things to enjoy, but in most cases, we cannot, simply because we have other things to do in our short lifespan. So we have to move on.

Glossary:

Textual:

downy – soft and fluffy
flake – a small piece of snowflake
frozen – in ice form
harness – straps, and fittings by which a horse is fastened to a cart or carriage
queer – strange, odd
sweep – to move swiftly and smoothly
woods – an area of land covered with a thick growth of trees.

Additional:

farmhouse – a house attached to a farm
lovely – beautiful
miles – a measurement equal to 1,760 yards
promise – a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future
snow – soft hail