Matric Notes Class 9th English Book Exercise Chapter 8 Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening (Poem) Short Question Box Questions

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Comprehension

A. Answer the following questions:

Q1. Who is the speaker in the poem?

Ans. The poet himself is the speaker in the poem.

Q2. Whom does the speaker refer to in the first stanza of the poem?

Ans. The speaker refers to the owner of the woods in the first stanza of the poem.

Q3. Why does the speaker stop on 'the darkest evening of the year'?

Ans. The speaker stops on the darkest evening of the year because he is attracted by the beauty of nature.

Q4. Why does the horse impatiently await the next move of his master?

Ans. The horse knows that this is not a place to stop as per usual routine, as there is no farmhouse nearby,

Q5. The speaker in the poem is captivated by the beauty of nature. Why doesn't he stop for long to enjoy nature's beauty.

Ans. He doesn't stop for long to enjoy natural beauty because he has to keep his promises.

B. Some statements are directly supported by the poem, some are inferences based on evidences from the text while some are not supported by any evidence. Arrange them accordingly.

Directly supported by the poem.

• It is a cold and dark winter.
• The speaker knows the owner of the woods.
• The horse feels strange to stop unexpectedly.
• The speaker appreciates the beauty of nature.

Inference based on some evidence from the poem.

• The speaker thinks about his commitments and restarts his journey.

Statements not supported by any evidence.

• The speaker feels guilty about stopping the woods.
• The speaker is tired and wants to rest.

C. Underline the words and phrases that depict clear imagery in the poem.

1. Woods fill up with snow.
2. Harness bell shakes
3. The darkest evening of the year.
4. Easy wind and downy flake.

Alliteration

Alliteration refers to the repetition of the same consonant sound in words which are used closely together in the poem.

Examples of Alliteration:

Whose woods .......

His house .......

... see me stopping .....

Imagery

Imagery is the construction of details used to create mental images in the mind of the reader through the visual sense as well as the sense of touch, smell, taste or sound.

Example of imagery:

Visual - huge trees in the thick and dark forest

Auditory - the rustling of leaves

Smell - scent of apples

Taste - sweet and juicy oranges

Touch - rugged and rough path

Example of Imagery from the poem

1. His house
2. Watch his woods
3. His harness
4. My little horse
5. Before I sleep
6. Downy flake
7. Easy wind

D. Identify alliterations and metaphors in the poem.

• whose, woods    alliteration
• his, house    alliteration
• dark, deep    alliteration

E. Paraphrase all the stanzas of poem.

Stanza 1

• Whose woods these are I think I know.
• His house is in the village though;
• He will not see me stopping here
• To watch his woods fill up with snow.

Paraphrase

I think I know whose woods are these. The owner of these woods lives in the village however he will not be able to see me stopping here and watching his trees which are wrapped in snow.

Stanza 2

• My little horse must think it queer
• To stop without a farm house near
• Between the woods and frozen lake
• The darkest evening of the year

Paraphrase

It must be a strange thing for my horse to stop where there is no farmhouse in the vicinity. It is perhaps the darkest evening of the year and I am standing between the woods and frozen lake.

Stanza 3

• He gives his harness bells a shake
• To ask if there is some mistake
• The only other sound's the weep
• Of easy wind and downy flake

Paraphrase

My horse gives a shake to the bells attached to his leather straps as if he is asking whether I have stopped here because of some mistake of his. The only other sound, other than horses, is the sweep of easy blowing wind and down coming flakes.

Stanza 4

• The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
• But I have promises to keep,
• And miles to go before I sleep,
• And miles to go before I sleep.

Paraphrase

The poet in these lines says that the traveller would like to stay there for a while. The woods are very beautiful and he would like to absorb the beauty of such a wonderful scene. He ponders over life and nature. But at the same time he knows that he has obligations and responsibilities. Therefore, he decides not to stay there. This shows that he is a dutiful person who knows how to fulfill his responsibilities.