Stopping by woods on a snowy evening (Questions & Answers)

   STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY                                   EVENING

                     By Robert Frost

INTRODUCTION TO THE POET

*Born: 26 March 1874, San Francisco, California, United States

*Died: 29 January 1963, Boston, Massachusetts, United States

*Influenced by: William Wordsworth, John Keats, Ezra Pound, William Butler Yeats, more

*Children: Lesley Frost Ballantine, Elliot Frost, Marjorie Frost, Carol Frost, Elinor Bettina Frost, more

*Parents: William Prescott Frost, Jr., Isabelle Moodie

Robert Lee Frost (1874 - 1963) is one of the most popular and critically acclaimed American poets. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. His poetry reveals a keen interest in the varying beauties of nature and the apparently small but deeply meaningful joys and sorrows of ordinary men and women.

                     Text of the poem 

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

By Robert Frost

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.   

My little horse must think it queer   

To stop without a farmhouse near   

Between the woods and frozen lake   

The darkest evening of the year.   

He gives his harness bells a shake   

To ask if there is some mistake.   

The only other sound’s the sweep   

Of easy wind and downy flake.   

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.

THINK IT OUT:

Qn1. How is ‘woods‘ different from ‘forest‘?

Answer– A forest comprises of vast expanses of diverse vegetation, water bodies, and multitudes of living creatures that thrive in it. Woods on the other hand implies a small stretch of trees that can easily be owned by a private entity. The woods are smaller in scale compared to forests.

Qn2. Where does the rider stop?

Answer– In the hours past twilight, the rider, mounted atop the back of his horse, was pacing swiftly along the solitary trails of some woods when he felt the urge to stop and look around his surroundings.

Qn3. Why does he stop?

Answer– He stops between the woods and the frozen lake to enjoy the charming scenery of heavy snowfall and the woods.

Qn4. “He will not see me stopping here” – what does this expression mean ?

Answer– The speaker was familiar with the woods where he had stopped by. He was aware about the ownership of that landmass. He also knew that the owner was the resident of a village nearby and wasn’t presently in his vicinity. As such, he was certain that his trespassing would go unnoticed by the owner.

Qn5. Why does the horse give his harness bells a shake?

Answer– The horse gave his harness bells a shake to inform the poet if he had done any wrong.His reaction is natural since the place is quite lonely and snowy and there is no farm house nearby.

Qn6. What is ‘the only other sound’ besides that of harness bells?

Answer– Besides that of harness bells, the only other sound is the sweep of easy (gentle) wind and downy flake.

Qn7. Why does the poet use the expressions “dark”, “deep”, “darkest”?Answer– The poet uses the expressions “dark”, “deep”, “darkest” to express his deep interaction with attractive beauty of nature. Nature is in its prime shape. It is wild, so deep and dark. To enhance the beauty of nature in a dark and snowy evening such words have been used emphatically.

Qn8. How do the speaker, the owner of the woods and the horse react to the beauties of nature?

Answer– The author is highly receptive to the treasures that nature beholds for humans. The speaker fell in love with the beauty of nature. The horse and the owner were materialistic. They had no sense of beauty, no poetic feelings. They here detached towards the woods. 

Qn9. What picture of natural beauty do you get from the poem?                

Answer– The poem depicts a beautiful evening in the woods near a remote village. Thick sheets of snow adorn the ground and while flakes resembling diamonds fall off the dark night sky creating a mystical atmosphere. The contrast of black and white are seen eliciting emotions of pure bliss in the heart of the observer.

Qn10. In the final stanza, the speaker says that he is not yet ready to “sleep”. What has he to do before he can take rest?                                                    Answer– In the final stanza, the speaker says he is not ready to 'sleep'. Before he can take rest he wants to fulfill his wish, ambitions, dreams, promises. 

Qn11. What does the expression, “The darkest evening of the year”, suggest ? Does it mean ‘the longest night of the year’ or ‘ the most depressing state of his mind’ ? Give a reasoned answer.
Answer– It means ‘the longest night of the year’ as it happened to be winter solstice or peak winter in the location mentioned in the poem. The daytime gets shorter in the winters for the scantiness of sun rays and the period of nighttime grows.

Qn12. A four-line stanza is called a quatrain. How many quatrains are there in the poem?
Answer– The poem contains sixteen lines. Sixteen divided by four gives four. So there are four quatrains in the poem.

Stopping by Woods On a Snowy Evening MCQs.

Q1. Who is the author of "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"?

A)Robert Burns 

B)Robert Frost 

C)William Wordsworth 

D)John Keats

Answer: Robert Frost

Q2. What is the setting of the poem?

A)A beach at sunset 

B)A forest in autumn 

C)A mountain range in winter 

D)A woods on a snowy evening

Answer: A woods on a snowy evening

Q3. What is the speaker doing in the woods?

A)Hunting 

B)Camping 

C)Admiring the beauty of the scene 

D)Chopping down trees

Answer: Admiring the beauty of the scene

Q4. What is the mood of the poem?

A)Joyful 

B)Melancholic 

C)Angry 

D)Hilarious

Answer: Melancholic

Q5. What is the meaning of the last two lines of the poem: "And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep"?

A)The speaker is tired and wants to go to sleep 

B)The speaker has a long journey ahead of him 

C)The speaker is lost in the woods 

D)The speaker is afraid of the dark

Answer: The speaker has a long journey ahead of him.

Q6. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?

A)ABAB 

B)ABBA 

C)AABB 

D)AAAA

Answer: AABB

Q7. What is the significance of the horse in the poem?

A)It represents the speaker's fear of the dark 

B)It symbolizes the speaker's journey through life 

C)It is simply a means of transportation 

D)It represents the freedom of the natural world

Answer: It symbolizes the speaker's journey through life

Q8. What is the tone of the speaker's description of the woods?

A)Fearful 

B)Romantic 

C)Objective 

D)Appreciative

Answer: Appreciative

Q9. What is the meaning of the phrase "darkest evening of the year" in the poem?

A)It refers to the winter solstice, the longest night of the year

B)It suggests that the speaker is lost and in danger 

C)It symbolizes the speaker's fear of the unknown 

D)It represents the end of the speaker's journey

Answer: It refers to the winter solstice, the longest night of the year

Q10. What is the central theme of the poem?

A)The beauty of nature

B)The fear of death 

C)The importance of fulfilling one's obligations 

D)The joy of solitude

Answer: The importance of fulfilling one's obligations

Q11. What is the significance of the line "To watch his woods fill up with snow" in the poem?

A)It represents the speaker's desire to be buried in the woods after he dies 

B)It suggests that the speaker is waiting for someone to come and rescue him 

C)It symbolizes the passage of time and the changing of the seasons 

D)It represents the speaker's desire for the peace and stillness of the woods

Answer: It symbolizes the passage of time and the changing of the seasons

Q12. What is the speaker's attitude towards the woods?

A)He is frightened by their darkness 

B)He is in awe of their beauty 

C)He is indifferent to their existence 

D)He is irritated by the silence

Answer: He is in awe of their beauty

Q13. What does the speaker mean when he says, "The only other sound's the sweep / Of easy wind and downy flake"?

A)He is afraid of the silence in the woods 

B)He is enjoying the peacefulness of the woods 

C)He is annoyed by the sound of the wind and snow 

D)He is waiting for someone to come and rescue him

Answer: He is enjoying the peacefulness of the woods

Q14. What is the meaning of the phrase "And I have promises to keep" in the poem?

A)The speaker has made a vow to protect the woods from harm 

B)The speaker has obligations and responsibilities that he must fulfill 

C)The speaker is trying to avoid his responsibilities by staying in the woods 

D)The speaker is trying to make an excuse to stay in the woods

Answer: The speaker has obligations and responsibilities that he must fulfill

Q15. What is the message conveyed by the last two lines of the poem?

A)The speaker is lost and cannot find his way home 

B)The speaker is exhausted and needs to rest 

C)The speaker has a lot of work to do before he can rest 

D)The speaker is overcome by the beauty of the woods

Answer: The speaker has a lot of work to do before he can rest

Q16. What is the mood of the poem?

A)Joyful

B)Melancholic 

C)Angry 

D)Hopeful

Answer: Melancholic

Q17. What is the meaning of the phrase "And miles to go before I sleep"?

A)The speaker is exhausted and needs to rest 

B)The speaker has a lot of work to do before he can rest 

C)The speaker is lost and needs to find his way home 

D)The speaker is looking forward to a peaceful rest in the woods

Answer: The speaker has a lot of work to do before he can rest

Q18. What is the significance of the line "He gives his harness bells a shake / To ask if there is some mistake"?

A)It suggests that the speaker is lost and needs help 

B)It emphasizes the sound of the horse's bells in the silence of the woods 

C)It represents the horse's impatience to continue on the journey 

D)It symbolizes the speaker's fear of the unknown

Answer: It emphasizes the sound of the horse's bells in the silence of the woods

Q19. What is the significance of the line "Between the woods and frozen lake / The darkest evening of the year"?

A)It suggests that the speaker is lost and disoriented 

B)It emphasizes the coldness and isolation of the woods 

C)It represents the contrast between light and darkness 

D)It emphasizes the beauty and peacefulness of the winter landscape

Answer: It represents the contrast between light and darkness

Q20. What is the significance of the woods being "lovely, dark and deep"?

A)It suggests that the woods are a place of danger and mystery 

B)It emphasizes the beauty and stillness of the woods 

C)It suggests that the speaker is lost in the woods 

D)It emphasizes the darkness and fear of the woods

Answer: It emphasizes the beauty and stillness of the woods

Q21. According to the poet the journey through the woods is identical to ______.

A)A voyaging

B)Difficult journey 

C)Journey through life

D)Journey through problems

Answer: journey through life

Q22. What were the sounds heard by the poet?

A) Sweeping sound of the wind.

B) The sound of snow fall.

C) The ringing sound of the bell tied to the horse's neck.

D) All of these

Answer: All of these