The Road Not Taken Introduction

Which statement best describes how the speaker’s thoughts in lines 9-12 affect the meaning of the poem?

• The speaker admits the roads are really the same, meaning he does not take the road less traveled but wants his choice to seem like it matters.

• The speaker admits the two roads are really the same, indicating that he will grow confused with age and forget his past choices.

• The speaker thinks both roads are actually heavily traveled, meaning that in the end both choices would have led to full lives.

• The speaker thinks he took the road less traveled, but is not sure if it has made any difference in his life.

Which statement best describes the significance of lines 13-15 on the meaning of the poem?

• The speaker is not worried he made the wrong choice because he can return to take the other road.

• The speaker is worried he took the more traveled road and will not be able to return to take the less traveled one.

• The speaker understands that taking one opportunity will likely prevent him from going back to take another.

• The speaker believes that he will be able to take all of the opportunities presented to him at some point in life.

Which of the following best describes a theme of the text?

• Sometimes one must make a choice without knowing if it will be best and live with the consequences.

• There will always be decisions in life, but one can return and make the decision differently if one makes a mistake.

• Following one’s heart is easier than following one’s head, but since decisions don't really matter it is best to follow one’s heart.

• Making the most common or popular decisions ensures that one will take the correct path through life.

According to the speaker, what "has made all the difference" (line 20)?

• He or she took the first of the two roads.
• He or she took the road less traveled by.
• He or she took the road that bent in the undergrowth.

What is the setting of this poem?

• a quiet street on the edge of a town
• a forest in the middle of winter
• a wood with two roads in it

Based on the information in the poem, why might the second road have "wanted wear" and been "grassy?"

• because the second road was close to a stream that ran through the woods
• because the second road got a lot of sunlight
• because few people had taken the second road

The speaker of the poem wishes that he or she did not have to make a choice between the roads.
What lines from the poem support this statement?

• And sorry I could not travel both/And be one traveler, long I stood
• Though as for that, the passing there/Had worn them really about the same
• And both that morning equally lay/In leaves no step had trodden black

The word "diverged" means went in different directions." What is a line in the poem that provides a clue to the meaning of "diverged"?

• To where it bent in the undergrowth;

• Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

• Had worn them really about the same

What do the following lines from "The Road Not Taken" mean?
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, 

• The speaker thinks both paths are equally good.
• The speaker is only one person and cannot go down two roads at the same time.
• The speaker would rather travel with someone, so they could each explore a path.
• The speaker regrets not taking the other road at the start.

Who is the character in the poem?

• The traveler
• The writer
• The author