A ROAD SIDE STAND

                                                       POEM-4

A ROAD SIDE STAND               Poet name: - Robert frost

Very Short-Answer Type Questions 

Q.1. Where was the new shed put up? What was its purpose?

Ans :- It was put up in front of an old house at the edge of the road . It was put up to sell some cheap things.

Q.2.Why does the poet use the word ‘pathetic’?

Ans:- The poet uses this word to underline the poverty and misery of the people living in the countryside .

Q.3. Who are referred to as ‘the flower of cities’?

Ans:- The rich people of the city life have been referred to as ‘the flower of cities

Q.4. What thing was offered for sale?

Ans :- Wild berries were offered for sale .

Q.5. What was thought to mar the landscape?

Ans:- The artless paint of signs on the roadside stand was thought to mar the beauty of the landscape .

Q.6. How did one who looked aside a moment feel?

Ans :- He felt irritated that the beauty of the landscape had been marred .

Q.7. Who have been referred to as ‘pitiful kin’?

Ans :- The poor farmers and other deprived classes have been referred to as ‘pitiful kin”.

Q.8. Who will be bought out and from where?

Ans :- The poor farmers will be paid for their small holdings and taken away from there to be settled in villages close to the cities .
Q.9. What is in the news?

Ans :- It is in the news that the poor will be settled in villages close to the cities .

Q.10. How will it help them to be near the theatre and the store?

Ans :- It is said that then they would not have to think for themselves .

Q.11. Who have been called ‘greedy good – doers’?

Ans:- The selfish rich people who pretend to be worried about the poor are called ‘ greedy good- doers’ .

Q.12. Why are benefits enforced on the poor?

Ans :- Benefits are enforced on the poor so that the real advantage of these benefits reaches the rich themselves in the end.

Q.13. What do ‘beneficent beasts of prey ‘do?

Ans:- They make a show of helping the poor but , in fact , exploit them for their own benefit .

Q.14. What are the poor taught to do?

 Ans :- They are taught to sleep peacefully at night , but in fact , all their sleep at night is robbed while the rich sleep peacefully all day .

Q.15. What can the poet not bear?

Ans :- He can’t bear the thought of poor man waiting all day for some car to stop at his stand .

Q.16. Why have the cars been called selfish?

Ans:- The cars have been called selfish because none of them cares to think of poor farmer’s longing .

Q.17. What does the poor man wait for?

Ans:- He  waits for squeal of brakes or for the sound of a stopping car .

Q.18. What gives sadness and to whom?

Ans:- The poor farmer keeps sitting all day at his open window but none of the thousand cars  passing  that way stops at his stand . It leaves the poor man in sadness.

Q.19. Why did the first of the cars stop there?

Ans:- It stopped there to use the yard in order to turn back.

Q.20. What made it cross?

Ans:- It was cross when told that there was no gas at the stand.

Q.21. Why did the second one stop there?

Ans:- It stopped there to ask the way to where it was bound.

Q.22. why did the third one stop at the stand?

Ans:-  It stopped there to use the yard in order to turn back.

Q.23. What attraction does the place offer?

Ans:- It is some picture of a beautiful mountain scene.

Q.24. What do you think is the real worry of the poet?

Ans:- The real worry of the poet is about the poor man who has put up the roadside stand but the rich never buy anything from there.

Q.25. What does the poet not complain about?

Ans:- He would not complain about the hurt to the scenery.

Q.26. What should one do if one wants to be mean?

Ans:- He should keep his money and go along his way without buying anything from the roadside stand.

Q.27. Explain the phrase ‘the requisite lift of spirit ‘.

Ans:- The poor need a better treatment at the hands of the rich ruling classes. But this life of the spirit has not been found so far.

Q.28. What could give the poet great relief?

Ans:- He could get a great relief if the poor could be brought out of their pain at one stroke.

Q.29. What does the voice of the country complain?

Ans:- The voice of the country complains that nothing substantial has been done to improve their lot.

SHORT-ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q.1 What was the plea of the folk who had put up the roadside?

Ans:- Those who had put up the roadside stands were poor farmers .They hoped to earn some money from the rich city people who kept going up and down in their cars all day. They did not want any dole of bread from them .They wanted only some money in return for the things they had to sell.

Q.2.What is the ‘childish longing ‘that the poet refers to? Why is it ‘vain’?

Ans :-The poor  farmer keeps waiting all day for some car to stop at his stand. But hardly any car stops there. With a longing heart, he keeps sitting by the open window and waiting all day. His longing proves vain when no one comes to buy the things he has put up for sale.

Q.3.Where was the roadside stand put up and what for?

Ans:- The stand was in the shape of a little new shed . It was built in front of an old little house .It was at the edge of the road .A lot of fast traffic went that way. The poor owner of the stand had some little things to sell. He hoped to earn a little money by selling these things.

Q.4. What does the poet say about the polished traffic?

Ans:- The rich people had polished or magnificent cars. They drove with their eyes fixed forward. If ever anyone looked aside, he felt irritated. He was irritated to see the artless way in which the shed had been painted.

Q.5 What were the various thing put up at the stand for sale?

Ans:- The stand offered for sale wild berries. They were put in wooden quarts. Then there were crook-necked golden squash .They had on their body silvery warts. Or, they had some picture of a beautiful mountain scene.

Q.6. Why did no one stop to buy at the roadside stand?

Ans:- People in the car had money in their pockets. Yet they did not stop at the stand to buy anything .They thought it means to stop at such a place shop there. So they kept the money in their pockets and moved away.

Q.7. What was it that pained the poet?

Ans:- The poet saw how the poor man kept waiting for some car to stop at his stand. Thousands of cars passed that way but none stopped thereto buy anything. Each car left the poor man waiting in sorrow. it was this pathetic wait that pained the poet.

Q.8. What was the complaint about ‘the artless paint of sign’?

Ans:- The stand-owner had got his shed painted. He had put up a few things for sale. He had made some signs in paint to indicate the things he had for sale. But the rich men going in their cars would say that the beauty of the landscape had been marred by the artless paint

Q.9. What has been in the news?

Ans:- There are all sorts of false promises in the news. It is in the news that the poor farmers will be paid for their small holdings and settled in villages near the cities. They are assured that they won’t have to worry about themselves. But in fact, such assurances are just to fool poor.

Q.10. What does the poet says about the ‘greedy good-doers’ and ‘beneficent beasts of prey’?

Ans:- The poet calls the foxy politicians ‘greedy good –doers ‘ and ‘beneficent beasts of prey ‘. These people fool the poor with their false promises. They take away all the peace and sleep of the poor while they themselves sleep during the day even.

Q.11.How does the poet mention some of the cars that stop at the stand?

Ans:- One of the cars stops there just to turn back. Another one stops to ask the way to its destination. A third one to stops to ask if it can have a gallon of petrol.

Q.12. Why does Robert frost sympathies with the rural poor?

Ans:- The poet sees hoe the poor man keeps waiting for some car to stop at his stand. Thousands of cars pass that way but none stops there to buy anything. The poor villager is left waiting in sorrow. His plight fills Robert frost with sympathy for the helpless rural poor.