Class 12 English Ncert solutions The Roadside Stand

Class 12 English Ncert solutions The Roadside Stand                                                              

                                                                        The Roadside Stand
                                                                                    by Robert Frost
Think it out


1. The city folk who drove through the countryside hardly paid any heed to the roadside stand or to the people who ran it. If at all they did, it was to complain. Which lines bring this out? What was their complain about?

Ans: The lines that reflects the above meaning are as follows:

"The polished traffic passed with a mind ahead,
Or if ever aside a moment, then out of sorts
At having the landscape marred with the artless paint
Of signs that with N turned wrong and S turned wrong"

The people from the city who passes by complains that the roadside stands put up by the people are pathetic and artless which are ruining the beautiful scenary of the landscape.

2. What was the plea of the folk who had put up the roadside stand ?

Ans. The folk that had put up the roadside stand was poor and was living in pathetic conditon. The folk had put up the stand in hope of  getting some city money from the passersby. So, the plea was for some city money.

3. The government and other social service agencies appear to help the poor rural people, but actually do them no good. Pick out the words and phrases that the poet uses to show their double standards?

Ans :  The words and phrases used by the poet to show their double standard are: "greedy good-doers","beneficent beasts of prey" , "swarm over their lives", "soothe them out of their wits"

4. What is the 'childish longing' that the poet refers to ? Why is it in 'vain' ?

Ans: The "childish longing' the poet is referring to is the poor rural people's hopes and desires to earn some cash from the passersby.

        It is in vain beacuse although they wait for the passersby to halt and buy from their roadside stand, their speeding car never stops to make any purchase. They speed off without paying any heed to the stands.

5. Which lines tell us about the insufferable pain that the poet feels at the thought of the plight of the rural people?

Ans: The lines from the poem whic tells us the  poets insufferable pain that he feeels at the thought of the plight of the rural people ar as follows:

"Sometimes I feel myself I can hardly bear
The thought of so much childish longing in vain,
The sadness that lurks near the open window there,
That waits all day in almost open prayer"

                                 Class 12 English Ncert solutions The Roadside Stand

Answers for other Lessons
A Thing of Beauty
The memoirs of the Chota Sahib
The Last Lesson
Going Places


Extra Questions.


Short answer type questions

1. Who are referred to as the 'flower of cities' ?
Ans :  The pleasures of the cities are referred to as the "flower of cities".

2. What are being sold in that roadside stand ?
Ans: Wild berries and crook-necked golden squash with silver warts and similar other products are being sold in that roadside stand.

3. Why do the people running the roadside stand ask for some city money ?

Ans.  The people running the roadside stand are poor and they desire a prosperous life like that of the city dwellers shown in movies. They knew that only through money they can experince the pleasures of life so that is why they ask for some city money.

4. Who has betrayed the rural people and how?

Ans: The rich and the powerful people are the ones that betrayed the rural people. They disguised themselves as their messiah  who will protect them from all miseries but instead they loot them and make them dependent on their mercy for all basic things required to sustain life. They did nothing so as to make their lives a little better filled with happiness.

5. Why do the people wait all day long for?

Ans: The rural people wait all day long expecting customers that passes by in speeding cars to halt and come to their open window of their houses to buy products from them. But they really never stop to buy anything.

6. What will be of great relief to the poet?

Ans: The pain and suffering of the poor people melts the poet's heart. He could  hardly  bear it sometimes so he feels that death will ultimately take away all  their sufferings. If they cease to exist, it will bring the poet a great relief.

7. "The little old house was out with a little new shed.." What does the poet mean by the phrase "old house was out with..."?

Ans. The phrase "old house was with ..."  is used by the poet to express the yearning of the poor people to earn money by putting up  the roadside stand. 

Long  Answer Type Question

1. Explain the following:

(1) ....But for some of the money, the cash, whose flow supports
     the flower of cities, from sinking and withering faint.

Ans: These lines are from the poem " Aroadside Stand" by Robert Frost. With these lines the poet expresses the desires of the poor villager for earning some money from passerby. He hoped that people passing through the road would stop by and buy their products that they were selling by the roadside and he would earn some much needed cash to survive.He knows that the cash is the only thing whose continuos flow is what keeps the pleasures of the cities from sinking and withering away.

(2) And give us the life of the moving pictures promised
That the party in power is said to be keeping from us.

Ans: These lines are from the poem " A Roadside Stand" by Robert Frost. These lines expresses that the life of the poor people of the country would have been much better if not for political party hindrance. The only yearning these poor people have is to earn some money to live a livelihood shown in movies. The only thing that keeps them away from their desired life is the political party in power.

(3) Sometimes I feel myself I can hardly bear
      The thought of so much childish longing in vain

Ans: These lines are from the poem " The Roadside Stand" by Robert Frost. These lines describes how the poet feels about the " childish longing " of the poor people. They put up stands by the roadside waiting for some passers by to turn up and buy from them so that they can earn some money. But the speeding cars never stops by. Their childish desires for some customers and in turn for sopme cash are all in vain. This tragic situation of the poor people of the country breaks the poet's heart and he could hardly bear it.

(4) No, in country money, the country scale of gain,
     The requisite lift of spirit has never been found.
     Or so the voice of the country seems to complain

Ans: These lines are from the poem " The Roadside Stand" by Robert Frost. These lines reflects why there is less development in the countryside. The poet tells that because the flow of money in the countryside is almost nil so the poor people living there never progressed and their living standard is low. Their earning is not sufficient to live a better life due to which they never found the required growth needed to live a fulfilled life. It is evident from the pain and sufferings of the poor people.

                                    Class 12 English Ncert solutions The Roadside Stand

Answers for other Lessons
A Thing of Beauty
The memoirs of the Chota Sahib
The Last Lesson
Going Places

Question Paper(AHSEC)
Alternative English 2016
Alternative English 2017