Std 10 English chapters › Unit 3
In short: A traveller stops to admire snowy woods on a dark evening, but remembers that he has promises to keep and a long way to go before he can rest.
(एका अंधाऱ्या संध्याकाळी एक प्रवासी बर्फाच्छादित जंगलाचे सौंदर्य पाहायला थांबतो, पण त्याला आठवते की त्याला दिलेली वचने पाळायची आहेत आणि विश्रांतीपूर्वी खूप अंतर कापायचे आहे.)
- Type: Lyric poem
- Poet: Robert Frost
- Speaker: A traveller on a horse
- Rhyme scheme: aaba, bbcb, ccdc, dddd
- Unit: 3
3.3 Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening: English Workshop Question Answers
Answers to every activity in the Std 10 English Kumarbharati textbook (Maharashtra Board), written by a practising English teacher. Read the poem in your textbook first, then try each activity here before you check the answer.
Chit-chat: your last picnic
✍️ Share your own picnic with your bench-mate first.
Show a sample answer
Last month I went for a picnic to Kas Plateau near Satara with my family and two friends. We chose it because it is famous for its colourful wild flowers. We played cricket, ate pithla-bhakri and enjoyed the green hills and the waterfall. When it was time to return home, I felt sad, because the place was so peaceful and beautiful.
Warming up 1: Frame questions about the picture
✍️ Frame four more questions first.
Show sample questions
- Where are the trekkers trekking?
- How many trekkers are there?
- What are they carrying on their backs?
- What is the weather like?
- What can they see around them?
Warming up 2: Give a heading to each description (imagery)
- (a) A Beautiful Sky (or: A Sunny Day)
- (b) The Desert (or: A Journey Through the Desert)
Imagery means describing something so that the reader can see, hear or feel it in the mind.
Sample group poem with imagery:
Golden sun on the paddy field,
Green leaves dancing in the breeze,
A cool stream singing over stones,
And white cranes resting under trees.
Short questions from the poem (margin questions)
- Where has the poet stopped?
He has stopped between the woods and a frozen lake, with no farmhouse near. - What season of the year is described here?
Winter. - What time of the day is described here?
Evening: “the darkest evening of the year”. - List the sounds mentioned in the poem.
The shake of the harness bells, the sweep of easy wind, and the falling of downy flakes. - Why does the traveller have to leave the lovely woods?
Because he has promises to keep and miles to go before he sleeps. - On what date every year is the darkest evening?
Around 21st December (the winter solstice), which has the longest night of the year in the northern half of the earth.
Q1. True or false?
👉 Tap True or False for each statement.
(a) The speaker stops to watch rain falling among the trees.
Answer: False. He stops to watch the woods fill up with snow, not rain.
(b) The owner of the woods is known to the speaker.
Answer: True. “Whose woods these are I think I know.”
(c) The horse wants to keep going.
Answer: True. The horse thinks it is strange to stop, and shakes its bells “to ask if there is some mistake”.
(d) The speaker does not care about the beauty of the woods.
Answer: False. He says the woods are “lovely, dark and deep”.
Q2. Lines from the poem as proof
| Explanation | Proof from the poem |
|---|---|
| (a) No one will catch the speaker trespassing. | “His house is in the village, though; / He will not see me stopping here” |
| (b) The little horse draws his master’s attention. | “He gives his harness bells a shake” |
| (c) His horse seems anxious to keep going. | “To ask if there is some mistake” |
| (d) The speaker wants to stay but must move on. | “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, / But I have promises to keep” |
| (e) The poem is set in the past. | “My little horse must think it queer” (people travelled by horse) and “harness bells” |
Q3. What could these signify?
👉 Choose the meaning of each symbol, then tap Check my answers.
Answer key
| Item | Signifies | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The speaker's journey | life | Life is like a long journey. |
| Snowy evening | old age | Evening is the end of the day, like old age is the end of life. |
| Lovely, dark, deep woods | everlasting peace | The quiet woods tempt him to rest forever. |
| Promises | duties and responsibilities | He has work and duties to finish. |
| Sleep | death | "Sleep" stands for death, the end of life's journey. |
Q4. Is the rhyme scheme right or wrong?
👉 Tap Right or Wrong.
(a) Stanza 1: a a b a
Answer: Right. know, though, here, snow: “here” does not rhyme, so it is b.
(b) Stanza 2: b b c b
Answer: Right. queer, near, lake, year: “lake” gives the new sound c.
(c) Stanza 3: c c d c
Answer: Right. shake, mistake, sweep, flake: “sweep” gives the new sound d.
(d) Stanza 4: d d e d
Answer: Wrong. Correct: d d d d. deep, keep, sleep, sleep all rhyme.
मराठी टीप: प्रत्येक कडव्यातील न जुळणारी तिसरी ओळ पुढच्या कडव्याचा यमक ठरवते. शेवटचे कडवे dddd आहे.
Q5. Your own rhyming words
| Word | Rhyming words |
|---|---|
| house | mouse, blouse |
| woods | hoods, goods |
| easy | breezy, cheesy |
| wind | grinned, pinned |
| dark | park, mark |
| watch | notch, Scotch |
Q6 and Q7. Matching: Question Answers
Q6. Match the lines with their figures of speech
👉 Choose the figure of speech, then tap Check my answers.
Answer key
| Line | Figure of speech | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Whose woods these are I think I know | Inversion | Normal order: I think I know whose woods these are. |
| The woods are lovely, dark and deep | Alliteration | The "d" sound is repeated in dark and deep. |
| And miles to go before I sleep, / And miles to go before I sleep. | Repetition | The whole line is repeated. |
| My little horse must think it queer | Personification | The horse is given a human ability: to think. |
Q7. Match the words with their meanings
👉 Choose the meaning, then tap Check my answers.
Answer key
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| mistake | error |
| downy flakes | soft snow falling |
| woods | jungle |
| queer | strange |
Q8. Describing words (web diagrams)
| Word | Describing words |
|---|---|
| wind | easy, soft, cold |
| evening | darkest, snowy, silent |
| woods | lovely, dark, deep |
| lake | frozen, still, icy |
Q9. Lines that contain imagery
- “To watch his woods fill up with snow.”
- “Between the woods and frozen lake”
- “He gives his harness bells a shake”
- “The only other sound’s the sweep / Of easy wind and downy flake.”
- “The woods are lovely, dark and deep”
Q10. Interview questions
✍️ Prepare your own questions first.
Show sample questions
(a) A person who has just returned from a trek in the woods:
- Where did you go for the trek, and with whom?
- How long did it take you to complete it?
- What did you carry with you?
- Which animals, birds or plants did you see?
- What was the most difficult part, and how did you manage it?
(b) A person who has recently climbed Mount Everest:
- What inspired you to climb Mount Everest?
- How did you train for the climb?
- What was the most dangerous moment of your journey?
- How did you feel when you reached the top?
- What advice would you give to young people who want to climb mountains?
Poem Appreciation: “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is a poem by the American poet Robert Frost. It has four stanzas of four lines each. The rhyme scheme is aaba, bbcb, ccdc, dddd. On the darkest evening of the year, a traveller stops his horse to watch the snow falling in the woods. The horse thinks it is strange to stop and shakes its harness bells. The woods are lovely, but the traveller remembers his promises and moves on. My favourite lines are “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, / But I have promises to keep”, because they show that duty comes before pleasure. The poet uses inversion, alliteration, personification, repetition and beautiful imagery. The language is simple and the tone is calm and thoughtful. The central idea is that we must finish our duties before we rest. I like this poem because it is peaceful and teaches an important lesson.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening'?
The poem was written by the American poet Robert Frost, who won four Pulitzer Prizes for poetry.
What is the rhyme scheme of 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening'?
The rhyme scheme is aaba, bbcb, ccdc, dddd.
Why does the horse shake its harness bells?
The horse thinks it is strange to stop where there is no farmhouse, so it shakes its bells as if to ask whether there is some mistake.
Why does the traveller not stay in the woods?
The woods are lovely, but he has promises to keep and miles to go before he sleeps.
What does 'sleep' mean in the last lines of the poem?
'Sleep' can mean the rest at the end of the day, and it also stands for death, the end of life's journey.
Summary in English
On the darkest evening of the year, a traveller stops his horse beside some woods to watch the snow falling. He thinks he knows who owns the woods, but the owner lives in the village and will not see him stopping there.
His little horse seems puzzled: there is no farmhouse nearby, so why stop? It shakes its harness bells, as if asking whether something is wrong. The only other sounds are the soft wind and the falling snow.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep, and the traveller is tempted to stay. But he remembers that he has promises to keep and many miles to go before he can sleep. He decides to move on.
मराठीत सारांश (Summary in Marathi)
वर्षातील सर्वात अंधाऱ्या संध्याकाळी एक प्रवासी पडणारा बर्फ पाहण्यासाठी जंगलाजवळ आपला घोडा थांबवतो. हे जंगल कोणाचे आहे हे त्याला ठाऊक आहे असे वाटते, पण मालक गावात राहतो, त्यामुळे तो त्याला तिथे थांबलेले पाहणार नाही.
त्याचा छोटा घोडा गोंधळलेला दिसतो: जवळ कोणतेही शेतघर नाही, मग थांबायचे कशाला? काही चुकले आहे का, असे विचारल्यासारखे तो आपल्या गळ्यातील घंटा वाजवतो. बाकी फक्त मंद वाऱ्याचा आणि पडणाऱ्या बर्फाचा आवाज आहे.
जंगल सुंदर, गडद आणि घनदाट आहे आणि प्रवाशाला तिथेच थांबण्याचा मोह होतो. पण त्याला आठवते की त्याला वचने पाळायची आहेत आणि झोपण्यापूर्वी खूप मैल जायचे आहे. तो पुढे जाण्याचा निर्णय घेतो.
Theme and Message (मध्यवर्ती कल्पना)
Duty comes before rest and pleasure. Life’s beauty can tempt us to stop, but our responsibilities call us to keep going.
विश्रांती आणि आनंदापेक्षा कर्तव्य आधी येते. जीवनातील सौंदर्य आपल्याला थांबण्याचा मोह घालते, पण जबाबदाऱ्या आपल्याला पुढे जायला सांगतात.
Figures of Speech (अलंकार)
- Repetition (पुनरावृत्ती): the last line is repeated to stress how far the traveller still has to go.
- Personification (चेतनगुणोक्ती): the horse is given human thoughts, as if it questions the stop.
- Inversion (शब्दक्रम बदल): the normal word order is changed in some lines to keep the rhyme.
- Symbolism (प्रतीक): the journey stands for life, the woods for rest or escape, and sleep for death or the end of life’s work.
Tip: for the appreciation question, pick your favourite line from the poem in your textbook and say which figure of speech it uses.
Useful Words (शब्दार्थ)
| Word | मराठी अर्थ | Use it in a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| queer | विचित्र | It seemed queer to stop in the cold. |
| harness | घोड्याचा साज | The horse’s harness had small bells. |
| downy | मऊ, पिसासारखा | The snow fell in downy flakes. |
| promise | वचन | Always keep your promise. |
| dusk | संधिप्रकाश, तिन्हीसांज | The birds return home at dusk. |
| frozen | गोठलेला | The lake was frozen in winter. |
For the Exam (परीक्षेसाठी)
- For the appreciation: rhyme scheme aaba bbcb ccdc dddd, where the unrhymed line of each stanza gives the rhyme for the next; key devices are repetition, personification and symbolism.
- Be ready to explain the symbolic meaning of the woods, the journey and sleep.
- Strengthen your word knowledge with the vocabulary practice set.
Think and Write (विचार करा, लिहा)
- When have you had to choose duty over something you enjoyed?
- Describe a beautiful place in nature where you felt like staying longer.
- What ‘promises’ do you have to keep as a student?
🎮 Practice Games: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Extra practice for revision, beyond the textbook activities. Play every game, then check your total score and stars! (उजळणीसाठी खेळ.)
🎬 Poem flow
Put the traveller’s thoughts in order.
A snowy evening
- The traveller stops by woods whose owner lives in the village.
- His little horse thinks it is strange to stop.
- The horse shakes its harness bells.
- He hears only the wind and the falling snow.
- He finds the woods lovely, dark and deep.
- He remembers his promises and moves on.
🔤 Word meanings
🎯 Tap the English word and its Marathi meaning.
English ↔ मराठी
⚡ Quick quiz
👉 Tap the correct answer.
Who wrote the poem?
Answer: An American poet.
What is the rhyme scheme of the first stanza?
Answer: know/though/here/snow. The third line’s sound starts the next stanza’s rhyme.
‘And miles to go before I sleep’ is repeated. This is ___.
Answer: It stresses his duties and the long journey of life.
‘My little horse must think it queer’ is an example of ___.
Answer: The horse is given the human ability to think.
What does ‘sleep’ in the last lines suggest?
Answer: He has duties to finish before he can rest.
Online test · 15 questions
3.3 Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening: Lesson Test
Multiple choice · instant score with answers · certificate for 80% and above · free, no login
शिक्षकांसाठी: धडा शिकवून झाल्यावर ही test वर्गाला पाठवा. प्रत्येक विद्यार्थ्याचे गुण तुम्हाला आपोआप मिळतील.
These are original study notes and answers by englishresources.in to help you revise. Read the poem in your Balbharati textbook first: these notes do not replace it. Only short lines from the poem are quoted, for reference.