Chapter- 12                A Roadside Stand


Question: What is the title of the poem?
Answer: The title of the poem is “A Roadside Stand”.

Question: Who is the poet of the poem?
Answer: The poet of the poem is Robert Frost.

Question: When was Robert Frost born?
Answer: Robert Frost was born in 1874.

Question: When did Robert Frost die?
Answer: Robert Frost died in 1963.

Question: Which country did Robert Frost belong to?
Answer: Robert Frost was an American poet.

Question: What kind of subjects did Frost write about?
Answer: He wrote about characters, people, landscapes, human tragedies, fears, and life’s complexities.

Question: Name some well-known poems by Robert Frost.
Answer: Some well-known poems are Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Birches, and Mending Walls.

Question: What is the central theme of “A Roadside Stand”?
Answer: The poem focuses on the lives of poor and deprived people and their struggles.

Question: How does Frost describe the roadside stand?
Answer: He describes it as little, old, and pathetically pleading.

Question: Where was the roadside stand located?
Answer: It was at the edge of the road where traffic sped by.

Question: What were the people at the stand asking for?
Answer: They were asking for money, not just a dole of bread.

Question: Why did the poet say the cities’ wealth affected the stand?
Answer: Because the cash from the cities supports the city life while the rural people remain poor.

Question: How did the traffic behave when passing the stand?
Answer: The traffic passed with their minds ahead, hardly noticing the stand.

Question: What was wrong with the signs at the stand?
Answer: The signs were poorly painted, with letters turned wrong.

Question: What products were sold at the roadside stand?
Answer: Wild berries, crook-necked golden squash with silver warts, and other local produce were sold.

Question: How did the roadside stand affect the landscape?
Answer: The poet mentions the artless paint marred the landscape.

Question: How did the poet feel about the hurt to the scenery?
Answer: He said it was not his main complaint.

Question: What does the roadside stand symbolize?
Answer: It symbolizes the struggle of rural poor trying to survive in the shadow of wealthy cities.

Question: How does Frost show sympathy for the stand owners?
Answer: He presents their struggle clearly and with deep humanity.

Question: What contrast is shown in the poem?
Answer: The contrast between wealthy city life and poor country life is shown.

Question: What does “cash, whose flow supports the flower of cities” mean?
Answer: It means the money from cities supports urban wealth, while the rural poor remain neglected.

Question: How are the poor people at the stand described?
Answer: They are depicted as helpless, struggling, and pitiable.

Question: What is the tone of the poem?
Answer: The tone is sympathetic, realistic, and thoughtful.

Question: How does Frost create a visual image of the stand?
Answer: He describes the old house, little shed, painted signs, and produce in detail.

Question: Why is the roadside stand “pathetically pleading”?
Answer: Because it is a small attempt by poor people to survive, ignored by wealthier passersby.

Question: What does the poem say about social inequality?
Answer: It highlights the gap between rich city people and poor rural folk.

Question: What effect does the traffic have on the roadside stand?
Answer: The traffic passes quickly, ignoring the stand and its sellers.

Question: How does Frost portray urban apathy?
Answer: He shows that city dwellers are unaware or indifferent to the rural poor.

Question: Why is “A Roadside Stand” considered realistic?
Answer: Because it honestly depicts poverty, struggle, and social inequality.

Question: What lesson does the poem teach the readers?
Answer: It teaches empathy and awareness of rural struggles and social injustice.

Answer by Dimpee Bora