Question Bank — A Roadside Stand

QUESTION BANK: A Roadside Stand (Robert Frost)

Section A — MCQs (10 questions, 1 mark each)

1. The roadside stand is described as “pathetically pled” because it
   a) demanded charity
   b) desperately sought customers for its produce
   c) begged for government aid
   d) advertised luxury goods

2. The polished traffic felt “out of sorts” mainly because
   a) the stand sold rotten fruit
   b) the signs marred the landscape
   c) the farmers charged high prices
   d) the road was blocked

3. Assertion (A): The poet feels that the villagers’ longing for city money is childish.
   Reason (R): The villagers believe city money will give them the life shown in moving pictures.
   (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
   (b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
   (c) A is true but R is false.
   (d) A is false but R is true.

4. The phrase “greedy good-doers, beneficent beasts of prey” is an example of
   a) simile
   b) oxymoron
   c) personification
   d) hyperbole

5. What does the poet mean by “the requisite lift of spirit has never been found”?
   a) Villagers lack physical strength
   b) Country people never receive fair economic returns
   c) The stand has no customers
   d) City people refuse to stop

6. Assertion (A): The poet sometimes wishes the villagers could be put “at one stroke out of their pain”.
   Reason (R): He finds their endless, unanswered hope painful to watch.
   (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
   (b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
   (c) A is true but R is false.
   (d) A is false but R is true.

7. The villagers want city money “to feel in hand” in order to
   a) buy more land
   b) experience the promised modern life
   c) pay taxes
   d) move to the city immediately

8. The line “Offered for sale wild berries in wooden quarts” shows that the stand sells
   a) factory-made items
   b) local farm produce
   c) imported goods
   d) only flowers

9. The poet’s final reflection shows
   a) complete indifference
   b) a sudden change of perspective about ending others’ pain
   c) anger at the government
   d) hope that the stand will succeed

10. The poem primarily highlights
    a) the beauty of rural scenery
    b) the economic and emotional exploitation of poor villagers
    c) the joy of city life
    d) the success of government schemes

Section B — Reference to Context (3 extracts, 4 marks each)

Extract 1

“The little old house was out with a little new shed
In front at the edge of the road where the traffic sped,
A roadside stand that too pathetically pled…”

1. Who is the speaker of these lines?
2. What does the stand “pled” for?
3. Identify the literary device in “pathetically pled”.
4. What does the location of the stand reveal about the villagers’ hopes?

Extract 2

“While greedy good-doers, beneficent beasts of prey,
Swarm over their lives enforcing benefits
That are calculated to soothe them out of their wits…”

1. Name the figure of speech used in the first line.
2. Who are the “greedy good-doers”?
3. What is the effect of the benefits on the villagers?
4. What does the poet imply about such welfare schemes?

Extract 3

“I can’t help owning the great relief it would be
To put these people at one stroke out of their pain.
And then next day as I come back into the sane,
I wonder how I should like you to come to me
And offer to put me gently out of my pain.”

1. What feeling does the poet first admit to?
2. How does the poet’s mood change the next day?
3. Identify the literary device in the last two lines.
4. What does this shift reveal about the poet’s attitude?

Section C — Short Answer (5 questions, 3 marks each)

1. Why do the villagers set up the roadside stand?
2. How do the city people react when they stop at the stand?
3. Explain the phrase “the trusting sorrow of what is unsaid”.
4. What false promises are made to the villagers according to the poem?
5. Why does the poet feel “great relief” at the thought of ending the villagers’ pain?

Section D — Long Answer (2 questions, 6 marks each)

1. The poem “A Roadside Stand” presents the contrast between the lives of the poor villagers and the indifferent city dwellers. Discuss.
2. “The poet’s sympathy for the villagers gradually turns into self-reflection.” Explain with reference to the poem.

Section E — Language and Writing (2 questions, 4 marks each)

1. From the poem, pick out two examples of
   a) alliteration
   b) oxymoron
   Write one sentence using each device in your own words.

2. Write a short paragraph (80–100 words) from the point of view of one of the villagers describing their daily wait for customers and their disappointment.