A Roadside Stand

Questions and Answers

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.

Its purpose was to earn a little money by selling some little things.

Q 2 : Why does Robert Frost use the word ‘pathetic’?

Ans : Robert Frost 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 did the stand expect?

Ans : It expected some money for sustenance.

Q 5 : Which open window is referred to? Why does sadness lurk there?

Ans : The open window of the roadside stand is referred to.

The poor farmer keeps sitting all day at his open window but none of the thousands cars
passing that way stops at his stand. It leaves the poor man sad.

Q 6 : What does the farmer pray for?

Ans : He prays for the sound of a stopping car to buy something from his stand.

Q 7 : Is the farmer's prayer ever granted? How do you know?

Ans : NO, the farmer's prayer is not granted.

Because no car stops there to buy something from his stand.

Q 8 : Who have been referred to as ‘pitiful kin'?

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

Q 9 : What does ‘polished traffic’ imply?

Ans : ‘Polished traffic’ implies sophisticated and elegant vehicles indicating wealth of the owners.

Q 10 : What did the stand offer its customers?

OR

What things were offered for sale?

Ans : It offered wild berries , golden squash and beautiful picture of a mountain scene for sale.

Q 11 : What did the rural people expect?

Ans : They expected a better life that the party in power has promised.

Q 12 : What is the Robert Frost’s complaint?

Ans : Robert Frost complains of the betrayal of the trust of the rural people by the politicians.

Q 13 : What does the stand symbolize?

Ans : The stand is symbolic of the poor, rural folk.

Q 14 : Who have been called ‘greedy good-doers'?

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

Q 15 : What do ‘beneficent beasts of pray' do?

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

Q 16 : 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 17 : Who are ‘greedy good-doers, beneficent beasts of pray'? Why?

Ans : The wealthy and powerful city people are ‘greedy good-doers, beneficent beasts of pray'.
Because they draw benefits and cheat the poor people out of the reward that is rightfully theirs.

Q 18 : What is the ‘ancient way of sleeping’?

Ans : The ‘ancient way of sleeping’ is to sleep peacefully.

Q 19 : Why have the cars been called selfish?

Ans : Because none of them cares to think of the poor farmer's longing.

Q 20 : What is the ‘childish longing’ that Robert Frost refers to?

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.

Q 21 : Why does Robert Frost say that it is in vain?

Ans : Because his longing proves vain when no one comes to buy the things.

Q 22 : Why did the four cars in the thousands pause?

OR

Why do the people driving in the cars stop sometimes?

Ans : (i) First one to inquire about the prices. (ii) Second, to reverse and turn. (iii) Third, to ask the
way. (iv) Fourth, to ask for gas.

Q 23 : What was the plea of the folk who had put up the Roadside stand?

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, in return for the
things they had to sell.

Q 24 : Why did no one stop to buy at the roadside stand?

Ans : People in the cars had money in their pockets but they thought it mean to stop at such a place
and shop there. So they kept the money in their pockets and moved away.

Q 25 : What was the complaint about ‘the artless paint of sign’?

Ans : The complaint was that the beauty of the landscape had been marred by the artless paint.

Q 26 : What does Robert Frost say about the ‘greedy good-doers’ and ‘beneficent beasts of pray'?

Ans : Robert Frost calls the foxy rich politicians ‘greedy good-doers’ and ‘beneficent beasts of pray'.
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 27 : Why does Robert Frost sympathise with the rural poor?

Ans : Robert Frost sees how the poor man keeps waiting for some car to stop at his stand to buy
anything, but none stops. The poor man is left waiting in sorrow. His plight fills Robert Frost with
sympathy for the helpless rural poor.