Study /
Various education and school issues in Poland. Opinions, stories, controversies. [1006]
At the Polish language final exam in the eighth grade, students of primary school,
are expected to properly interpret a poem.
A few years ago examiners used a poem Road not Taken by Robert Frost, translated by Stanisław Barańczak.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.Exercise 12
Choose P if the information is true, or F if false.
A The speaker`s hopes related to the choice of the path are emphasized by spring nature.
B The speaker is aware that choosing one path affects the choice of other paths.
Exercise 10
Indicate the true statement. Choose the correct answer from those provided.
A. The road the speaker chose was more frequented
B. The speaker did not choose the first path because he knew its end.
C. The speaker chose a less interesting but safer path.
D. The path chosen by the speaker was not much different from the path not chosen.
Exercise 8
Which of the following nouns does not characterize the speaker? Choose the correct answer from those provided.
A. curiosity
B. gloominess
C. reflexivity
D. farsightedness
Exercise 13
Which phrase best describes the main idea of the poem? Choose the right one
answer from those given.
A. What hurts, it teaches
B. Everyone is the blacksmith of his fate.
C. Look at the stars, but watch the road.
D. To be completely wise, age is not enough.
Exercise 14
Finish the sentence. Choose the correct answer from those provided.
Poem ROAD NOT TAKEN is a(n) _____
A. extensive metaphor.
B. ceremonial return to
addressee.
C. an instructive punch line.
Exercise 15
Choose P if the information is true, or F if false.
A The second and third stanzas have the same rhyme scheme.
B The phrase
two roads in the first and fourth stanza functions as a chorus.
