Question

Read this excerpt from "The Road Not Taken": 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. Read this excerpt from "Choices": Since I can't go / Where I need / To go ... Then I must go / Where the signs point. Which statement most likely describes the authors' purpose for using figurative language in these lines?

a. The figurative language helps warn the reader to be cautious when making choices.
b. The figurative language gives the poems a sad tone.
c. The figurative language shows that the speaker in each poem has many options.
d. The figurative language conveys the idea that life is similar to a journey.

Answer 1

The figurative language in the excerpts from “The Road Not Taken” and “Choices” conveys life as a journey, highlighting the impact of the choices we make. The correct option is d, suggesting that life's journey is shaped through the paths we choose or are directed towards.

Step-by-step explanation:

The excerpts from both “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost and “Choices” illustrate the use of figurative language to convey the idea that life presents a series of choices, much like a journey with different paths or roads to take. When analyzing the authors' purpose for using figurative language in these lines, we must note they convey experiences and choices rather than simply telling us about them.

In Frost's poem, the “roads” are a metaphor for the choices we encounter in life, while the fact that the speaker took the “one less traveled by” and that decision “made all the difference” emphasizes the impact of our choices. Similarly, in “Choices,” the urge to follow where the “signs point” can represent the influence of external factors or opportunities that guide our decisions.

The correct option relating to the authors' purpose is d. The figurative language in these excerpts conveys the idea that life is similar to a journey. This concept is a common theme in literature, using the journey as a metaphor for the myriad of choices and paths one follows throughout life's experiences.