Keeping Quiet Important Questions Class 12 English

Keeping Quiet Class 12 Questions and Answers

Keeping Quiet is one of the most important topics in CBSE class 12 English. To score well in this chapter, students need to understand the topic better. To help them effectively prepare for the exam, we have collated a few important questions on Keeping Quiet.

The important questions from Class 12 English Keeping Quiet chapter include short answer questions. Students can go through these questions while preparing for their board exams. Getting well-versed with these important questions will help them score good marks in the CBSE board exam.

Keeping Quiet Questions and Answers: Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (All India 2009)

Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still.
For once on the face of the Earth
let’s not speak in any language,
let’s stop for one second,
and not move our arms so much.

1. How long does the poet want to stay still?
2. What does he hope to achieve by keeping quiet?
3. What does the poet mean by ‘not move our arms so much’?

Answer:

• The poet wants to count upto twelve and stay still during the time we are counting to twelve.
• By keeping quiet the poet hopes that he will be able to live a fascinating moment and then realise the value of calm reflection and quiet introspection. The ! poet believes that by keeping quiet, we will be able to hear the voice of our conscience in these moments of silence.
• Whenever man has used his arms he has caused undue harm to others. So the poet uses the phrase, ‘not to move our arms so much’ to emphasise the importance of physical inactivity to lessen destruction caused by man in the world.

Question 2. What is the exotic moment the poet Pablo Neruda wishes for? (Delhi 2009)

Answer: Pablo Neruda wishes for that exotic moment when mankind will be free from greed, cruelty and harmful actions. Unnecessary rush and noise have caused unpleasantness and troubles. The poet wishes the noise of engines and machines should cease and peace and tranquility should prevail.

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Question 3. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Delhi 2010)

It would he an exotic moment
without rush, without engines,
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.

1. What does ‘TP’ refer to?
2. Who is the poet speaking to?
3. What would be the moment like?

Answer:

• TP refers to that moment of silence and quietness when peace and calmness will prevail.
• The poet is addressing mankind who has no time for quiet introspection in its over-hectic, busy life.
• The moment would be exotic and unusual, a new experience in which mankind will experience a sense of bonding and togetherness with each other.

Question 4. According to the poet, what is it that human beings can learn from Nature? (All India 2010)

Answer: Earth can teach a lesson to mankind on the preservation and resurrection of life and how new life is believed to rise from the ashes of the dead remains. The Earth never attains total inactivity. Nature remains at work under apparent stillness and keeps the Earth alive. Life never ceases on earth when everything appears to be dead only one thing remains alive and that is earth itself.

Question 5. Why is Pablo Neruda against ‘total inactivity’? (Comptt. Delhi 2010)

Answer: Pablo Neruda is against ‘total inactivity’ because that would amount to death and he has no association with death. Life is a continuous and on-going process and so is all about being on the move. Life should not come to a standstill under any circumstance.

Question 6. Which sadness is Pablo Neruda worried about in his poem? (Comptt. All India 2010)

Answer: The sadness that Pablo Neruda is worried about in his poem is the sadness of isolation that has made modern man its victim. This sadness has made man self-centered and uncaring to the needs of his fellowmen. He has sacrificed the needs of his emotional self in favour of materialism.

Question 7. Do you think the poet, Pablo Neruda advocates total inactivity and death? Why/ Why not? (Delhi 2011)

Answer: No, the poet Pablo Neruda does not advocate total inactivity and death. He wants to give mankind an opportunity of quiet introspection to know and realize how he has been harming himself and others. He makes it clear that stillness should not be confused with inactivity. Stillness means halting of harmful human activities. He also wants mankind to understand that life is about sprouting out of seemingly dead surroundings.

Question 8. What is the sadness that the poet, Pablo Neruda refers to in the poem ‘Keeping Quiet’? (All India 2011)

Answer: The sadness that Pablo Neruda is worried about in his poem is the sadness of isolation that has made modern man its victim. This sadness has made man self-centered and uncaring to the needs of his fellowmen. He has sacrificed the needs of his emotional self in favour of materialism.

Question 9. Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death in the poem, ‘Keeping Quiet’? Give reasons. (Comptt. Delhi 2011)

Answer: No, the poet especially says that keeping quiet should not be confused with total inactivity. He wants no association with death. He wants to keep quiet as this will prepare mankind for introspection and regeneration.

Question 10. What is the exotic moment the poet Pablo Neruda wishes for? (Comptt. All India 2011)

Answer: Pablo Neruda wishes for that exotic moment when mankind will be free from greed, cruelty and harmful actions. Unnecessary rush and noise have caused unpleasantness and troubles. The poet wishes the noise of engines and machines should cease and peace and tranquility should prevail.

Question 11. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Delhi 2012)

For once on the face of the Earth
let’s not speak in any language,
let’s stop for one second,
and not move our arms so much.

1. Why does the poet want us to keep quiet?
2. What does he want us to do for one second?
3. What does he mean by ‘not move our arms’?

Answer:

1. The poet wants us to keep quiet because this moment of quietness will give us the time to meditate and introspect upon the kind of turmoil we have created on earth through our ill-actions. Too much activity and rush has only brought misfortunes to mankind, so it is better to be quiet and still.
2. The poet wants us to do nothing and remain inactive for one second.
3. The phrase ‘not move our arms’ implies that no physical activity should be carried out for one second. Man has used his arms only to kill and destroy others. Therefore, let him not move his arms to harm others.

Question 12. How can suspension of activities help? (All India 2012)

Answer: Suspension of activities will give us time to introspect and reflect on our follies. It will give us the much needed time to forget our differences, wither away our discriminations and enter into a world of peace.

Also Check: NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Maths | NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Physics | NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Chemistry | NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology

Question 13. How does stopping for a second help us, according to the poet, Pablo Neruda? (Comptt. Delhi 2012)

Answer: According to Pablo Neruda, when we stop for a second we get an opportunity to introspect on our follies. During this moment we will forget our differences and experience a strength of togetherness which will give us a moment of bliss. By indulging in such moments of inactivity, we will realise the harm we are causing to the world with our words and actions.

Question 14. What is the exotic moment referred to in the poem, ‘Keeping Quiet’? What makes it exotic? (Comptt. All India 2012)

Answer: When people sit still without speaking any language in quiet introspection, that moment, according to the poet will be an exotic one because this moment will help us to experience a strength of togetherness and a strange relationship with which humanity will bind itself.

Question 15. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Delhi 2013)

Perhaps the Earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.
Now I’ll count upto twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.

1. What does the Earth teach us?
2. What does the poet mean to achieve by counting upto twelve?
3. What is the significance of ‘keeping quiet’?

Answer:

1. The Earth teaches us how to nurture life under apparent quietude and how to work silently. It teaches us the importance of sometimes taking a break from all activities.
2. The poet counts up to twelve in an attempt to remain calm and still. He wants to make mankind realise the futility of their mindless words and actions and encourage people to introspect for their own good.
3. By keeping quiet and calm man will realise his follies and refrain from harmful destructive activities. It will also help in creating a feeling of natural understanding and introspection among human beings.

Question 16. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Comptt. All India 2013)

Perhaps the Earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.

1. What can Earth teach us?
2. How can we achieve the state of ‘seems dead’?
3. Give one example of how the seeming to be dead things become alive.

Answer:

1. The Earth can teach us a lesson in protection and resurrection of life. It teaches us that life and living never cease to exist.
2. The state of ‘seems dead’ symbolizes the doomsday when all life of earth will come to an end.
3. New life emerges from the dead remains like a seed gives life to a new plant.

Question 17. What are the different kinds of wars mentioned in the poem? What is Neruda’s attitude towards these wars? (All India 2013)

Answer: The different wars Neruda mentions in the poem are green wars, wars with gas, wars with fire. Neruda feels that these chemical and nuclear wars and the war that man wages against nature will lead him towards his doom.

Question 18. Which sadness is Pablo Neruda referring to? (Comptt. Delhi 2013)

Answer: The sadness that the poet refers to in the poem ‘Keeping Quiet’ is the sadness of never understanding oneself and nature. Human beings in a frenzy of activities, have no time for introspection and thus threaten themselves with death or destruction. This darkens their ways with distress and wretchedness.

Question 19. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Comptt. All India 2014)

If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.

1. Whom does ‘we’ refer to in the above lines?
2. Why does the poet want us to ‘do nothing’ for once?
3. What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem?

Answer:

• We’ in the above lines refers to mankind.
• The poet wants us to ‘do nothing’ for once because during this time of inactivity man will realize the strength of humanity and become aware of universal brotherhood wherein he will be able to give mankind a healing touch. The poet wants that for once we should not single-mindedly focus on keeping our lives moving and do some introspection and spend our time in silence doing nothing. This way we can understand ourselves better and escape from the calls of death.
• The ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem is the sadness of isolation that has made modern man its victim. This sadness is the selfishness of the modern man due to which he has put his own life and the life of his fellowmen in danger.

Some More Important Keeping Quiet Questions and Answers

Question 20. Which is the exotic moment that the poet refers to in ‘Keeping Quiet’? (Delhi 2014)

Answer: Pablo Neruda wishes for that exotic moment when mankind will be free from greed, cruelty and harmful actions. Unnecessary rush and noise have caused unpleasantness and troubles. The poet wishes the noise of engines and machines should cease and peace and tranquility should prevail.

Question 21. What is the sadness the poet refers to in the poem ‘Keeping Quiet’? (All India 2014)

Answer: The sadness that the poet refers to in the poem ‘Keeping Quiet’ is the sadness of never understanding oneself and nature. Human beings in a frenzy of activities, have no time for introspection and thus threaten themselves with death or destruction. This darkens their ways with distress and wretchedness.

Question 22. How, according to Neruda, can keeping quiet change our attitude to life? (Comptt. Delhi 2015)

Answer: According to Neruda, when people on earth think of keeping quiet for sometime, that will be an exotic moment when they will be able to forget their differences and a feeling of brotherhood will prevail among them. Most of the evil thoughts disappear when man becomes silent for a while. By keeping quiet, man will realize his follies and refrain from harmful and destructive activities.

Also Check: NCERT Exemplar for Class 12 Maths | NCERT Exemplar for Class 12 Physics | NCERT Exemplar for Class 12 Chemistry | NCERT Exemplar for Class 12 Biology

Question 23. Which images in the poem, “Keeping Quiet” show that the poet condemns violence? (Comptt. All India 2015)

Answer: The images in the poem, ‘Keeping Quiet’, which show that the poet condemns violence are, that he is totally against alienation among communities, races and violence. The poet is against chemical and nuclear wars which leave no survivors. He wants to bring all the destructive activities to a standstill.

Question 24. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Comptt. Delhi 2015)

‘ It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines,
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.’

1. Which exotic moment is referred to in these lines?
2. Why would that moment be strange?
3. What does the poet advocate in the poem?
4. What does the poet mean by the word, ‘engines’?

Answer:

1. The ‘exotic moment’ referred to in these lines is that moment when everyone keeps quiet and there is no movement.
2. That moment would be strange because there will be no rush or engines and it will bring the whole of humanity together for the first time.
3. The poet advocates the need to introspect and think before you act in the poem.
4. By the word ‘engines’ the poet means ‘automobiles’ or ‘machines.’

Question 25. What will counting up to twelve and keeping still help us achieve? (Delhi 2015)

Answer: Counting up to twelve and keeping still will help us to introspect upon the kind of turmoil we have created in this world with our mind-less actions. This will be an exotic moment during which we will experience a sense of bonding with one another. It will give us an opportunity to understand each other and save ourselves from death.

Question 26. Which symbol from nature does the poet invoke that there can be life under apparent stillness? (Delhi 2015)

Answer: The poet uses the Earth as a symbol from nature to convey that there can be life under apparent stillness. Earth teaches us that despite a dreary stillness, nature continues to work and everything comes to life again.

Question 27. ‘Life is what it is all about;…’ How is keeping quiet related to life? (All India 2015)

Answer: The poet advocates keeping quiet and inactivity but he does not want these to be confused with death. Life is an ongoing and continuous process, so it should not come to a standstill under any circumstances. People pursue their goals single-mindedly and their lives keep on moving.

Question 28. Why does one feel ‘a sudden strangeness’ on counting to twelve and keeping quiet? (All India 2015)

Answer: One feels ‘a sudden strangeness’ on counting to twelve and keeping quiet because this is an exotic moment which builds a sudden and strange feeling of universal brotherhood. This feeling of togetherness and brotherhood is rather new and inexplicable.

Question 29. How will ‘keeping quiet’ protect our environment? (All India 2015)

Answer: When we keep quiet and refrain from activity, we will not indulge in chemical and nuclear wars that cause total destruction by releasing toxic gases in the environment. These will destroy all greenery and life on earth making it a dead planet.

Question 30. What does the poem, ‘Keeping Quiet’ teach us? (Comptt. All India 2015)

Answer: The poem ‘Keeping Quiet’ emphasises the need for quiet introspection and creating a feeling of mutual understanding among human beings. It conveys to us the poet’s philosophy of an exotic moment of silence which will be an antidote to violence, hatred and war.

Question 31. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (All India 2016)

Noiv we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still.
For once on the face of the Earth
let’s not speak in any language,
let’s stop for one second,
and not move our arms so much.

1. What is the significance of the number ‘twelve’?
2. Which two activities does the poet want us to stop?
3. What does the poet mean by ‘let’s not speak in any language’?
4. Describe the pun on the word, ‘arms’.

Answer:

1. The number ‘twelve’ signifies the twelve divisions in the clock (measure of time).
2. The poet wants the fishermen to stop gathering salt from the sea and he also wants the chemical and nuclear wars to stop.
3. The poet means we should be silent and introspect and enter into a world which is quiet and peaceful.
4. The word ‘arms’ means not only our own human arms but also refers to the arms and ammunition that are used to harm others.

Question 32. What does the poet want us to do in the poem, ‘Keeping Quiet’? (Comptt. Delhi 2016)

Answer: The poet wants us to keep quiet and still and not move our arms and legs too much in the poem, Keeping Quiet. This will give us the time to introspect over our actions and also help to create a feeling of mutual understanding among human beings.

Question 33. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Comptt. All India 2016)

‘Perhaps the Earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive’.

1. Name the poem and the poet.
2. What does the earth teach us?
3. When do things seem to be dead?
4. Write the antonym of ‘teach’.

Answer:

1. The poem is ‘Keeping Quiet’ by Pablo Neruda.
2. The earth teaches us to continue doing constructive work quietly and the positive results will be evident at a later stage.
3. Things seem to be dead during the winter season.
4. The antonym for ‘teach’ is ‘learn’.

Question 34. How can ‘mighty dead’ be things of beauty? (Delhi 2017)

Answer: The ‘mighty dead’ can be things of beauty because of their glorious deeds and achievements. Their achievements make their lives extraordinary so they continue to be a source of inspiration for others.

Also Check: NCERT Solutions For Class 12 Flamingo English Keeping Quiet

Question 35. How would keeping quiet affect life in and around the sea? (All India 2017)

Answer: Fishermen who are responsible for endangering marine life would get a chance to realize that they are harming the whales who are on the verge of extinction. Men who gather salt from the sea would also get a chance to reflect on the pain they are causing to their hands.

Question 36. How is total inactivity on the Earth in the winter months full of life? (All India 2017)

Answer: In the winter months when there appears to be total inactivity on the Earth, life never ceases on it. The Earth teaches us that despite a dreary stillness, nature remains at work and keeps the Earth alive and new life rises from the ashes of the dead remains.

Question 37. Why does Pablo Neruda want us to count till twelve and keep still? (Comptt. Delhi 2017)

Answer: Counting up to twelve and keeping still will help us to introspect upon the kind of turmoil we have created in this world with our mind-less actions. This will be an exotic moment during which we will experience a sense of bonding with one another. It will give us an opportunity to understand each other and save ourselves from death.

Question 38. What will keeping still help us achieve? (Comptt. Delhi 2017)

Answer: Counting up to twelve and keeping still will help us to introspect upon the kind of turmoil we have created in this world with our mind-less actions. This will be an exotic moment during which we will experience a sense of bonding with one another. It will give us an opportunity to understand each other and save ourselves from death.

Question 39. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (Comptt. All India)

‘It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines,
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.’

1. What would be an exotic moment?
2. Why would it be exotic?
3. What would be the result of all being together?
4. Explain: ‘Sudden strangeness’.

Answer:

1. The exotic moment would be that time when silence, peace and calmness will prevail.
2. It would be exotic because we will not be in a rush so it will give us time for quiet introspection, to reflect upon the futility of our mindless actions.
3. The result of being together would result in a new experience in which man will get a chance to have a sense of bonding and togetherness with each other.
4. ‘Sudden strangeness’ is a strange and unusual feeling of universal brotherhood.

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