Keeping Quiet Comprehension, Question Answers, NCERT Class 12 English Poem

Keeping Quiet Comprehension, Question Answers, NCERT Class 12 English Poem

Keeping Quiet

Q. : Read the Stanzas given below carefully and answer the questions that follow:

Comprehension and  question Answers

Stanza 1
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.

Questions:
1. Name the poem and the poet.

2. What does the poet ask us to do?

3. What does he not want us to do?

4. What will counting up to twelve and keeping still help us achieve in life?

5. Why does he ask us not to speak and not to move our arms?

Answers
1. The name of the poem is keeping Quiet.  The name of the poet is Pablo Neruda.

2. The poet asks us to count to twelve and keep still.

3. He asks us not to say anything and not to move our arms.

4. It will help us to develop brotherhood with other human beings.

S. He asks us not to speak and not to move our arms so that we can  analyse ourselves.

Stanza  2

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

Questions
1. What has been said to be an exotic moment?

2. How would it be without rush, without engines'?

3. How shall we feel in this moment?

4. How will it help the individual and the world?

Answers

1. The moment of quietness and stillness has been said to be an exotic moment.

2. During the moment of keeping quiet, all activities would be suspended. Thus it would be without rush, without engines.

3. We shall feel ourselves as one with all others.

4. It will bring peace to the individual as well as to the world.

(Based on Stanza 1 and 2)

Questions :

1. Name the poem and the poet.

2. Why does the poet ask us to count up to twelve and keep still?

3. What 'exotic moment'  does the poet speak of?

4. What will be the outcome of keeping still and silent for a little while ?

Answers:

1. The name of the poem is keeping Quiet. The name of the poet is Pablo Neruda.

2. He says this so that we can withdraw our mind from the outside world and peep into ourselves.

3. It will be the moment when there  will be silence and peace.

4. It will help us to achieve togetherness and oneness with other human beings.

Keeping Quiet |Comprehension | Question Answers,| NCERT |Class 12 | English| Poem|

Stanza 3

Fishermen in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.

Questions :

1. Name the poem and the poet.

2. What would the fishermen not do ?

3.What would the man gathering salt do?

4 What time or moment is the poet talking of?

5. What transformation will come in the people the poet is talking of?

Answers:

1. The name of the poem is 'Keeping Quiet. The name of the poet is Pablo Neruda.

2. They would not harm whales in deep sea.

3. He would look at his hurt hands.

4. Poet is talking of the moment of quiet introspection and its later effects.

5. They will come out of their greed, selfishness and cruelty. They will live in peace hereafter.

Stanza 4

Fishermen in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.
Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire
victory with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade doing nothing.

Questions :
1. Name the poem and the poet.

2. Why would warmongers put on clean clothes ?

3. Explain : victory with no survivors'.

4. What does the poet mean by 'doing nothing ?

Answers

1. The name of the poem is Keeping Quiet. The name of the poet is Pablo Neruda.

2.  Warmongers will realize the futility of war. They will no longer stain their clothes with the blood of human beings. Thus their clothes would be clean.

3. War which is fought with dangerous  weapons kills everyone and there is no survivor to call himself a victorious.

4. By doing nothing, the poet means keeping quiet and doing a bit of self analysis.

Stanza 5

What I want should not be
confused
with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.

Questions

1. What does the poet want?

2. What does he want us not to confuse it with ?

3. What does he think about life ?

4. What, according to him, does inactivity amount to?

Answers
1. He wants all of us to find a moment for quiet introspection.

2. He does not want us to confuse it with total inactivity. Total inactivity means death itself.

3. He thinks of life as something connected with activity. It has nothing to do with death.

4. According to him, inactivity amounts to death.

Questions

1. Name the poem and the poet.

2. What does 'total inactivity mean?

3. How are we single-minded ?

4. What would happen if we once could do nothing ?

Answers:

1. The name of the poem is Keeping Quiet. The name of the poet is Pablo Neruda.

2. Total inactivity means death.

3. We are so busy in our routine that we have no time to think of ourselves.

4. A feeling of togetherness and brotherhood will prevail if do nothing for once.

Keeping Quiet |Comprehension | Question Answers,| NCERT |Class 12 | English| Poem|

Stanza 6

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

Questions:

1. Name the poem and the poet.

2. What can the earth teach us? How?

3. What does the poet want us to do while he counts up to twelve.?

4. What harmful activities of man has the poet referred to in this poem ?

5. When does everything seem dead?

6. How does the earth later prove to be alive ?

7. What will counting up to twelve and keeping still help us to achieve ?

Answers: 

1. The name of the poem is Keeping Quiet.The name of the poet is Pablo Neruda.

2. The earth can teach us that by suspending our activities for a short duration, we can start them afresh in a better manner.

3. He wants us to remain quiet and still.

4 The poet has referred to man's activities of going to war and killing one another.

5.  In Winter, when the earth becomes almost still and silent, everything seems to be dead.

6. The earth proves to be alive in spring when new beauties and colours are added to it.

7. It will help us to restart our activities afresh in a better and purposeful manner. It will help
us to achieve togetherness with other human beings.

Some other Questions :

Q. 1 What will counting up to twelve and keeping still help us to achieve

Ans. :  What the poet means to say is that we should stop all our activities for a few moments
and do quiet analysis. It will help us to regain our activities afresh in a better way.

Q 2 : Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?

Ans:  No, the poet doesn't say this at all. He wants to suspend all activities for some moments.   It will help us to restart your activities in a better and noble manner.

3. What is the 'sadness' that the poet refers to in the poem?

We can understand ourselves only when we stop all activities for some time. If we'll remain busy all the time, a sadness of never understanding ourselves prevail on us .

Q. 4.  What symbol from Nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under
apparent stillness?

Ans. The poet uses the symbol of the earth. He says that in winter, the earth seems to be dead. But later in spring, it is proved that it is alive, not dead. It looks fresh and pure once again. Thus the poet proves that there can be life under apparent stillness.

Q.5. What idea does Pablo Neruda want to convey in his poem, Keeping Quiet'?

Ans. The poet wants to say that we should stop our worldly activities for a few moments and do some quiet introspection. It will help us to understand ourselves. Then we can start our activities afresh in a better and purposeful manner.

Q. 6. What does the poet want all of us to do?

Ans. The poet wants us to stop all our activities for a few moments - only for as long as it will take to count to twelve. We should keep still and not move even our arms. We should remain silent and not say anything while we are sitting still.

Q.7. What does the poet mean when he says, "Now we will count to twelve and we keep still."?

Ans. The poet means to say that we should stop all our activities for a few moments and do introspection. This will develop a sense of global brotherhood and likeness during this  apparent stillness.

Q. 8 : What symbol the poet has used to describe apparent still?

Ans. The poet uses the symbol of the earth. He says that in winter, the earth seems dead. But later in spring, it is proved that it is alive, not dead, It has new colour

beauties added to it. Thus the poet proves that there can be life under apparent still.

Keeping Quiet |Comprehension | Question Answers,| NCERT |Class 12 | English| Poem|

Q.9. :  What idea does Pablo Neruda want to convey in his poem, 'Keeping Quiet'?

Ans. The poet wants to say that we should stop our worldly activities for a few moments and do some quiet introspection. It will help us to understand ourselves. Then we can start our activities afresh in a better and purposeful manner.

Q.10. What does the poet want all of us to do?

Ans. The poet wants us to stop all our activities for a few moments - only for as long as it will take to count to twelve. We should keep still and not move even our arms. We should remain silent and not say anything while we are sitting still.

CBSE Style Questions:

1.Now we will count to twelve and we will all keep still.

Questions

(a)Name the poem and the poet of
these lines.
(b)Why does the poet ask us to count to twelve?
(c)Why does the poet ask us to keep
still?
(d) Find words from the passage
which mean.
(i) say number (ii) quiet and
motionless.

Answers:
1. The name of the poem is Keeping Quiet. The name of the poet is Pablo Neruda.
2. He wants us to keep quiet and still.
3 . He asks us to keep still to stop our activities and do  self analysis.
4. (I) count  (ii) still

Questions
(a)Name the poem and the poet of
these lines.

(b)What will happen if there is no
rush or running of engines?

(c)What sort of moment will it be?

(d)How would all of us feel at that
moment?

Answers :
a. The name of the poem is Keeping Quiet. The name of the poet is Pablo Neruda.

b. There will be apparent silence and peace.

C. It will be a very exotic moment.

d. We feel a sense of brotherhood and togetherness.

Questions

(a)What do fishermen usually do in
the cold sea?

(b)What does the poet ask fishermen not to do?

(c)What has happened to the man
gathering salt?

(d) What should the man gathering
salt do?

Answers:
(a)Fishermen usually catch fish,
particularly whales, in the cold seas.

(b)The poet asks fishermen not to
hurt or injure the whales in the cold seas.
(c)  They have hurt their hands in greed of gathering more salt.

(d) They would look their hurt hands.

Questions:

(a)Name the poem and the poet of
these lines.

(b)What sort of wars are mentioned
in the above lines?

(c)What kind of victory will it be?

(d) How should the lovers of war
behave?

Answers:

(a)The name of the poem is Keeping
Quiet. The poet is Pablo Neruda.

(b) Wars which are fought with dangerous weapons are mentioned here.

(c) It will be a victory with no survival.

(d) They should live like brothers even with their enemies.

By .. MsB

For comprehension and other questions click the links below : 

My Mother at Sixty Six- Kamala Das  : Comprehension and Questions

An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum - Stephen Spender

Keeping Quite - Pablo Neruda 

A Thing of Beauty - John Keats

A Roadside Stand -  Robert Frost

Aunt Jennifer's Tigers - Adrienne Rich