Keeping Quiet – 9 Short Answer Type Questions with Answers & Examples of Poetic Devices from the Poem

Class 12 English Flamingo
Chapter 11. Keeping Quiet


Keeping Quiet Think it out

Question 1.
What will counting up to twelve and keeping still help us achieve?
Answer:
The poet advises his readers to count up to twelve and keep still to achieve a sense of togetherness. The poet advises on introspection by taking a
break from the mundane activities of life. He compares this with the earth that seems quiet and yet nurtures so much life on it.

Question 2.
Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?
Answer:
No, the poet does not advocate total inactivity and death. He feels that peace and tranquillity should*not be confused with lethargy. He compares
lethargy to death itself. He wants a perceptive silence in which people are not obsessed with apparent progress. The self­ introspection might also
lead to less violence and destruction.

Question 3.
What is the “sadness” that the poet refers to in the poem?
Answer:
The “sadness” that the poet talks about refers to the ceaseless activity that leaves little time for self­analysis and finally leads to doom. This
mindless activity leads men to destruction. They kill whales and injure themselves by chemicals or fire. He also pleads with mankind to end
environmental degradation. Such activities lead to a situation that is a mere illusion of victory, but in actuality, is fatal.

Question 4.
What symbol from nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent stillness?
Answer:
The poet invokes a powerful symbol of the Earth to educate that there can be life under apparent stillness. He says that Earth is a great teacher. In
its quietness, its strong message resounds. It seems silent and yet nurtures so much life on it. The poet wants to begin his mission of giving our
lives a thought. He wants us to be productive in our silence.



Keeping Quiet Extra Questions and Answers
Keeping Quiet Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
How are the first two lines different from the last two lines of the poem?
Answer:
The first two lines appeal to the reader to count till twelve and keep silent. The speaker expresses his desire for silence and peace as an answer to
end mindless activity. Whereas, in the last two lines, he wants the people to begin the exercise at their own level. He moves on to initiate this activity
elsewhere.

Question 2.
What is the kind of a world that Neruda dreams of?
Answer:
Neruda dreams of a calm, quiet and a peaceful world where the hallmark would be togetherness. He dreams of a world which is free of destructive
activity.

Question 3.
According to the poet, silence is profound. Justify.
Answer:
According to the poet, silence is the hope for a peaceful world. Silence is opposed to lethargy as it is the time for introspection. In the present
world, the poet feels that people are obsessed with seeming progress that . leads to their destruction.

Question 4.
Earth is the best teacher. Why does the poet feel so?
Answer:
The poet feels that Earth is the best teacher because it is quiet and calm, yet nurtures so much life on it. He implies that such silence is productive
as serenity and tranquillity leads to progress.

Keeping Quiet Value Based Question

Question 1.
The poem “Keeping Quiet” is based on the theme of universal peace and tranquillity. Justify.
Answer:
Neruda begins the poem by urging his readers to observe a moment of stillness and silence. He longs for a moment sans communication and
activity where man is at complete peace with himself and his surroundings. _ This “exotic moment” would be a moment of universal peace. He
feels, humans are preoccupied with their own progress which deprives them of the true pleasure of living. They merely exist and indulge in
meaningless activities like that of the fishermen harming the whales. Man through his meaningless trysts endangers the environment and his own
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