Get AHSEC Class 12 English Keeping Quiet Question Answers prepared as per academic session 2025. HS 2nd Year Keeping Quiet Solution with most important questions can be a great resource for your preparation.
About AHSEC Class 12 English Keeping Quiet (Poem)
Keeping Quiet is a Beautiful poem of AHSEC Class 12 English by the renowned Poet Pablo Neruda, urging humanity to take a moment of introspection and silence. The poem begins with an invitation to count to twelve, symbolizing a brief pause in the relentless activity of life.
About The Poet
Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) is the pen name of Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto who was born in the town of Parral in Chile. Neruda’s poems are full of easily understood images which make them no less beautiful. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in the year 1971. In this poem Neruda talks about the necessity of quiet introspection and creating a feeling of mutual understanding among human beings.
Brief Summary of Class 12 English Keeping Quiet
The poem, ‘Keeping Quiet’, begins with the poet, Pablo Neruda, urging everyone on earth to maintain a moment of silence and refrain from speech. There should be absolutely no movement. Those who are at work should stop working.Though there is physical stillness, he directs us to think and reflect. Nature and mankind will have time to look at their hurt and get over it. The poet encourages us to be involved in reflection and introspection to have a more meaningful existence as an individual and as a member of society.
AHSEC Class 12 English (Poetry Section)
Chapter: 2 English Keeping Quiet
AHSEC Class 12 English Keeping Quiet Short Answer Questions ~ 2 Marks
1. What will ‘counting upto twelve’ and ‘keeping still’ help us achieve? (AHSEC 2012)
ANS: Counting up to twelve and keeping quiet will assist us in attaining a state of peace in which we will be able to introspect and thus, see and appreciate the benefits of the symbiotic relationship that would exist between humans and between man and nature.
2. What is ‘this sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem ‘Keeping Quiet’? (AHSEC 2013, 2015)
Or
What is ‘this sadness’ that Neruda talks of ? (AHSEC 2014)
ANS: Man fails to understand themselves. They are always threatening themselves with death. When they do not understand themselves, they become sad. Only silence might interrupt this sadness and make them happy.
3. What is the exotic moment the poet Pablo Neruda wishes for? (AHSEC 2016)
Or
What is considered to be ‘an exotic moment’ in the poem? (AHSEC 2018, 2019)
ANS: When the whole mankind keeps quiet that would be an ‘exotic moment’ on earth. There would be no rush and noise.A bliss of extraordinary calmness would prevail on the whole earth.People would be away from the din and rush of modern life. The moment would be thus a very exciting and extraordinary moment.
4. Why does the poet Neruda ‘wish to count to twelve’? (AHSEC 2017)
ANS: The poet Neruda ‘wish to count to twelve’ so that after it the whole mankind keep silent and experience an ‘exotic moment’. It would help us know ourselves. The silence will interrupt the sadness of never understanding ourselves and help integrate the whole world.
5.In the poem, ‘Keeping Quiet’, what is the appeal made by the poet? [AHSEC 2024]
ANS:- The poet appeals the people to keep quiet for a short time. This would help them take stock of their mindless activities and conduct self-analysis. All this will help save mankind from its imminent doom.
6. According to Pablo Neruda, how would keeping quiet be an exotic moment? [AHSEC 2024]
ANS:- According to Pablo Neruda, When the whole mankind keeps quiet that would be an ‘exotic moment’ on earth. There would be no rush and noise. A bliss of extraordinary calmness would prevail on the whole earth. People would be away from the din and rush of modern life. The moment would be thus a very exciting and extraordinary moment.
7. What symbol from Nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent stillness?
ANS: Life under apparent stillness can be seen in nature. During the winter season, the earth under the snow looks dead, with no activity and no growth. But when the spring comes, the snow melts away, the seeds sprout and the grass grows. All activities of life start again.
8. According to the poet, what is that human beings can learn from nature?
ANS: Nature teaches us a lot of things. We must learn that all things are bound together and depend on each other for their survival. We should introspect ourselves by remaining calm and composed. So it teaches us to be quiet and still. It is no use to hinder others. We should grow and develop at our own Place. We must be contended with what we possess. There is no need for greed. The nature always remains alive.
9. What is the significance of the phrase ‘on the face of the earth’ in Neruda’s poem?
ANS: The significance of the phrase ‘on the face of the earth’ is that although different people speak different languages on this earth, for a moment they should stop talking in different languages and remain silent for self introspection.
10. ‘Fishermen in the cold sea/would not harm whales.’ What is meant by the above lines by Neruda?
ANS: The above lines mean that fishermen catching fish in the far off cold seas will not harm the whales.His indiscriminate exploitation of nature for his own vested interest would have a stop.
11. Why does not the poet want us to speak in any language?
ANS: The poet wants us not to speak in any language to introspect and know the meaning of our existence. He wants everybody to know their spirit and have spiritual contact with others for which no language is required.
12. Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?
ANS: The poet does not advocate total inactivity and death, but he does advise that we introspect deeply and not indulge in activity that is mindless and thus potentially destructive for human beings and for the balance that should exist between man and nature.
AHSEC Class 12 English Keeping Quiet Long Answer Questions ~ 4 Marks
1. 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: (AHSEC 2013, 2015, 2017)
(i) What are the different kind of wars mentioned poet in the passage?
(ii) What kind of victory do they achieve? (iii) What should the warmongers do?
(iv) Find words in the passage thaty mean “those left alive” and “win”.
(v) Who are the brothers mentioned in the stanza? (AHSEC 2017)
ANS: (i) Green wars, wars with poisonous gases and wars with the firre are the different kinds of wars.
(ii) It will be a victory where no survivors will be left to celebrate it. Such a victory will be meaningless.
(iii) The warmongers should put on clean clothes and walk with their brothers under the trees leisurely doing nothing.
(iv) “those left alive” – survivors “win” – victory.
(v) All the people of the earth are the ‘brothers’ mentioned in the poem. They are all bound together by a universal brotherhood feeling.
2. 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: (AHSEC 2016)
(i) How long does the poet wants to stay still?
(ii) Why does he asks us to keep still and not use any 2 language?
(iii) What does the poet mean by ‘not move our arms so much’?
ANS: (i) The poet wants to stay sll unl! everyone counts to twelve.
(ii) The people of the world need excuses to fight among themselves. If they keep quiet and not speak in any language. They may not indulge in reasoning, disputes and quarrels among themselves.
(iii)The poct means that we should not involve in any physical activity.
3. 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. (HS 2018)
Questions:
(i) What can the earth teach us?
(ii) Why does the poet count up to twelve?
(iii) What will ‘keeping quiet help us achieve?
ANS: (i) The earth can teach us ‘how life springs from dead things. It can further teach us to realize life under stillness.
(ii) The poet is initiating an exercise in meditation. When he counts upto twelve, the meditator puts away all digressions and experiences bliss.
(iii) Keeping quiet will help us introspect, reflect and experience silence and peace. This will in turn help us find solutions to our problems.
4. 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.
Questions:
(i) Whom does ‘we’ refer to in the above lines?
(ii) Why does the poet want us to ‘do nothing’ for once?
(iii) What is the sadness’that the poet refers to in the poem?
(iv) How can a huge silence do good. to us?
ANS: (i) ‘We’ refers to the human beings, who are always thinking about their own progress and advancement.
(ii) The poet wants us to ‘do nothing’ for once so that our mind can be at peace and we are able to introspect and analyse our own actions.
(iii) The poet refers to the ‘sadness’ which arises due to the fact that people fail to understand themselves. They have no time to introspect about their actions and their consequences.
(iv) A huge silence can do good to us because we are able to achieve peace in this silence. It helps us in analysing ourselves and our actions, interrupting the sadness of threatening ourselves with death.
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