Que. 1.

KEEPING QUIET
What will counting up to twelve and keeping still help to achieve?
Ans. The poet achieves stillness and a meditative calm by counting up to twelve. It helps in reaching a state
of mind where all distractions fade away. It offers a space to reflect and introspect about our own actions. It
also helps us in understanding our own selves. It is generally observed that most of the ills and troubles of
the world are caused by our rush or hurry. Violence is caused by anger. Keeping quiet and still will give us
necessary respite and ensure peace.

Que. 2. Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?
Ans. No, the poet does not advocate total inactivity and death. He does not want us to confuse stillness and
calmness with standing still and doing nothing. He only wants us to take a pause and introspect. The poet
says that he has no truck with death. He wants us to live mindfully and introspect. He wants us to be aware
of the consequences of our actions and change them if needed. His stillness means abolition of harmful and
hostile human activities.

Que. 3. What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem?
Ans. The poet refers to the sadness which surrounds humans due to not having any time for themselves the
pain of not understanding what they or their fellow companions want and truly understand what makes us
happy or how we are harming ourselves. This lack of understanding leads us to being sad and unhappy in
spite of engaging in all sorts of actions. Nothing we do makes us feel happy and we end up being dejected.
We can only understand ourselves through introspection and analyse our own actions and understand their
consequences. We can sit in silence and contemplate about the source of our sadness.

Que.4. What symbol from nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent
stillness?
Ans. The poet uses nature as a symbol to prove that there can be life under apparent stillness of death. The
poet invokes the earth as a Living symbol to prove his point. The earth never attains total inactivity. Nature
remains at work all the time even under apparent stillness. It keeps earth alive. This idea is beautifully
illustrated by the example that just like in winters, everything freezes and becomes lifeless but when season
changes and spring season commences everything present in nature such as trees, birds, rivers, etc. busts
back to life. Similarly, he states that the moment of absolute silence to be our moment of self-realisation and
introspection.

Que. 5. Why shouldn’t we speak in any language and not move our arms so much?
Ans. People of the world speak in different languages. They indulge in unnecessary debates and disputes.
Most of these arguments lead to destructive wars. The poet urges people to stop speaking in any language.
They must speak through their hearts. So, men have moved their arms only to harm others. Arms means both
limbs and weapons. Therefore, the poet wants that they should not move their arms so much. Let these arms
rest for once. Let a feeling of mutual understanding be created among human beings.

Que. 6. What is the exotic moment that the poet refers to in ‘Keeping Quiet’?
Ans. The exotic moment that the poet refers would be the time when nobody on the earth will speak in any
language and all will be still for a while, that moment will be an exotic one as there would be no rush, no
hurry, no sound of engines and no disturbing noises. The whole experience of sitting quietly is a new one to
all. We all would be standing united in a strange way.

Que. 7. What different kinds of wars does the poet refer to in the poem ‘Keeping Quiet’?
Ans. The poet has written about wars against humanity as well as nature. Green wars, wars with poisonous
gases and wars with fire are the different kinds of wars mentioned in the form. Wars do good to no one.
Pablo Neruda feels that we end up paying a heavy price for such wars. There are no winners as nobody
really benefits from them. They threaten our very existence.
Que. 8. Comment on the title of the poem ‘Keeping Quiet’.
Ans. The title of the poem clearly highlights the message of the poem. The poet feels that in today’s times
we can root out a lot of evil if we just keep our minds quiet and introspect. He believes in the transformative
and the meditative power of silence. He discourages habitual actions and movements and feels that we ought
to be more mindful. Only through silence we can truly understand our own self. Thus, the title is appropriate
and reflects the poet’s philosophy succinctly.

Que. 9. What do the hurt hands imply?

Ans. The phrase ‘hurt hands’ implies that human beings are oblivious of the pain they are causing to
themselves in the pursuit of amassing more and more comforts in the form of materialistic things. They have
no time even for themselves to introspect and to take note of the damage and harms they have done to
themselves. Their insensitivity towards themselves is putting them at risk.

Que. 10. What is the aim of the poet in keeping us quiet?

Ans. The aim of the poet in keeping us quiet is to deviate us from our worldly activities and distractions for
a while so that we can be brought to a state of peace and concentration. It is only in the state of deep
consciousness that we can introspect, notice and think of the harms we are doing to the nature, ourselves and
our civilization.

Que.11. What do you mean by ‘Green Wars’?

Ans. ‘Green Wars’ refers to the war against environment that mankind is engaged in. The poet talks about
the wars that we are fighting against mother nature with fire, gases, chemicals and bombs. He also refers to
the pollution, deforestation, rapid industrialization etc. that are killing the health of our planet slowly and
continuously.

Que. 12. Explain ‘Victory with no Survivors’.

Ans. The poet has used the expression ‘victory with no survivors’ to describe about a time when we shall
have won all those wars that we are fighting against each other and against the nature with all our might and
weapons. But by then, we will have nobody left with us to celebrate these victories with and such a victory
will have no meaning for us.

Que.13. Which images in the poem ‘Keeping Quiet’ shows that the poet condemns violence?
Ans. There are several examples in the poem that advocates that the poet condemns violence. The images of
fisherman not harming the whales in the cold sea and the wars leaving behind no survivors to celebrate
victory shows that the poet is not in the favour of bloodshed. The poet wants that those who stir up wars
should change blood-stained clothes to clean clothes. The poet’s refusal to have any association with death
also shows that he isn’t in for of any form of violence.

Que. 14. Justify the title ‘Keeping Quiet’.

Ans. The title of the poem is quite appropriate and logical. It suggests the necessity of quiet introspection.
The people of the world are overactive and always on the move. Their activities have caused untold troubles
and sufferings. Keeping quiet will do them a lot of good. It will save them from many harmful and violent
activities. Moreover, it will help in reflecting over the fate of man and help in creating a feeling of mutual
understanding among human beings.