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NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English

Flamingo Poem 3 Keeping Quiet
Contents [show]

Students can prepare for their exams by studying NCERT Class 12 English Solutions
Flamingo Poem 3 Keeping Quiet was designed by our team of subject expert teachers.

Keeping Quiet NCERT Solutions for Class 12

English Flamingo Poem 3
Keeping Quiet NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers
Keeping Quiet Think it out

Question 1.
What will counting upto twelve and keeping still help us achieve ?
Answer:
The poet suggests that the people should discontinue their nasty activities and nonsensial
chating for some time. This silence will give us time to introspect, to understand ourselves
and to shape our destiny properly.

Question 2.
Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death ?
Answer:
No, the poet clari몭es that he does not favour inactivity or total idleness. Inaction means
death. Life means action for the good of our race. What the poet advocates is a full stop to
war and the race for self-gain.

Question 3.
What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem ?
Answer:
The people and the nations are unfortunately engaged in producing weapons of mass
destruction. This is a sad feature of our modem civilisation. We all are a part of a blind race,
working for collective suicide. Let us take a breath and look within.

Question 4.
What symbol from Nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent
stillness ?
Answer:
If the poet’s suggestion is accepted, there will be temporary stillness. But it doesn’t mean
death. It is a short interval for renewed life and activity. We can see it in nature. The earth
under the snow looks dead, with no activity and no growth. But let the spring blows its bugle,
the snow will melt away and the seeds will sprout, the grass will grow. All activities of life will
start again.

Keeping Quiet Try this out

Question 1.
Choose a quite corner and keep still physically and mentally for about 몭ve minutes. Do you
feel any change in your state of mind ?
Answer:
If life is a long struggle, tension and sufferings are unavoidable parts of life. Most people are
running a mad-race for pleasure and paise, but they get only pain and restlessness. No
amount of comforts and entertainments can keep you cool and at ease. It is through Yoga
and a quite meditation that you can keep away your tension. A 몭ve minutes daily exercise is
enough to regain your cool.

Keeping Quiet Extra Questions and Answers

Keeping Quiet Extra Questions Short Answer Type 

Question 1:
‘Life is what it is all about; ‘ How is keeping quiet related to life?
Answer:
Keeping quiet does not mean total inactivity, but stillness and quietness to introspect on
what we are
doing. This means stopping our normal day-to-day activities to re몭ect on our actions. Thus it
is related to life, although this may not be visible outwardly.

Question 2:
Why does one feel ‘a sudden strangeness’ on counting to twelve and keeping quiet?
Answer:
Normally people are active and sounds of machines are heard. When we keep quiet and
introspect, it will be a strange and unfamiliar moment; thus, we will feel ‘a sudden
strangeness’ at this moment.

Question 3:
How will ‘keeping quiet’ protect our environment?
Answer:
Keeping quiet and introspecting will initiate peace and brotherhood among men, halting all
destructive activities like waging wars which harm people besides damaging the
environment. Thus, the environment will be protected.

Question 4:
What will counting up to twelve and keeping still help us achieve?
Answer:
Counting up to twelve and keeping still will help us to get some time to stop all our normal
activities and self-introspect our actions, helping us change our destructive ways and
promote brotherhood among men.

Question 5:
What symbol from nature does the poet invoke that there can be life under apparent
stillness?
Answer:
The poet uses nature as a symbol to explain his idea that there can be life under apparent
stillness. An example from nature is the Earth itself, as, when everything seems dead, it later
proves to be alive.

Question 6:
What will possibly be the effect of keeping quiet?
Or
How, according to Neruda, can keeping quiet change our attitude to life?
Answer:
Keeping quiet will help us to introspect on our destructive actions like waging wars or
otherwise harming the environment. This will give us a better idea of the consequences of
the actions, thus changing our attitude to life.

Question 7:
Which is the exotic moment that the poet refers to in ‘Keeping Quiet?
Answer:
The poet refers to the moment of stillness and quietness as an exotic moment because it will
initiate peace and brotherhood. There would be no movement, no talk, no activity and
consequently, no violence.

Question 8:
What is the sadness that the poet refers to in the poem ‘Keeping Quiet?
Or
What is the sadness that the poet refers to in the poem?
Answer:
The poet refers to the sadness that arises from the failure to understand ourselves. Today,
we are so engrossed in achieving materialistic success that we have no time to introspect
about our actions and their consequences. Hence, we often end up hurting ourselves, and
this results in sadness.

Question 9:
Which images in the poem ‘Keeping Quiet’show that the poet condemns violence?
Answer:
The images of 몭shermen not harming the whales in the sea and wars leaving behind no
survivors to celebrate victory show that the poet condemns violence. The poet’s refusal to
have any association or dealings with death also shows that he is not in favour of any form
of violence.

Question 10:
What are the different kinds of wars mentioned in the poem? What is Neruda’s attitude
towards these wars?
Answer:
The poet writes about wars against humanity and nature. Green wars, wars with poisonous
gases and wars with 몭re are the kinds of wars mentioned in the poem. Neruda’s attitude
towards war is one of rejection. He feels that such wars may bring victory but there are no
survivors to celebrate the victory.
Question 11:
How can suspension of activities help?
Answer:
The suspension of activities will give people time to introspect and analyse their actions. This
will help them in solving their problems and con몭icts. They will develop a new understanding
and hence will mend their destructive ways.

Question 12:
Do you think that the poet advocates total inactivity and death?
Answer:
No, the poet does not advocate total inactivity and death. He clari몭es that he has no truck
with death. According to him, life is meant to be lived to the fullest. He just wants the
inhuman and destructive activities to stop.

Question 13:
According to the poet, what is it that human beings can learn from nature?
Answer:
Life under apparent stillness in attitude is the message which human beings can learn from
nature. The Earth is never in a state of total inactivity. Nature continues to breathe and work
even when there is stillness all around.

Question 14:
What does the title of the poem suggest to you? What do you think the poem is about?
Answer:
The title of the poem suggests the importance of silence. The poem is about the importance
of quiet introspection for all. Our speech and activities often bring about trouble and
suffering, so they need to be controlled.

Question 15.
Bring out the underlying message and appeal of the Pablo Neruda’s poem ‘Keeping Quiet’.
Why does he call upon all the people to keep quiet ?
Answer:
Keeping Quiet is a poem with a historic message. The poet calls upon all the people of the
world to observe a short silence, to suspend all their activities, to stand still and quietly
analyse what they are doing to kill themselves. The poet talks about the necessity of
suspending all war industry and an attack on animals.

It will be a strange experience for the people when they become free from tension and mad
rush.” They will get time to understand their neighbours and the needs of their families. But
the poet is not calling for total activity. Life, after all, must go on in quiet way. Even when
everything seems dead in nature, the seeds of life remain alive in the earth.

Question 16.
Elucidate and bring out what the Pablo Neruda wants to convey through the following :
(i) Life is what it is about.
(ii) As when everything seems dead and later proves to be alive.
Answer:
(i) The poet urges all the people to observe silence and stand still for a while. He wants this
time to be utilised for quiet introspection and to create better understanding among human
beings. He does not suggest the stillness and silence of death. Life, after all, has to go on.
The normal and necessary activities cannot be suspended.

(ii) In nature the seasons change regularly. In cold winter when it snows, the earth’looks all
dead no greenery, no 몭owering, no movement of birds and beasts. But this situation is
misleading. After a month or so, the earth proves itself better equipped for a new life.

Question 3.
According to Pablo Neruda, what is it that human beings can learn from Nature ?
Answer:
The human beings can learn to be quiet and still from the Nature that teaches to grow at
one’s own place. We should be contented what we had but not bother about the others’
wealth.

Keeping Quiet Extra Questions Long Answer Type 

Question 1:
Analyse the importance of the dramatic count to twelve in ‘Keeping Quiet.’
Answer:
The poem opens with the poet’s appeal to begin with a count to twelve followed by a
moment of silence. The poet links silence with hope for a moment of togetherness. The
repetition of the poet’s request to count to twelve in the 몭rst and the last stanzas creates a
personal space of silence in the poem. The poet seeks this moment of silence as a moment
to introspect and meditate, to share a feeling of oneness.

The poet wishes that in this selected moment, the 몭shermen would not kill the whales and
the men gathering salt would give rest to their injured hands. The threat of destruction of the
world would come to a halt. In this chosen moment we would have time for self assessment.
The number ‘twelve’ is dramatically signi몭cant to represent our clock time, a moment in real
life.

Question 2:
How is the poet’s appeal for keeping quiet different from absolute sluggishness ?
Answer:
The poet, in his appeal for keeping quiet, emphasizes the importance of self-introspection in
a man’s life. He urges us to seek a moment to understand ourselves and analyse our actions
as we experience the sadness of death. The poet’s appeal for a moment of silence or
stillness should not be mistaken as a plea, as a moment of inactivity or absolute
sluggishness.

He seeks a silence where people are not obsessed with work and give a personal moment of
time to think about their actions. This moment of silence will help them to overcome their
woes and defects. The poet even feels that the Earth will enlighten men in this process, as
silence is only a moment captured where there is activity under apparent stillness.

Question 3:
Analyse the poetic devices that the poet adopts in the poem.
Answer:
The poet has incorporated the use of repetition in the line ‘let’s not speak’ and let’s stop for
one second’ to create the poetic effect of emphasis on his readers. Even the phrases ‘count
to twelve’ and ‘count up to twelve’ are symbolic, as the poet repeats his request to keep quiet
for a second time. The word ‘twelve’ symbolizes a measure of time representing our clock
time of real life, capturing a moment from our present time.

The phrases ‘hurt hands’ and ‘clean clothes’ are examples of alliteration. Man will cleanse his
soul, heart and mind in the process. The word ‘brothers’ here implies brotherhood and
synecdoche is used by using a concrete object instead of an abstract concept. There is use
of metaphor in ‘put on clean clothes’, as the poet wants the warmongers to shed their blood-
soiled clothes (meaning, stop wars) and put on fresh clothes (meaning, follow brotherhood).

Keeping Quiet Extra Questions Extract Based Type 

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

“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.”

Question 1:
Name the poem and the poet.
Answer:
The poem is Keeping Quiet, and the poet is Pablo Neruda.

Question 2:
How long does the poet want to stay still?
Answer:
The poet urges each one of us to count up to twelve and remain still for one second.

Question 3:
What does he hope to achieve by keeping quiet?
Answer:
The poet hopes that by keeping quiet we will get an opportunity to introspect. The strange
stillness will give a feeling of togetherness.

Question 4:
What does the poet mean by ‘not move our arms’ so much?
Answer:
The poet wants us not to move our arms so much because physical activity leads to
stopping our introspection. Not moving our arms also suggests stopping all kinds of
violence.

II. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

“It would be an exotic moment

without rush, without engines,
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.”

Question 1:
What would be an‘exotic’moment? Why?
Answer:
The moment of stillness and quietness would be an ‘exotic’ moment. The moment will be
‘exotic’ because it will initiate peace and brotherhood. In the strange moment there would be
quietness all around.
Question 2:
How would we feel at that moment?
Answer:
In the strange and exotic moment, we would feel a sense of togetherness. There would be
peace and stillness. We together will experience the silent moment.

Question 3:
Point out the words from the extract which mean

1. exciting
2. machines
3. at once

Answer:

1. exotic
2. engines
3. sudden

III. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

“Fishermen in the cold sea

would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.”

Question 1:
What does the poet expect of the 몭shermen and why?
Answer:
The poet expects that, in the moment of stillness, the 몭shermen will get time to introspect.
They would not harm the whales at that time.

Question 2:
What will the man gathering salt do?
Answer:
The man gathering salt will stop for a while and tend to his wounded hands.

Question 3:
What do the ‘hurt hands’ imply?
Answer:
‘Hurt hands’ imply the destruction that humans have caused to themselves and the
environment in pursuit of their sel몭sh needs.

Question 4:
What should the 몭shermen not do?
Answer:
The 몭shermen should not hurt the whales in the sea.

IV. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

“Those who prepare green wars,

wars with gas, wars with 몭re,
victory with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers,
in the shade, doing nothing.”

Question 1:
Name the different kinds of war mentioned in the above lines. What does the poet mean by
‘Green wars?
Answer:
Green wars i.e. wars against nature, wars with poisonous gases and wars with 몭rearms are
the different kinds of war. ‘Green wars’ means wars against the environment. Warring nations
keep on developing new ‘weapons’ to wage war against the environment.

Question 2:
Explain ‘victory with no survivors’.
Answer:
The poet wants to convey the message that war brings destruction and leaves none to
celebrate victory. No one can gain anything by waging wars.

Question 3:
What does the poet want the warmongers to do?
Answer:
The poet wants the warmongers to put on clean clothes, the clean clothes symbolising
shedding their evil ways to make peace with their brothers.
V. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

“What I want should not be

confused with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.”

Question 1:
What should not be confused with ‘total inactivity?
Answer:
Stillness and quietness should not be confused with total inactivity.

Question 2:
What is ‘life’ about?
Answer:
‘Life’ is about living it to the fullest. It is not meant for wasting it by sitting idle.

Question 3:
Why does the poet say “I want no truck with death’?
Answer:
The poet clari몭es that he wants no association with death. He is advocating stillness and
quietness to introspect, not total inactivity or death.

Question 4:
What does the poet not want himself to be?
Answer:
The poet doesn’t want himself to be confused with advocating total inactivity.

VI. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

“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.”

Question 1:
Who does ‘we’refer to in the above lines?
Answer:
“We’ refers to the human beings who are always thinking about their own progress and
advancement.

Question 2:
Why does the poet want us to ‘do nothing1 for once?
Answer:
The poet wants us to ‘do nothing’ for once so that our minds can be at peace and we are able
to introspect and analyse our own actions.

Question 3:
What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem?
Answer:
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.

Question 4:
How can a huge silence do good to us?
Answer:
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.

VII. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

“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”.

Question 1:
What does the Earth teach us?
Answer:
The Earth teaches us that there is life under apparent stillness. It means that we can still be
alive even if we appear to be ‘still’ or ‘calm’.

Question 2:
What does the poet mean to achieve by counting upto twelve?
Answer:
The poet wants to achieve peace by counting upto twelve. He wants us to introspect in a
moment of silence.

Question 3:
What is the signi몭cance of’keeping quiet?
Answer:
Keeping quiet doesn’t mean keeping mute. It means that we should avoid all such activities
which hurt nature and, in turn, harm us.

Question 4:
What is always alive when everything seems dead?
Answer:
Only the Earth is alive when everything else appears to be dead.

Keeping Quiet Extra Questions Value Based Type

Question 1:
What kind of an imaginary and ideal world does the poet visualise?
Answer:
The poet longs for a calm, quiet and peaceful world, devoid of all forms of violence, as he
visualises ‘togetherness’ of the people in a moment of silence and tranquillity. According to
the poet, this moment will give us time in silence for self-introspection, when we can
spiritually attain our moral self through a moment of meditation.

This moment will bring an end to all destructive activities in the world. The 몭shermen will not
be killing whales and the men gathering salt will have time to rest their injured hands.
Environmental degradation will come to an end. The warmongers will be silenced in a
moment of brotherhood to meditate and cleanse their souls. The poet hopes that it will be an
ideal world where man will be able to come out from his self-centred attitude to gain moral
peace.

Keeping Quiet About the Poem

Here is a poem with a strange and striking theme. It is basically an anti-war poem. The poet
is deeply concerned about violence, cruelty to animals and plight of manual workers. The
poet offers a very simple solution to many of our social, political and religious problems. The
solution is self-introspection. Let all the people, suspend their activities for some time and
keep quiet as well as still. If it is acted upon, it will be the 몭rst major step towards uniting
people. The second step is that every one should look within and analyse what is wrong and
who is the wrong doer. This will cleanse every heart and ennoble all people. The 몭shermen
will stop killing whales and war industry will stop production. The poet’s suggestion is
idealistic and perhaps impracticable.

Keeping Quiet Summary in English

The poet suggests to one and all to suspend all their activities for a while, stand still and
count upto twelve. He wants all people on the Earth to keep quiet also for a short while. They
must not speak in any language for one second at least, stand motionless, and not even
move their arms.It would be a strange experience, a great historical event when the world will
be free from rat mad race. No trains will move, no cars and no machines. All the people will
be suddenly united. They will agree for once on this point, forgetting all their differences.

Such silence and stillness will have far reaching effect. People will get time to look inwardly
and 몭nd their own faults. This exercise will solve quite a few problems. Fishermen would not
kill the whales and the salt gatherer will get time to look at his bleeding hands. War industries
will suspend their production of lethal gases and deadly ammunition. War, after all, bene몭ts
none. An all-out next war will not leave behind any survivor.

Those engaged in war related activities will get some time to change their clothes and walk
with their brothers in the shade with a cool head. The poet clari몭es that he is not suggesting
total inactivity. Inaction means death; action is the hallmark of life. Life must go on. Only war
industry and violence should come to an end. If people rise above the mad race for power
and wealth for some time, and learn to sit at rest and ease, they will gain a lot. Their cool
thinking will free them from tension and fear. They are in trouble today chie몭y because they
have never tried to know what will harm them badly. They themselves are preparing for mass
destruction of life!

The poet invokes a symbol from nature to illustrate his point. The seeming stillness is not the
stillness of death. It is time to prepare for a renewed activities of life. This is in keeping with
the law of Nature. In winter everything goes to sleep. The snow cover enforces rest for a
healthy new life. Come spring, the plants, and the grass and the streams become active and
alive again. In view of so many bene몭ts of a short interval of stillness and silence, the poet
calls upon all the people to join him in counting upto twelve.

Keeping Quiet Summary in Hindi

किव सभी मनु
몭ों
को एक सु
झाव दे
रहा है
िक अपने
सभी काम कु
छ समय केिलए 몭थिगत कर दो, िन몭ल खड़े
रहो
किव सभी मनु
몭ों
को एक सु
झाव दे
रहा है
िक अपने
सभी काम कु
छ समय केिलए 몭थिगत कर दो, िन몭ल खड़े
रहो
और 12 तक की िगनती िगनो। किव चाहता है
िक धरती पर सभी मनु
몭 कु
छ 몭णों
केिलये
मौन धारण कर ल몭
। वे
एक से
क몭 तक कोई भी भाषा न बोल몭
, मू
ित몭
वत्खड़े
रह몭
तथा अपने
हाथ भी न िहलाय몭
। यह अनु
भव िविच몭 लगे
गा,
एक महान ऐितहािसक घटना जै
सा, जब सारा सं
सार अं
धी आपाधापी से
मु
몭 हो जाएगा। कोई रे
लगाड़ी नही ं
चले
गी,
न कोई कार चले
गी, न ही कोई मशीन । सभी लोगों
म몭
अचानक एकता आ जाये
गी। ये
एक बार तो इस िवषय म몭
एकमत हो जाय몭
몭गे
, अपने
सभी भे
दभाव भु
ला द몭
몭गे
।

ऐसी मीन तथा ऐसी िन몭लता केदू

रगामी प몭रणाम हों
몭गे
। लोगों
को समय िमल जाये
गा िक ये
आ몭 िनरी몭ण कर몭
तथा
अपने
दोषों
को पहचान몭
। यह 몭ि몭या कु
छेक सम몭ाओं
को हल कर दे
गी। मछु
आरे
몭े
ल मछली को नही ं
मार몭
몭गे
तथा
नमक बटोरने
वालों
को अपने
चोट खाये
हाथों
को दे
खने
का समय िमल जाये
गा। यु
몭 उ몭ोग जानले
वा गै
सों
तथा
गोला-बा몭द का अपना उ몭ादन रोक द몭
몭गे
। यु
몭 आ몭खरकार िकसी को भी लाभ नही ं
प몭ँ
चाता। अगला िव몭 यु
몭 तो
अपने
पीछे
कोई भी जीिवत 몭몭몭 नही ं
छोड़ जाये
गा। यु
몭 से
जु
ड़ी सारी गितिविधयों
सेजु
ड़े
लोगों
को कु
छ समय
िमल जाये
गा िक ये
नये
साफ व몭 पहन ल몭
, तथा अपने
भाइयों
केसाथ छाँ
व म몭
शांत भाव से
बै
ठ सक몭
।

किव 몭몭 कर दे
ता है
िक वह पू
ण몭
몭प से
िन몭몭यता का सु
झाव नही ं
दे
रहा है
। िन몭몭यता का अथ몭
होता है
मौत,
जीवन की पहचान है
कम몭
। जीवन को तो चलते
ही रहना है
। के
वल यु
몭 उ몭ोग तथा िहं
सा को ही समा몭 िकया
जाये
। यिद लोग स몭ा तथा सं
पि몭 केपीछे
पागल दौड़ कु
छ समय केिलये
छोड़ द몭
और शां
ित से
बै
ठना सीख से
तो
उ몭몭
ब몭त लाभ िमले
गा। उनकेिवचार उ몭몭
सभी तनाव तथा भय से
मु
몭 कर द몭
몭ग몭
। वे
आज सं
कट म몭
ह몭के
वल इस
कारण िक उ몭ों
몭ने
कभी भी 몭यं
को समझने
की कोिशश नही ं
की िक कौन से
काम उ몭몭
हािन प몭ँ
चा सकते
ह몭
। वे
몭यं
ही बड़े
पै
माने
पर नरसं
हार करने
की तै
यारी म몭
ह몭
।

किव 몭कृ
ित से
एक 몭तीक ले
कर अपनी बात 몭몭 करता है
। ऊपर से
िदखने
वाली शां
ित मौत की शां
ित से
िभ몭
होती है
। यह वह समय है
जब नये
जीवन का तै
यारी पू
री की जाती है
। यह तो 몭कृ
ित केिनयमों
केअनु
कू
ल है
।
शीतकाल म몭
हर चीज जै
से
सो जाती है
। बफ몭की चादर सभी पे
ड़-पौधों
को जबरन िव몭ाम करवा दे
ती है
तािक एक
몭몭थ नये
जीवन का 몭ार몭 हो जाये
। वसं
त आते
ही पौधे
, घास तथा निदयों
पु
नः सि몭य एवं
सजीव हो जाती ह몭
। कु
छ
समय केिलये
िन몭लता तथा मीन केअने
क लाभों
को 몭ान म몭
रखते
몭ए किव लोगों
को आमं
ि몭त करता है
िक
उसकेसाथ िमलकर बारह तक की िगनती िगन몭
।

Keeping Quiet Extracts for comprehension

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow :

Stanza I

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

(अब हम बारह तक िगनती िगन몭

몭गे
और िन몭ल बने
रह몭
몭ग,े
एक बार इस धरती पर सभी लोग िकसी भी भाषा म몭
न
बोल몭
, एक 몭ण केिलये
हम सब काम-धाम रोक द몭
और इतनी भाग-दौड़ न कर몭
। यह एक िविच몭, नया असामा몭
अनु
भव होगा िक जब कोई भागम-भाग नही ं
होगी, कोई मशीन몭
शोर नही ं
कर몭
गी, हम सभी इस अचानक आयोिजत
शां
ित म몭
सहभागी बन जाय몭
몭गे
।)

Questions :
(i) Name the poem and the poet.
(ii) Why does the poet suggest a few moments of peace and silence in the world ?
(iii) How will suspension of all activity affect all of us ?
(iv) Explain : an exotic moment.
Answers :
(i) The poem titled Keeping Quiet is written by Pablo Neruda.
(ii) The poet thinks that people running after political power, personal gain and war trophies
have no time to understand their ownself. When they sit still and silent, they will think on right
lines.
(iii) When we suspend all our activities for a while, we shall come together as one country or
community. The silent stillness will unite us all.
(iv) A strange and unprecedented situation.

Stanza II

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 몭re,
victory with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.
Word notes—survivors-people left alive after the war – बचे
खुचे
लोग . For the short period all
the people sinking their differences would relax and enjoy themselves in the shade of peace.

(जब सम몭 गितिविधयाँ

थम जाएं
गी तो मछु
आरे
ठ몭े
सागर म몭
몭ेल को चोट नही ं
प몭ँ
चाय몭
몭गे
, और नमक सं
몭ह
करने
वाला मजदू
र अपने
हाथों
की चोट पर िनगाह नही ं
डाले
गा। अथा몭
त्िहं
सा और शोषण थम जाये
गा। जो लोग
यु
몭 की तै
यारी म몭
लगे몭ए ह몭
, ऐसा यु
몭 जो गै
स तथा िव몭ं
सक तोपों
सेलड़ा जाता है
, और िजसम몭
िवजे
ता को भी एक
वीरान दु
िनया हाथ लगे
गी, महायु
몭 से
बचने
वाला कोई नही ं
रहे
गा। जब यह सब थम जाये
गा, तो यही यु
몭 몭णे
ता
साफ-सु
थरे
व몭 पहनकर अपने
भाई-ब몭ु
ओंकेसाथ छाँ
व म몭
िव몭ाम कर몭
몭ग,े
काम की िचं
ता से
पू
री मु
몭몭 का आन몭
ल몭
몭गे
।

Questions :
(i) What is the poet’s suggestion or holy wish ?
(ii) How will a few moments of introspection affect the mood, thinking and actions of the
people ?
(iii) Explain : Victory with no survivors.
Answers :
(i) The poet is a paci몭st, a 몭ghter for peace in the world. He wants all people to stand silent
and still for just one moment. That moment will make them thoughtful and at peace.
(ii) When all the people observe silence and standstill, there will be no need to save whales
and other creatures. The poor salt gatherer will get a moment to see his bleeding hands. War
industry will come to a standstill. People will get breathing space to go for a walk with their
brothers.
(iii) Another world war will destroy all life, all human beings and animals. The victor will 몭nd
no body to rule over.

Stanza III

What I want should not be confused with total inactivity.

Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.
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. (Page 96)

जो कहना या पाना चाहता 몭ँ

(म몭 उसे
पू
ण몭
몭पे
ण िन몭몭यता केसाथ न जोड़ा जाये
। जीवन तो चलता ही रहे
गा,
उसकी सामा몭 गितिविधयाँ
तो चलती रह몭
। म몭
तो यह चाहता 몭ँ
िक मौत केसाथ आदमी का कोई समझौता या सौदा
न हो। यिद हम जीवन : रा को चालू
रखने
केमसले
पर एकमत नही ं
हो पाते
और 몭यं
को िन몭पाय पाते
ह몭
, तो
न हो। यिद हम जीवन : रा को चालू
रखने
केमसले
पर एकमत नही ं
हो पाते
और 몭यं
को िन몭पाय पाते
ह몭
, तो
शायद एक गहरा मौन हमारी इस उदासी को दू
र कर दे
।)

Questions :
(i) What does the poet suggest and what he refutes ?
(it) What is the essence or soul of life ?
(iii) How can huge silence dispel sadness ?
Answers :
(i) The poet suggests a moment of peace and introspection. It should be totally care free. But
he does not mean absolute idleness which is impossible to achieve.
(ii) The essence of life is action. The work in 몭elds and factories is necessary to sustain life.
(tit) World-wide silence and a break in running after the power will remove all our tension, all
violence and warfare. No body then will be sadly think about the future is our race and
environment.

Stanza IV

Perhaps a huge silence

might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.
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. (Page 96)

(हो सकता है
िक एक िव몭몭ापी मौन या िन몭लता हमारी इस दु
भा몭
몭पू
ण몭
उदासी को तोड़कर सु
धार दे
, िक हम
कभी भी आ몭मं
थन करकेअपना िहत-अिहत नही ं
सोच पाते
, और आ몭िवनाश केसामान जु
टाते
रहते
ह몭
। शायद
इस सं
बं
ध म몭
धरती हम몭
एक पाठ पढ़ा सकती है
। जब सारी धरती िहमा몭ािदत हो जाती है
, 몭कृ
ित िन몭ाण हो जाती
है
, सभी गितिविधयाँ
कुछ िदनों
केिलये
थम जाती ह몭
, पर यह 몭몭 अ몭कािलक होता है
। मौसम बदलते
ही सब
कु
छ अनु
몭ािणत हो जाता है
, जीवं
त हो जाता है
। इस कारण आओ मे
रे
12 तक िगनती िगनने
तक तु
म सब शां
त हो
जाओ और िफर म몭
चला जाऊँ
गा।)

Questions :
(i) How does the poet interpret ‘sadness’ ?
(ii) What lesson can the Earth teach us ?
(iii) Why does the poet recommend silence and temporary inactivity ?
Answers :
(i) The word sadness here means depression, and fear of the war clouds, about wholesale
destruction.
(ii) The Earth in winter ba몭es us with her inactivity. It looks dead for ever. But the fact is that
such rest gives her time to start life afresh. Life is eternal in nature.
(iii) A short interval of silence and stillness will relax us and give us time to plan a better
tomorrow.

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