KEEPING QUITE
HH.S. EXAM. QUESTIONS
A. Short Type Questions: Marks: 2
1. What will counting upto twelve and keeping still help us achieve? [HS ’12]
2. What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem “Keeping quiet”? [HS ’13, ’15]
3. What is this sadness’ that Neruda talks of? [HS ’14]
4. What is the exotic moment the poet Pablo Neruda wishes for? [HS ’16]
or
What is considered to be ‘an exotic moment’ in ‘Keeping Quiet’? [HS ’18]
5. Why does the poet Neruda ‘wish to count to twelve”? [HS ’17]
B. Importance extracts for comprehension: 4
1.Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow:
(a) “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”. [HS ’13, ’15]
(i) What are the different kinds of wars mentioned by the poet in the passage? 1
(ii) What kind of victory do they achieve? 1
(iii) What should the warmongers do? 1
(iv) Find words in the passage that mean. “those left alive” and “win”, 1
or
Questions: [HS ’17]
(i) What are the different kinds of wars mentioned by the poet in the passage? 1
(ii) What kind of victory do they achieve? 1
(iii) Who are the brothers mentioned in the stanza? 1
(iv) Find words in the given stanza that mean ‘those left alive” and “win”. 1
or
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 over arms so much. [HS ’16]
Questions:
(a) How long does the poet want to stay still? 1
(b) Why does he ask us to keep still and not use any language? 2
(c) What does the poet mean by not move our arms so much’? 1
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 ’18]
Questions:
(i) What can the Earth teach us? 2
(ii) Why does the poet count up to twelve? 1
(iii) What will ‘keeping quiet’ help us achieve? 1
Type: Himashree Bora.