CBSE Class 12 English Keeping Quiet MCQs Set A

Question. What does counting upto 12 signify and how will it help?
(a) hours of the day
(b) months of a year
(c) it will help to create peace and harmony
(d) all

Answer : D

Question. What can human beings learn from nature?
(a) beauty
(b) keeping quiet
(c) working with silence
(d) to be happy

Answer : C

Question. What is poet's pen name?
(a) Pablo Neruda
(b) Neruda
(c) Pable
(d) Pablo

Answer : A

Question. What symbol from nature the poet uses to prove that keeping quiet is not total inactivity?
(a) Sun
(b) Soil
(c) earth
(d) Nature and earth 

Answer : D

Question. What does the style of the poem symbolise, that the poet used to write with?
(a) desires
(b) happiness
(c) hope
(d) desire and hope

Answer : D

Question. What is the essence or message of the poem ?
(a) introspection and retrospection to be more peaceful and be in harmony
(b) to prosper
(c) to reach out more people
(d) to be happier

Answer : C

Question. What does the poet feel is needed to be at peace?
(a) meeting with people
(b) talking with people
(c) interaction with the people
(d) Soul searching

Answer : D

Question. According to the poet what creates barriers?
(a) interactions
(b) reactions
(c) fighting
(d) languages

Answer : D

Question. How does the poet perceive life?
(a) as stillness
(b) as silence
(c) a noisy place
(d) a continuous evolution of nature

Answer : D

Question. Why does the poet ask people not to speak?
(a) because it creates noise
(b) he doesn't like noise
(c) it makes things unpleasant
(d) because it creates barriers or obstacles in the form of misunderstanding amongst people

Answer : D

Question. How will keeping quiet protect our environment?
(a) by creating peace and brotherhood feelings
(b) no noise will be there
(c) people will not fight
(d) none

Answer : A

Question. Why is the poet asking everyone not to speak any language?
(a) to avoid noise
(b) to avoid loud voices
(c) to avoid people
(d) to avoid conflicts and misunderstandings

Answer : D

Question. What is destroying the environment?
(a) unthoughtful actions
(b) violent actions
(c) speaking without thinking
(d) All

Answer : D

Question. What is the original language of the poem ?
(a) English
(b) French
(c) Pali
(d) Spanish

Answer : D

Question. What does number 12 represent?
(a) hours of the day and months of a year
(b) earth
(c) cricket players
(d) clock

Answer : C

Question. What does the poem Keeping Quiet teach us?
(a) how to maintain silence
(b) not to make noise
(c) speaking creates noise
(d) To be peaceful , thoughtful and have feelings of brotherhood

Answer : D

Question. What does the poem speak about?
(a) the necessity to be happy
(b) the necessity to introspect , understand and have feelings of brotherhood
(c) the necessity to work quietly
(d) none

Answer : B

Question. Not move our arms' what does this expression refer to?
(a) sit quietly
(b) sitting still without any movement
(c) stand quietly
(d) to be inactive

Answer : B

Question. What does the title of the poem suggest?
(a) Inactivity
(b) noise
(c) unhappiness
(d) Maintenance of silence

Answer : D

Question. Why is silence treated as a big issue?
(a) it helps to search our soul
(b) helps us to analyze our actions
(c) helps us to be thoughtful and find our true self
(d) All these

Answer : D

Question. What is the rhyming scheme used in the poem?
(a) Free verse
(b) enclosed rhyme
(c) Monorhyme
(d) sonnet

Answer : A

Question. What should not be confused with total inactivity or death?
(a) no movement
(b) a statue
(c) talking people
(d) Stillness and silence

Answer : D

Question. What is the sadness in the poem that the poet speaks about ?
(a) violence because of unthoughtfulness of the people
(b) unnecessary movements
(c) speaking aloud
(d) fighting

Answer : A

Question. What are the different kinds of wars mentioned in the poem?
(a) War against humanity
(b) War against nature
(c) War with gases and fire
(d) All these

Answer : D

Question. What does the earth symbolise?
(a) perseverence and new beginning from seemingly stillness
(b) stillness
(c) greenery
(d) prosperity

Answer : A

Question. How is keeping quiet related to life and can change attitude?
(a) it helps to think and search soul
(b) helps to scratch one's soul
(c) helps to develop new thinking process
(d) All these

Answer : D

Question. What does the poet want people to do for one second?
(a) to sing
(b) to close eyes
(c) to stand quietly
(d) to be silent and motionless

Answer : D

Question. What can be a cure or an antidote to violent actions?
(a) speaking practice
(b) wise words
(c) polished language
(d) Practice of silence

Answer : D

Question. How can the moments of no activity help people?
(a) they will be healthy
(b) to relax and be more thoughtful
(c) they will be happy
(d) they will work easily

Answer : B

Question. What would everyone feel at that exotic moment?
(a) happy
(b) content
(c) dancing
(d) strange blissful oneness

Answer : D

Question. How long is the poet expecting everyone to stay still?
(a) for 1 second till we count 12
(b) for 10 minutes
(c) for 12 minutes
(d) for 15 minutes

Answer : A

Question. What is the poet expecting from fishermen?
(a) to find more fish
(b) to go deeper into the sea
(c) to think and stop harming the fish
(d) none

Answer : C

Question. While gathering salt, what will happen to the man if he keep silent for a moment?
(a) he will stop dropping it
(b) he will look at the ground
(c) he will walk carefully
(d) he will think of the harm the salt is doing to his hands

Answer : D

Question. What will happen if there are no engines and no crowd?
(a) noise will be lessened
(b) no crowd on roads
(c) no traffic rush
(d) it will create a perfect, happy moment

Answer : D

Question. What does hurt hand refer to ?
(a) Growing needs of the man
(b) growing greed of man
(c) unfulfilled desires
(d) growing insensitivity of man to pain

Answer : D

Question. Why is the moment of silence called Exotic?
(a) because of the beautiful scenery around
(b) because of the gathering
(c) because of perfect peace and harmony
(d) because of large gathering

Answer : C

Question. How will silence benefit the man and nature?
(a) both will be friends
(b) man will know nature better
(c) man will stop hurting nature and both will heal themselves
(d) man will be healthy

Answer : C

Question. What is always alive even when everything seems to be dead or still?
(a) mountains
(b) rivers
(c) Sun
(d) Earth and nature are always alive

Answer : D

Question. Which images in the poem show that the poet condemns or hate violence?
(a) fishemen not harming whales
(b) wars leaving behind no survivors to celebrate
(c) poet's refusal to deal with death
(d) All these

Answer : D

Question. Why does the poet request people to keep quiet?
(a) to maintain silence
(b) to avoid noise
(c) to be friendly
(d) in the hope of becoming more thoughtful and peaceful

Answer : D

Extract Based Questions:

I. Read the extract to attempt questions that follow:
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 be an exotic moment without rush, without engines,
we would all be together in a sudden strangeness. 

Question. Why do you think the poet employs words like ‘exotic’and ―’strangeness’?
(a) To highlight the importance of everyone being together suddenly for once.
(b) To emphasize the frantic activity and chaos that usually envelops human life.
(c) To indicate the unfamiliarity of a sudden moment without rush or without engine.
(d) To direct us towards keeping quiet and how we would all be together in that silence.

Answer: B

Question. Choose the option that correctly matches the idioms given in Column A with their meanings in Column B.
Column A                                Column B
1. On the face of the earth    (i) In existence
2. What on earth                   (ii) To do all possible to accomplish something
3. Move heaven and earth   (iii) To express surprise or shock
4. The salt of the earth         (iv) To be good and worthy
(a) 1 – (i); 2 – (iv); 3 – (iii); 4 – (ii)
(b) 1 – (i); 2 – (iii); 3 – (ii); 4 – (iv)
(c) 1 – (ii); 2 – (i); 3 – (iv); 4 – (iii)
(d) 1 – (iv); 2 – (ii); 3 – (iii); 4 – (i)

Answer: B

Question. The poet uses the word ―let‘us to _______
(a) initiate a conversation between the poet and the readers.
(b) invite readers as part of the poem‘s larger call to humanity.
(c) welcome readers into the world of the poem and its subject.
(d) address readers as fellow members of the human race.

Answer: B

Question. Margaret Atwood said, ―Language divides us into fragments, and I wanted to be whole. Choose the option that correctly comments on the relationship between Margaret Atwood‘s words and the line from the above extract – let‘s not speak in any language
(a) Atwood endorses Neruda‘s call to not speak in any language.
(b) Atwood justifies Neruda‘s request to not engage in any speaking.
(c) Atwood undermines Neruda‘s intent to stop and not speak in any language.
(d) Atwood surrenders to Neruda‘s desire for silence and not speak in any language.

Answer: A

II. Read the extract to attempt 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. What might the ‘huge silence’ signify?
(a) melancholy
(b) understanding
(c) discomfort
(d) flexibility

Answer: B

Question. What do you think is the mood of the poet in the above extract?
(a) gloomy, cynical
(b) reflective, inspired
(c) introspective, aware
(d) critical, demotivated

Answer: C

Question. Pick the option that DOES NOT complete the given sentence suitably, as per the extract. Threatening ourselves with death __________
(a) feeds on the fear of death.
(b) challenges finiteness of life.
(c) keeps us rushing through life.
(d) makes us restless and impatient.

Answer: B

III. Read the extract to attempt questions that follow: It would be an exotic moment without rush, without engines, we would all be together in a sudden strangeness.

Question. Which of the following is an example of anaphora?
(a) We would all be together
(b) Without rush, without engines
(c) It would be an exotic moment
(d) All the above

Answer: B

Question. The phrase ‘sudden strangeness’ is an example of
(a) Metaphor
(b) Simile
(c) Oxymoron
(d) Alliteration

Answer: D

Question. The rhyme of the poem is
(a) aabb
(b) abab
(c) acbc
(d) None of the above

Answer: D

Question. The ‘exotic moment’ that the poet refers to is, when
(a) the whole world is destroyed
(b) all the people divided
(c) all the people together with oneness
(d) all the people speak only in one language

Answer: C

IV. Read the extract to attempt questions that follow: 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.

Question. _____________ walk about in the shade _____________
(a) people who hate one another, singing
(b) people who love one another dancing
(c) people who wage wars, doing nothing
(d) none of the above

Answer: C

Question. The poetic device used in the fourth line of the extract is
(a) Alliteration
(b) Personification
(c) Transferred epithet
(d) None of the above

Answer: A

Question. According to the poet wars would result in
(a) the victory of none
(b) the death of all
(c) complete annihilation of the world
(d) above all

Answer: D

Question. The phrase ‘clean clothes’ symbolises
(a) Peace
(b) Well ironed clothes
(c) New clothes
(d) Spotless clothes

Answer: A

V. Read the extract to attempt 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. I w’ant no truck with death’ indicates that the poet
(a) wants a truck for death
(b) does not mean that inactivity is death
(c) assures people that they would not face death at all
(d) does not want a truck

Answer: B

Question. The above extract is taken from ____________ written by _________
(a) ‗Keeping Quiet‘ by John Keats
(b) ‗My Mother at Sixty Six‘ by Pablo Neruda
(c) ‗Keeping Quiet‘ by Pablo Neruda
(d) ‗My Mother at Sixty Six‘ by John Keats

Answer: C

Question. Which of the following is not correct ?
(a) The poet wants all people to be idle doing nothing
(b) The poet wants all people to keep quiet to introspect
(c) The poet wants all people to be like brothers
(d) The poet wants all people to love one another

Answer: A

Question. The phrase ‘Life is what it is about’ means
(a) living life miserably
(b) living life licentiously
(c) living life carefully
(d) living life as it is

Answer: D

VI. Read the extract to attempt questions that follow:
Perhaps the Earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.

Question. The last line of poem ends on a/an ______________ note.
(a) pessimistic
(b) optimistic
(c) disillusioned
(d) imaginary

Answer: B

Question. What can we learn from the Earth?
(a) No hope for life after such large scale destruction of the planet 
(b) Hope for life in spite of the wars of all kinds referred to by the poet
(c) No scope for life on the planet
(d) Hope for life on other planets, after complete destruction of the Earth

Answer: B

Question. The words ‘everything seems dead’ refer to
(a) animals‘ life
(b) plants‘ life
(c) flora and fauna
(d) none of the above

Answer: B