Keeping Quiet by Pablo Neruda – 30 Deep Conceptual MCQs with Answers
Explore one of Pablo Neruda's most beautiful poems, Keeping Quiet, through these 30 deep conceptual multiple-choice questions (MCQs). This post goes beyond surface-level understanding to examine deep themes like introspection, silence, environment, and war which is more than enough for you to touch every angle of preparation of MCQs of this poem.
😊 About the Poem: Keeping Quiet
Keeping Quiet is a philosophical poem written by Pablo Neruda, who is a Nobel Prize–winning poet. The poem encourages a moment of universal silence, calling for human beings to take a moment and reflect, stop harmful actions, and rediscover a peaceful, meaningful connection with each other and nature.
✅ Deep Conceptual MCQs on Keeping Quiet – With Answers
1. What is the symbolic meaning of “counting to twelve” in the poem?
A. Passing time
B. A moment of transition and reflection ✅
C. Countdown to change
D. Measuring silence
2. What does the poet suggest about language in the poem?
A. It connects people
B. It causes misunderstandings and division ✅
C. It’s essential to expression
D. None of these
3. What does the phrase “without rush, without engines” emphasize:
A. Technological advancement
B. Environmental sustainability ✅
C. Urban noise
D. Poverty issues
4. “Doing nothing” in the poem symbolizes:
A. Laziness
B. Despair
C. A path to deeper awareness and peace ✅
D. None of these
5. What does the “man gathering salt” represent in this poem?
A. The global workforce
B. The national workforce
C. Pain and human suffering ✅
D. Environmental activism
6. Neruda uses the whale and fisherman to highlight:
A. Survival instincts
B. Harmony with nature ✅
C. Hunting skills
D. Marine industry growth
7. What tone dominates this poem?
A. Aggressive
B. Philosophical and meditative ✅
C. Sarcastic
D. All of these
8. The phrase “wars with gas, wars with fire” critiques
A. Military advancements
B. Inhumane warfare and its consequences ✅
C. Chemical engineering
D. Science fiction narratives
9. What does "Victory with no survivors" suggest?
A. Military success
B. Inevitable human extinction from conflict ✅
C. War glory
D. Soldier resilience
10. The meaning behind “put on clean clothes” is:
A. Change in behavior and mindset ✅
B. Joining a ritual
C. Going to work
D. Attending peace rallies
11. Neruda's call for stillness is essentially a call for:
A. Economic slowdown
B. Individual disconnection
C. Global unity through introspection ✅
D. None of these
12. The poet exclude “total inactivity”
A. To defend productivity
B. To clarify his idea of silence isn’t death ✅
C. He fears being misinterpreted
D. He contradicts himself
13. “Life is what it is about” reveals the poet’s:
A. Desire to end life
B. Embrace of nihilism
C. Celebration of conscious living ✅
D. Confusion
14. What interrupts “the sadness of never understanding ourselves”?
A. War
B. Global movements
C. Silence and stillness ✅
D. Religion
15. The poem suggests that silence could:
A. Leads to economic collapse
B. Create awkwardness
C. Awaken deeper self-awareness ✅
D. Cause apathy
16. “Perhaps the Earth can teach us…” implies:
A. Nature holds wisdom ✅
B. Agriculture is key
C. Science can replace war
D. Humans know more than nature
17. How does the poet view death?
A. As something to be avoided through awareness ✅
B. As a friend
C. As the end of pain
D. As a political tool
18. The line “in the shade, doing nothing” reflects:
A. Escape from sunlight
B. Mental illness
C. A peaceful co-existence ✅
D. Seasonal rest
19. What poetic device is dominant in “victory with no survivors”?
A. Simile
B. Irony ✅
C. Hyperbole
D. Alliteration
20. The poet wants us to shift from action to:
A. Lethargy
B. Awareness ✅
C. Protest
D. All of these
🌱 Final Thoughts
Keeping Quiet by Pablo Neruda is not just a normal poem—it's a timeless invitation to pause, reflect, and reconnect. In an age of non-stop action and information, its message of conscious stillness is more relevant than ever.
