Skip to content

Answer any one of the… (Class 12 English SQP 2026-27, Q12A)

questionbuddy.in/q/cbse-12-english-2026-27-sqp-q12a-how-keeping-quiet-pablo-neruda

EnglishCBSE Class 12 · Sample paper, session 2026-27 · 5 marks · Long answer

CBSE Class 12 English sample paper 2026-27: question 12(A)

From the official CBSE sample question paper for 2026-27, section C, question 12(A), for 5 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q12(A) · 5 marks · Long answerKeeping Quiet

Answer any one of the following two questions, in about 120-150 words.

How do Keeping Quiet by Pablo Neruda and Going Places by A. R. Barton present different responses to inner conflict, and what do these responses reveal about the impact of silence and imagination on human growth?

Source: official sample paper from cbseacademic.nic.in (PDF). See it in the full Sample paper 2026-27.

Hints

Open one hint at a time and try again before the next.

Hint 1

Plan three paragraphs: the poem, the story, and a comparison.

Hint 2

Ask what silence does for Neruda and what imagination does for Sophie.

Hint 3

Conclude on which response supports human growth and why.

Step-by-step solution

Each step shows the marks it earns, as an examiner would award them. Checked by an independent re-solve from the question paper.

Verified: two independent solves agree and the official marking scheme matchesChecked 2026-11-01

  1. Introduction: Neruda's Keeping Quiet and Going Places show two responses to inner conflict, silence and imagination.

    1 mark

  2. Keeping Quiet: Neruda advocates purposeful silence and stillness, a pause in restless activity. It encourages honest self-reflection and fosters self-awareness, empathy and healing, leading to personal and collective growth.

    2 marks

  3. Going Places: Sophie uses imagination as an escape from a dissatisfying life. Her dream of meeting Danny Casey and owning a boutique is not grounded in practical reality, so it deepens her frustration and isolation and blocks growth.

    1 mark

  4. Conclusion: Conscious silence promotes maturity and understanding, while unchecked imagination detached from reality can hinder genuine growth.

    1 mark

Answer: Silence in Keeping Quiet fosters reflection and growth; ungrounded imagination in Going Places deepens frustration and hinders growth.

Where the marks are

  • Introduction linking both texts (1 mark)
  • Neruda's silence leads to reflection and healing (2 marks)
  • Sophie's imagination as escape, without grounding (1 mark)
  • Conclusion comparing impact on growth (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

  • Chapter: Keeping Quiet (notes, formulas, where marks are lost and every past question)

Want more questions like this?

Practise CBSE Class 12 English questions free, marked against the answer key, with hints when you are stuck.

Practise freeSend this to a friendAsk my parent to unlock
Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from Keeping Quiet, one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paperSample paper 2026-27: every question, by section.

The question is transcribed from the official paper; figures are described in words. The solution, hints and chapter tag are ours. Spotted an error?Report it in one tapand a person will check it.