No there not all the same, the verbs are a bit different.
The similar sentence to 1) is 2)because observing is watching's synonym.
1. He observes keenly, but says little.
2. He watches keenly, but says little.
3. He looks keenly, but says little.
4. He notices keenly, but says little.
(Are they all the same? What is the similar sentence to Sentence 1?)
2 answers
All the verbs are very similar, but with only slight nuances in meaning.