Inside Out

A Life of Struggle WORKSHEET A

“I have dedicated my life to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have
fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons
live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to see realized.
But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
Nelson Mandela 1964 and 1990

O
n 1) __________, Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment for sabotage and
plotting to overthrow the South African government. He was taken to Robben Island Prison.
The icy waters and strong currents around the island make escape virtually impossible. It
seemed to be the end of the road for the outspoken political activist…

Nelson Mandela was born in 3)__________ on July 18th, 1918. After attending boarding school, he
started a BA degree at Fort Hare. In 1940, he took part in a strike at the university and was expelled.
He completed his degree by correspondence while he was living in Johannesburg, and qualified as a
5) __________. He joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1942 and started a lifelong
struggle for democracy in his country.

During the 1950s he spent his time organising passive resistance to laws which discriminated against
the black people of South Africa; he and his close friend Oliver Tambo opened 7) __________ in the
country; he was accused of treason, but always managed to escape arrest, earning him the nickname
9)‘__________’.

In 1960, 56 people were killed in Sharpeville when the police opened fire on a crowd of angry locals
who had gathered outside their local police station. This was a turning point. The government
immediately outlawed 11) __________, who reacted by setting up a military wing. They decided that
after 20 years of peaceful protest, it was time to take up arms. In 1962, Mandela left his country and
went to Algeria to arrange military training. When he returned, he was arrested for illegally leaving
the country and for encouraging people to strike. He was convicted and jailed for 13) __________
years. While he was serving his sentence, he was charged with sabotage and sentenced to life
imprisonment.

As we now know, Nelson Mandela was eventually released, after serving 27 years in prison, on
February 11th, 1990. Since his release he has won 15) __________, become president of his country
(1994-1999) and been awarded honorary degrees from over 50 countries around the world. He retired
from public life in 1999 and now lives in Qunu, Transkei – his birthplace.

Write the questions.

1 When _______________________________________________________________________?
3 Where _______________________________________________________________________?
5 What ________________________________________________________________________?
7 What ________________________________________________________________________?
9 What ________________________________________________________________________?
11 Who ________________________________________________________________________?
13 How many ___________________________________________________________________?
15 What ________________________________________________________________________?

This page has been downloaded from www.insideout.net.

It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2003.
 Inside Out
A Life of Struggle WORKSHEET B

“I have dedicated my life to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have
fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons
live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to see realized.
But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
Nelson Mandela 1964 and 1990

n June 14th, 1964, Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment for sabotage and

O plotting to overthrow the South African government. He was taken to 2) __________. The
icy waters and strong currents around the island make escape virtually impossible. It seemed
to be the end of the road for the outspoken political activist…

Nelson Mandela was born in the Transkei on 4) __________. After attending boarding school, he
started a BA degree at Fort Hare. In 1940, he took part in a strike at the university and was expelled.
He completed his degree by correspondence while he was living in Johannesburg, and qualified as a
lawyer. He joined the 6) __________ in 1942 and started a lifelong struggle for democracy in his
country.

During the 1950s he spent his time organising passive resistance to laws which discriminated against
the black people of South Africa; he and his close friend Oliver Tambo opened the first black legal
firm in the country; he was accused of 8) __________, but always managed to escape arrest, earning
him the nickname ‘The Black Pimpernel’.

In 1960, 10) __________ people were killed in Sharpeville when the police opened fire on a crowd
of angry locals who had gathered outside their local police station. This was a turning point. The
government immediately outlawed the ANC, who reacted by setting up a military wing. They decided
that after 20 years of peaceful protest, it was time to take up arms. In 1962, Mandela left his country
and went to 12) __________ to arrange military training. When he returned, he was arrested for
illegally leaving the country and for encouraging people to strike. He was convicted and jailed for five
years. While he was serving his sentence, he was charged with sabotage and sentenced to life
imprisonment.

As we now know, Nelson Mandela was eventually released, after serving 14) __________ years in
prison, on February 11th, 1990. Since his release he has won the Nobel Peace Prize, become president
of his country (1994-1999) and been awarded honorary degrees from over 50 countries around the
world. He retired from public life in 16) __________ and now lives in Qunu, Transkei – his birthplace.

Write the questions.

2 Where _______________________________________________________________________?
4 When _______________________________________________________________________?
6 What ________________________________________________________________________?
8 What ________________________________________________________________________?
10 How many ___________________________________________________________________?
12 Where _______________________________________________________________________?
14 How many ___________________________________________________________________?
16 When________________________________________________________________________?

This page has been downloaded from www.insideout.net.

It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2003.