Class 10

English
A Long Walk To Freedom

1. Where did the ceremonies take place? Can you name any public buildings in India that
are made of sandstone?
Ans. The ceremonies took place in the Union Building amphitheater in Pretoria.
Red Fort is made of sandstone.

2. At the beginning of his speech, Mandela mentions ‘an extraordinary human disaster'.
What does he mean by this? What is the 'glorious ... human achievement' he speaks of at
the end?
Ans. By human disaster, Nelson Mandela means to say that the Blacks have suffered a lot
due to discrimination at the hands of whites.
A great glorious human achievement is the fact that a black person had become the
president of a country where the blacks were not considered as human beings and were
treated badly.

3. What does Mandela thank the international leaders for?

Ans. Nelson Mandela thanks the international leaders for attending the ceremony in which
a Black was being honoured to receive the highest post of the country.

4. What ideals does he set out for the future of South Africa?
Ans. He wants Africa to be free in the true sense where all are equal. He wants the glorious
land to be free from the discrimination of any sort.

5. What do the military generals do? How has their attitude changed, and why?
Ans. The Generals saluted Nelson Mandela.
Their attitude towards Blacks had taken a great change. Instead of arresting a Black, they
saluted him.
6. How does Mandela describe the system of government in his country (i) in the first
decade, and (ii) in the final decade, of the twentieth century?
Ans. Nelson Mandela describes the system of government in his country as follows:
(i) In the first decade, as the most inhumane, and harshest. The white people dominated
over the Black or dark-skinned people of their own country and treated them worst than
animals.
(ii) In the final decade of the twentieth century it recognised the rights and freedoms of all
people regardless of their colour.

7. What does courage mean to Mandela?

Ans. To Mandela, courage is to risk and give one's life for an idea. Courage is to stand up to
attacks and tortures without breaking and to show strength and resilience that are
unimaginable. In fact, courage is the triumph over fear.

8. What 'twin obligations' does Mandela mention?

Ans. Nelson Mandela mentions twin obligations in everybody's life. The first obligation is
towards his family, his parents, his wife and his children or the people to whom he is related
by birth and emotions. The second obligation is towards his people, his society and his
country.

9. Would you agree that the 'depths of oppression' create heights of character? How does
Mandela illustrate this? Can you add your own example to this argument?
Ans. The depths of oppression create heights of character because the people who are
oppressed by the mightier learn to cooperate with the other members of the group. They
are not afraid of their death, naturally they do not fall a prey to greed of any type. The more
they tolerate the more is the fire for liberation ignited. The more they are oppressed, the
more they tolerate. There are ample examples of such bravery and courage.
Mahatma Gandhi resolved to send Britishers out of the country when he was oppressed by
them. He felt that the greater the atrocities, the higher the resistance. The freedom fighters
specially the revolutionaries were oppressed by the Britishers but they did not bend before
them rather they preferred death to the humiliating life of a slave.
10. How did Mandela's understanding of freedom change with age and experience?
Ans. With the changing of age, Nelson Mandela realised that he had a lot of responsibilities
towards his people, his community and his country. Now when he was grown up, he was
not going to be contented with his own freedom. He could not be happy till all the Blacks
were free from the discrimination on the basis of their colour. He felt the chains on his
people were the chains on him. As he grew in years, he started thinking more about his
people and country. Now he did not want anything for him because he had learnt that he
could not be happy till his own people were happy.

11. How did Nelson Mandela pay a tribute to the black people who sacrificed their lives for
attaining freedom for their country? How can we do it for our country?
Ans. Nelson Mandela had to fight against the inhumane government in South Africa. He
fought against the policy of aparthied. He was not the first leader to initiate this movement.
He joined them and succeeded. But he did not take entire credit for his success. He
recognised their contribution and paid them a befitting tribute. He called himself simply the
sum of all those Africans patriots who had laid the path towards the achievement of
success. He continued the movement started by them. On the day of installation of the
government, he missed all of them and expressed his gratitude towards them.
We can do it for our country by expressing our gratitude towards all those who laid down
their lives and comforts for the freedom of our nation. We must keep up the ideals which
these great men had set up during the freedom struggle.

12. Why was Nelson Mandela overwhelmed with a sense of victory? How did he succeed in
ending the apartheid regime in South Africa?
Ans. Nelson Mandela was overwhelmed with a sense of victory because it was the victory of
man's struggle against oppression and exploitations. It was a fight against the inhumane
government in South Africa. He fought against the policy of Apartheid. He was not the first
leader to initiate this movement. He joined other leaders who started it. He recognized their
contribution and paid a befithing tribute. He called himself simply the sum of all those
African patriots who had laid the path towards the achievement of success. He continued
the struggle against Apartheid. The oppression, exploitation and discrimination against the
blacks came to an end.
It was a great victory after a long fight. It was an end of inhumane government in South
Africa. The elected government was a victory for democracy.