NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight
Chapter Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Updated For 2024-2025
Exams
Thinking about the Text
Q.1: Why did such a large number of
international leaders attend the inauguration? What did it signify the triumph
of?
Answer:
A large number of international leaders attended the inauguration because it
marked the end of apartheid and the establishment of South Africa’s first
democratic government. This event was a triumph of justice, equality, and human
dignity over decades of racial discrimination and oppression.
Q.2: What does Mandela mean when he
says he is “simply the sum of all those African patriots” who had gone before
him?
Answer:
Mandela means that he represents all the courageous individuals who fought for
freedom before him. He acknowledges that his achievements are a result of the
collective efforts and sacrifices of the countless African patriots who
struggled for equality and justice.
Q.3: Would you agree that the “depths
of oppression” create “heights of character”? How does Mandela illustrate this?
Can you add your own examples to this argument?
Answer:
Yes, I agree that “depths of oppression” can create “heights of character.”
Mandela illustrates this by pointing out that extreme oppression in South
Africa produced leaders of great courage, wisdom, and generosity like Oliver
Tambo and Walter Sisulu. This idea can be seen in other instances, such as
Mahatma Gandhi’s fight for India’s independence and Martin Luther King Jr.’s
battle for civil rights in the USA, both of whom emerged as powerful leaders
because of the oppression they faced.
Q.4: How did Mandela’s understanding of
freedom change with age and experience?
Answer:
As a young boy, Mandela believed freedom meant being able to run and play
without restrictions. As he grew older, he realized that true freedom was about
having the right to fulfill one’s potential, to live without oppression, and to
have dignity and equality. He also understood that his personal freedom was
tied to the freedom of his people.
Q.5: How did Mandela’s ‘hunger for
freedom’ change his life?
Answer:
Mandela’s hunger for personal freedom grew into a desire for the freedom of his
people. This transformation led him to become a leader in the fight against
apartheid. It drove him to make significant personal sacrifices, including
giving up his family life and living like a fugitive, eventually becoming a
symbol of the struggle for human rights and justice.
Thinking about Language
Q.1: Make a list of noun-verb pairs
from the text (formation, government).
Answer:
Here is a list of noun-verb pairs from the text:
- Rebellion – Rebel
- Constitution – Constitute
- Emancipation – Emancipate
- Discrimination – Discriminate
- Deprivation – Deprive
- Oppression – Oppress
- Celebration – Celebrate
Q.2: Fill in the blanks with the noun
forms of the verbs in brackets.
Answer:
Martin Luther
King’s (contribution) to our history as an outstanding leader began when
he came to the (assistance) of Rosa Parks, a seamstress who refused to
give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. In those days American Blacks
were confined to positions of second-class citizenship by restrictive laws and
customs. To break these laws would mean (subjugation) and (humiliation)
by the police and the legal system. Beatings, (imprisonment), and
sometimes death awaited those who defied the system. Martin Luther King’s
tactics of protest involved non-violent (resistance) to racial
injustice.
Q.3: Complete the sentences using the
given phrases.
(i) they can be
taught to love. (ii) I was born free. (iii) but the triumph over it. (iv) but
he who conquers that fear. (v) to create such heights of character.
- It requires such depths of
oppression to create such heights of character. - Courage was not the absence of
fear but the triumph over it. - The brave man is not he who does
not feel afraid but he who conquers that fear. - If people can learn to hate, they
can be taught to love. - I was born free.
Q.4: Using the definite article with
names. Explain what these sentences mean:
- Mr. Singh regularly invites the
Amitabh Bachchans and the Shah Rukh Khans to his parties.
Answer: This means that Mr. Singh regularly invites famous people
like Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, or people of similar stature. - Many people think that Madhuri
Dixit is the Madhubala of our times.
Answer: This means that many people think Madhuri Dixit resembles
or is as talented as the legendary actress Madhubala. - History is not only the story of
the Alexanders, the Napoleons, and the Hitlers, but of ordinary people as
well.
Answer: This means that history includes not only famous figures
like Alexander, Napoleon, and Hitler but also the stories of ordinary,
unknown people.
Q.5: Find and complete the contrasts
mentioned in the text.
- For decades the Union Buildings
had been the seat of white supremacy, and now…
Answer: …it was the site of a rainbow gathering of different
colours and nations for the installation of South Africa’s first
democratic, non-racial government. - Only moments before, the highest
generals of the South African defence force and police… saluted me and
pledged their loyalty. Not so many years before they…
Answer: …would not have saluted but arrested me. - Although that day neither group
knew the lyrics of the anthem… they…
Answer: …would soon know the words by heart. - My country is rich in the minerals
and gems that lie beneath its soil, but…
Answer: …I have always known that its greatest wealth is its
people, finer and truer than the purest diamonds. - The Air Show was not only a
display of pinpoint precision and military force, but…
Answer: …a demonstration of the military’s loyalty to
democracy, to a new government that had been freely and fairly elected. - It was this desire for the freedom
of my people… that transformed…
Answer: …a frightened young man into a bold one, that drove a
law-abiding attorney to become a criminal, that turned a family-loving
husband into a man without a home.
Q.6: Complete the sentences using the
given phrases.
(i) they can be
taught to love.
(ii) I was born free.
(iii) but the triumph over it.
(iv) but he who conquers that fear.
(v) to create such heights of character.
- It requires such depths of
oppression to create such heights of character. - Courage was not the absence of
fear but the triumph over it. - The brave man is not he who does
not feel afraid but he who conquers that fear. - If people can learn to hate, they
can be taught to love. - I was born free, free to run in the fields near
my mother’s hut.
Idiomatic Expressions
Q.7: Match the italicized phrases in
Column A with the phrase nearest in meaning in Column B.
|
Column A |
Column B |
|
I was not unmindful of the fact |
(i) had not forgotten; was aware of |
|
When my comrades and I were pushed to |
(iii) felt that we could not endure |
|
To reassure me and keep me going |
(ii) help me continue to live in hope |
|
The basic and honorable freedoms of |
(i) earning enough money to live on |