Class 10 English Chapter 2 Question Answers - Nelson Mandela - Long Walk to Freedom

Ans: The word "wound" signifies the deep, enduring pain and division caused by apartheid in South Africa.
Explanation:

• Metaphorical Representation: "Wound" symbolizes the severe emotional, social, and psychological damage inflicted on South Africans by apartheid’s discriminatory policies.
• Lasting Impact: It highlights the long-term effects, such as racial division, inequality, and trauma, which persisted across generations.
• Collective Suffering: The term reflects the shared pain of Mandela’s people, emphasizing the widespread harm to the nation’s unity and identity.
• Call for Healing: It implies the need for reconciliation and justice to mend the societal and emotional scars left by apartheid.

Ans: The phrase describes how oppressive apartheid laws forced Mandela, a law-abiding citizen, to engage in rebellious acts deemed criminal by the regime.
Explanation:

• Unjust Laws: Apartheid’s discriminatory laws were inherently unjust, compelling Mandela to resist them to fight for equality.
• Moral Dilemma: As a principled individual, Mandela’s actions, though illegal under apartheid, were driven by a higher moral purpose.
• Rebellion as Necessity: The phrase underscores that systemic oppression left no legal avenues for change, pushing Mandela toward activism.
• Highlighting Injustice: It exposes the irony of a system that criminalized just actions, portraying Mandela’s defiance as a response to tyranny.

Ans: Mandela learned courage by observing people who risked their lives for freedom, realizing it is the ability to overcome fear, not its absence.
Explanation:

• Observation of Sacrifice: Mandela witnessed individuals enduring torture and risking death for their beliefs, shaping his understanding of courage.
• Redefining Courage: He learned that true courage involves acting despite fear, not being fearless.
• Personal Experience: His own struggles against apartheid reinforced this lesson, as he faced imprisonment and danger.
• Inspiration for Leadership: This understanding inspired Mandela to lead with resilience, motivating others in the fight for justice.

Ans: The end of apartheid marked a global shift toward human rights, reflecting struggles for equality and justice worldwide.
Explanation:

• Global Context: South Africa’s transition mirrors civil rights movements, like those in the USA, challenging racial oppression.
• Human Rights Focus: It aligns with the universal push for dignity, equality, and freedom from discrimination.
• Democratic Ideals: The shift to democracy reflects global trends toward inclusive governance and social justice.
• Inspiration for Change: South Africa’s success inspired other nations to confront systemic inequalities, advancing human rights globally.

Ans: Mandela believed learning to hate was essential as it fueled resistance against the oppressive apartheid system that dehumanized people.
Explanation:

• Response to Injustice: Apartheid’s brutality naturally evoked hatred, motivating Mandela to fight against racial oppression.
• Catalyst for Action: Hate for injustice drove Mandela and others to challenge the system, sparking the liberation movement.
• Understanding Oppression: Recognizing hatred helped Mandela comprehend the depth of apartheid’s cruelty.
• Balancing with Reconciliation: While hate was necessary for resistance, Mandela later emphasized love and forgiveness for healing.

Ans: Mandela believed liberation freed both the oppressed from suffering and the oppressor from the moral burden of injustice.
Explanation:

• Freedom for Oppressed: Liberation ended the suffering and dehumanization of black South Africans under apartheid.
• Moral Burden of Oppressors: It relieved oppressors from the guilt and ethical corruption of enforcing injustice.
• Mutual Humanity: Mandela saw liberation as restoring dignity to both, fostering a shared humanity.
• Societal Harmony: True freedom required both groups to coexist equally, ensuring peace and justice.

Ans: Mandela’s understanding of freedom evolved from personal liberty to collective equality, recognizing freedom as interconnected for all people.
Explanation:

• Childhood Perspective: Initially, Mandela viewed freedom as personal autonomy and basic rights.
• Political Awakening: Exposure to apartheid’s injustices broadened his view to include racial and social equality.
• Collective Freedom: He realized true freedom required liberating both oppressors and oppressed from injustice.
• Global Vision: Over time, Mandela saw freedom as a universal right, encompassing dignity for all.

Ans: Mandela called apartheid an extraordinary human disaster due to its severe, dehumanizing impact on South Africans.
Explanation:

• Systemic Oppression: Apartheid stripped millions of dignity, enforcing racial segregation and inequality.
• Widespread Suffering: It caused immense physical, emotional, and social harm to black South Africans.
• Moral Outrage: Mandela’s strong feelings stemmed from witnessing the injustice and cruelty of the system.
• Historical Significance: He recognized apartheid’s devastating legacy as a unique catastrophe in human history.

Ans: The experience profoundly inspired Mandela, shaping his understanding of courage and commitment.
Explanation:

• Inspiration: Witnessing sacrifices for freedom motivated Mandela to persevere in his fight.
• Redefined Courage: It taught him that courage involves acting despite fear for a greater cause.
• Strengthened Resolve: The sacrifices reinforced Mandela’s dedication to the anti-apartheid struggle.
• Collective Spirit: It highlighted the power of collective action, deepening his leadership commitment.

Ans: (D) ability to overcome fear
Explanation:

• Correct Inference: The quote emphasizes courage as acting despite fear, aligning with option (D).
• Misconceptions Addressed: Options (A) and (B) suggest fearlessness, which Mandela rejects.
• Irrelevant Option: Option (C) “feeding your fears” contradicts the idea of triumphing over fear.
• Contextual Clarity: Mandela’s definition highlights resilience, making (D) the accurate choice.

Ans: True courage, per Mandela, is overcoming fear, not its absence. Unlike the misconception that courage means being fearless, it involves acting despite fear.
Explanation:

• True Courage: Mandela defines courage as the ability to face fear and act for a cause.
• Common Misconception: Many believe courage requires a complete lack of fear.
• Contrast: Mandela’s view emphasizes resilience and action, acknowledging fear as natural.
• Practical Implication: This perspective inspired Mandela’s leadership in confronting apartheid’s dangers.

Ans: seeped in reality
Explanation:

• Contextual Fit: The phrase “seeped in reality” reflects the tangible, real strength shown by those resisting torture.
• Realism of Sacrifice: It emphasizes the grounded, observable courage of individuals.
• Inappropriate Alternative: “Impossible to understand” suggests incomprehensibility, which doesn’t align with Mandela’s clear admiration.
• Textual Alignment: The chosen phrase captures the authentic resilience Mandela witnessed.

Ans: Both The Ball Poem and Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom explore loss, growth, and transformation, but their contexts differ. In The Ball Poem, a boy loses his ball, symbolizing innocence, leading to personal growth through accepting loss. Mandela faces loss of freedom due to apartheid, transforming into a resilient leader. Both depict emotional growth through adversity, but Mandela’s loss is collective and systemic, while the boy’s is individual and symbolic.

Explanation:

• Common Theme: Loss: In The Ball Poem, the boy loses his ball, a metaphor for innocence; Mandela loses freedom under apartheid’s oppression.
• Growth Through Adversity: The boy learns to cope with loss, maturing emotionally; Mandela grows into a leader through suffering and resistance.
• Transformation: The boy’s realization transforms his understanding of life; Mandela’s struggle transforms him into a symbol of liberation.
• Contrast in Scope: The boy’s loss is personal and symbolic, while Mandela’s is societal, rooted in racial injustice.
• Emotional Impact: Both texts highlight emotional resilience, but Mandela’s transformation involves collective liberation, unlike the boy’s introspective journey.
• Contextual Difference: The Ball Poem is universal and abstract; Mandela’s narrative is historically specific to apartheid.

Ans: Lencho and Nelson Mandela faced challenges with resilience but reacted differently. Lencho, in A Letter to God, faced crop failure with unwavering faith in God, yet felt disappointed when his expectations weren’t met, showing naive optimism. Mandela, in Long Walk to Freedom, endured apartheid’s oppression with courage and determination, transforming suffering into a fight for justice. While Lencho’s response was individualistic and rooted in faith, Mandela’s was collective, driven by a vision for equality, reflecting broader resilience.
Explanation:

• Lencho’s Challenge: Lencho’s crop destruction led to financial despair, testing his faith.
• Lencho’s Reaction: He wrote to God, expecting divine help, but felt cheated when receiving less money, showing naive trust.
• Mandela’s Challenge: Apartheid’s systemic oppression caused loss of freedom and suffering.
• Mandela’s Reaction: He responded with courage, leading the anti-apartheid movement, transforming pain into activism.
• Commonality: Both showed resilience—Lencho through faith, Mandela through resistance.
• Contrast: Lencho’s response was personal and passive; Mandela’s was collective and proactive, aiming for systemic change.

Ans: Both Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and The Trees explore transformation, liberation, and the power to change. In Mandela’s text, transformation occurs through the struggle against apartheid, achieving collective liberation. In The Trees, trees break free from confinement, symbolizing personal liberation. Both depict breaking oppressive barriers, but Mandela’s transformation is societal and historical, while The Trees is metaphorical, focusing on individual freedom and nature’s resilience.
Explanation:

• Transformation: Mandela’s fight transforms South Africa from apartheid to equality; the trees transform from indoor confinement to natural freedom.
• Liberation: Mandela seeks liberation for oppressed people; the trees symbolize liberation from human control, reclaiming their space.
• Power to Change: Mandela’s leadership drives systemic change; the trees’ movement reflects nature’s inherent power to resist.
• Contextual Difference: Mandela’s narrative is rooted in historical struggle; The Trees uses nature as a metaphor for personal emancipation.
• Commonality: Both emphasize breaking free from oppression, showcasing resilience and change.
• Emotional Resonance: Each work inspires hope, highlighting the strength to overcome constraints.

Ans:

(A) One inference about Nelson Mandela from the given context "We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation" leads one to believe that Nelson Mandela was a leader dedicated to bringing political freedom and liberation to all South Africans. He was known for his strength of spirit, integrity, honour, and leadership
(B) False. When Nelson Mandela says, "God bless Africa," he does not only mean the welfare and well-being of South Africa's black population. Instead, he is wishing for an abundance of wealth, harmony, and peace for the whole country of South Africa.
(C) Nelson Mandela's speech is full of optimism as he expresses hope for a future free from oppression. He envisions a united Africa where all people can thrive, highlighting the importance of freedom for everyone.
(D) The phrase that could correctly substitute "so glorious" in the given sentence would be "such magnificent."

Ans: His mind was full of the happenings of the past, the struggle that they went through to make the day a reality.

Ans: (b) recognises the rights and freedoms of all people.

Ans: A Harsh and inhumane society had been created.

Ans: repaired

Ans: For the first time in the history of South Africa, the ceremony was attended by the maximum number of dignitaries from all around the world. 

Ans: Before that day of inauguration, South Africa was being ruled by the Whites and the Black population was subjected to a system of discrimination called Apartheid. The entire world had delinked itself from the country. But on that day, as a mark of solidarity with the people, world leaders had arrived in South Africa for the ceremony. Thus, there was a shift from the white supremacy to a gathering of rainbow colours.

Ans: delightful to be surrounded by

Ans: False

Ans: Earlier, the White supremacy in South Africa had founded a system of supremacy and people like Mandela who fought for the freedom of the masses were considered outlaws and were punished. However, with the end of that system, now a democratic government was being set up and thus, these freedom fighters were now considered as the harbingers of this freedom. Thus, now these so called outlaws became the frontrunners of the nation who were hosting the world leaders on the occasion of the swearing-in ceremony.

Ans: Childhood memories remind us of the days gone by. The author of the story A Baker from Goa reminisces the good old days when he lived in Goa. He elaborates ablout the lazy mornings when they would meet the baker who visited twice a day to sell baked goods. The kids would look for the favourite bread bangles, eat them without brushing their teeth. The entire story is filled with nostalgia where we get to know the importance of a baker in Goan households. The baker was like a friend, companion and guide to the narrator. He also throws light on the significance of baked items in Goan culture which makes the baker an essential part of the community. Thus, the narrator shares sweet memories of his childhood. 
Nelson Mandela’s childhood was also full of freedom. He was free to do whatever he wished for. Like run in the fields, swim in the stream, roast mealies under the night sky and ride the bulls. He also has sweet memories of his childhood when he enjoyed the freedom to do follow his heart. All he was expected was to obey his father and follow the rules of his tribe. 
Thus, we notice that both of them are nostalgic about their childhood. They miss the good old days when they had a carefree life. 

Ans: One acknowledges that both Valli and Mandela were able to achieve their goals. Valli had a desire to go on a bus ride. Being a mature girl, Valli left no stone unturned to undergo a successful outing. The readers are in awe of her wisdom, gracefulness and intelligence which helped her gather all information about the trip, make the necessary arrangements for the bus ride and also, make a safe bus journey and return home securely. Thus, she was able to fulfil her dream.
Nelson Mandela envisioned a free populace in his country. He wanted justice and equality for the people of the nation. His vision was beyond personal desires and he felt pain for all the countrymen. He struggled for a long period of almost thirty years in order to end racial discrimination and set up the first democratic government in the country. His persistence is an inspiration for us. The readers get to know that the real diamonds of the country are the numerous freedom fighters whose struggle finally made the country free. 
Thus, we see that both the characters display strong qualities that helped them in their endeavours. A strong character is the foundation of success.

Ans: When Mandela said "People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love,” he is making an observation that people don’t start hating other people the moment they are born, they learn to hate others as they go by. People are born without prejudice, it is our conditioning that teaches us to discriminate. Mandela is hopeful that if people can be taught to hate so can they be taught to love. He expresses his confidence that behaving lovingly comes naturally to humans, and so it will be easier for them to love one another. He derived his confidence from his experiences in prison. He was treated harshly in prison and faced much torture, but even during those dark times, he would find one of the guards pitying him. It taught him that even oppressors have a heart and can change if given a chance.

Ans: Nelson Mandela believes that freedom is indivisible. He also says that no one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. Even in the grimmest times in prison, when his comrades and he were pushed to their limits, he would see a glimmer of humanity in one of the guards, perhaps just for a second, but it was enough to reassure him and keep him going. Man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.

Ans: (c)

The phrase "a gathering of different colours" refers to the gathering of dignitaries and leaders from various nations, symbolizing unity and support for South Africa’s freedom from apartheid.
Thus, the correct answer is (c) Leaders of different nations gathered there.

Ans: (b)
Mandela speaks about the "twin obligations" that every man has. According to him, these are:
(i) The obligation to his family, to take care of and provide for them.
(ii) The obligation to his country, to work towards the freedom and welfare of his people.
Thus, the correct answer is (b) first to his family and the second to his country.

Ans: On the day of the inaugural ceremony, Nelson Mandela was overwhelmed with a sense of history. He remembered the birth of their Apartheid, its effect on his people and their long fight for freedom, the racial discrimination dark-skinned people suffered on their own land. He also remembered the freedom fighters who suffered and sacrificed their lives for freedom. Then he remembered how the system had been over-turned forever and ever and replaced by one that recognised the right and freedom of all people, regardless of the colour of their skin.

Ans: Nelson Mandela refers to the achievement of equality and the end of apartheid, which allowed a black person like himself to become the President of South Africa, as "so glorious a human achievement." This reflects his belief in the triumph of justice, human dignity, and the ability of people to overcome deep divisions to build a fairer society.

Ans: In this lesson, Nelson Mandela talks about two obligations that are there in every man’s life. The first obligation is towards the family, parents, his wife, and children. The second obligation is towards his community and his parents. Mandela says that a man is free to do one’s duties only when he has his freedom. A person of color in South Africa was oppressed and not allowed or free to perform his obligations and was punished if he tried to do that. The author says that he never thought of these things before as a child, but after he grew up and began to think about it, he fought for the people and their freedom to perform their personal and social duties.

Ans: When Mandela grew up, he realised that brothers and sisters of his race had no liberty in their own country due to colour of their skin. He later decided to fight for freedom and dignity of people of his community.

Ans: Mandela always thought that both the oppressor and the oppressed are robbed of their humanity. The oppressor is a prisoner of hatred who is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness while the oppressed has no freedom. So, both of them need to be liberated.