NCERT Solutions Class 10 English (First Flight) Chapter 2 (Nelson Mandela : Long Walk to Freedom)

NCERT Solutions Class 10 English (First Flight) 

The NCERT Solutions in English Language for Class 10 English (First Flight) Chapter – 2 Nelson Mandela : Long Walk to Freedom has been provided here to help the students in solving the questions from this exercise. 

Chapter – 2 (Nelson Mandela : Long Walk to Freedom) 

Oral Comprehension Check

1. Where did the ceremonies take place ? Can you name any public buildings in India that are made of sandstone ?
Answer – The ceremonies took place in the campus of the Union Building of Pretoria, which were attended by dignitaries and leaders of many nations. In India; Rashtrapati Bhavan and Red Fort are buildings made of red sandstone.

2. Can you say how 10 May is an ‘autumn day’ in South Africa ?
Answer – As South Africa is in the Southern Hemisphere, may falls in the autumn season. Thus 10th May is an ‘autumn day’.

3. 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 ?
Answer – By human disaster Mandela means to say that coloured people have suffered a lot due to discrimination in the hands of whites. He considered it as great glorious human achievement that a black person became the president of a country where the blacks are not considered as human being and are treated badly.

4. What does Mandela thank the international leaders for ?
Answer – Mandela felt privileged to be the host to the nations of the world because not too long ago, the South Africans were considered outlaws. He thus thanked all the international leaders for having come to witness his investiture as President since this event could be considered as a common victory for justice, peace and human dignity.

5. What ideals does he set out for the future of South Africa ?
Answer – Mandela set out the ideals of poverty alleviation, removal of suffering of people. He also set the ideal for a society where there would be no discrimination based on gender or racial origins.

Oral Comprehension Check

1. What do the military generals do? How has their attitude changed, and why?
Answer – The military generals discharge their duties. They owe allegiance to their country. They do their duties as per the military provisions.

2. Why were two national anthems sung?
Answer –  Two national anthems were sung as there were two main communities or races. One was of the whites and the other of the blacks. Secondly, the anthem of the whites was the anthem of the old republic.

3. How does Mandela describe the systems of government in his country
(i) in the first decade, and
(ii) in the final decade, of the twentieth century?
Answer –
(i) In the first decade of the twentieth century the whites of South Africa patched up their differences. They built a system of racial domination against the black people of their own land.

(ii) In the last decade their system had been overturned forever. It was replaced by another. It recognised the rights and freedoms of all people regardless of their skin colour.

4. What does courage mean to Mandela?
Answer –  For Mandela courage does not mean the absence of fear but a victory over fear. According to him brave men need not be fearless but should be able to conquer fear.

5. Which does he think is natural, to love or to hate?
Answer –  For Mandela, love comes more naturally to the human heart than hate.

Oral Comprehension Check

1. What “twin obligations” does Mandela mention?
Answer – Mandela mentions that every man has twin obligations. The first is to his family, parents, wife and children; the second obligation is to his people, his community and his country.

2. What did being free mean to Mandela as a boy, and as a student? How does he contrast these “transitory freedoms” with “the basic and honourable freedoms”?
Answer –  Like any other kid, for Mandela freedom meant to make merry and enjoy the blissful life. Once one becomes an adult, antics of childhood looks like transitory because most of the childish activities are wasteful from an adult’s perspective. Once you are adult, you have to earn a livelihood to bring the bacon home. Its only then when you get an honourable existence in the family and in the society.

3. Does Mandela think the oppressor is free? Why/Why not?
Answer – Mandela does not feel that the oppressor is free because according to him an oppressor is a prisoner of hatred, who is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness. He feels that both the oppressor and the oppressed are robbed of their humanity.

Thinking about the Text

1. Why did such a large number of international leaders attend the inauguration? What did it signify the triumph of?
Answer – To be the part of the inauguration, international leaders showed a gesture of solidarity from international community to the idea of end of apartheid. It was the significance of the victory of good over evil and triumph of a tolerant society without any discrimination.

2. What does Mandela mean when he says he is “simply the sum of all those African patriots” who had gone before him?
Answer – When Mandela says that he was ‘simply the sum of all African patriots,’ he means that he could identify with the unimaginable sacrifices of all those noble and courageous men who fought for the collective freedom of the African people. He was pained that he could not thank them and that they could not see what their sacrifices had wrought.

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 the “depths of oppression” create “heights of character”. Mandela thought that the decades of brutality and oppression had an unintended effect of creating many African patriots with unimaginable heights of character. Thus, he felt that the greatest wealth of South Africa is its people. In similar manner, Bhagat Singh remained courageous while facing utmost cruelty at the hands of British.

4. How did Mandela’s understanding of freedom change with age and experience?
Answer – As a boy, Mandela did not have a hunger for freedom because he thought that he was born free. He believed that as long as he obeyed his father and abided by the customs of his tribe, he was free in every possible manner. He had certain needs as a teenager and certain needs as a young man. Gradually, he realized that he was selfish during his boyhood. He slowly understands that it is not just his freedom that is being curtailed, but the freedom of all blacks. It is after attaining this understanding that he develops a hunger for the freedom of his people.

5. How did Mandela’s ‘hunger for freedom’ change his life?
Answer – Mandela realised in his youth that it was not just his freedom that was being curtailed, but the freedom of all blacks. This changed the fearfulman to a fearless rebel.
He sacrificed the comforts of a settled family life to fight for a greater cause. He joined the African National Congress and this changed him from a frightened young man into a bold one who fought against racial prejudice.

Thinking about Language

I. There are nouns in the text (formation, government) which are formed from the corresponding verbs form, govern) by suffixing—(at) ion or ment. There may be a change in the spelling of some verb-noun pairs : such as rebel, rebellion ; constitute, constitution.

1. Make a list of such pairs of nouns and verbs in the text.

Answer –

2. Read the paragraph below. Fill in the blanks with the noun forms of the verbs in brackets.
Martin Luther King’s ______(contribute) to our history as an outstanding leader began when he came to the ______ (assist) 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 ______ (subjugate) and ______ (humiliate) by the police and the legal system. Beatings, (imprison) and sometimes death awaited those who defied the System. Martin Luther King’s tactics of protest involved non-violent ______ (resist) to racial injustice

Answer – Martin Luther King’s contribution (contribute) to our history as an outstanding leader began when he came to the assistance (assist) 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 (subjugate) and humiliation (humiliate) by the police and the legal system. Beatings, imprisonment (imprison) and sometimes death awaited those who defied the System. Martin Luther King’s tactics of protest involved non-violent resistance (resist) to racial injustice.

II. Using the Definite Article with Names 

Here are some more examples of ‘the’ used with proper names. Try to say what these sentences mean. (You may consult a dictionary if you wish; look at the entry for ‘the’.)
1. Mr Singh regularly invites the Amitabh Bachchans and the Shah Rukh Khans to his parties.
2. Many people think that Madhuri Dixit is the Madhubala of our times.
3. History is not only the story of the Alexanders, the Napoleons and the Hitlers, but of the ordinary people as well. 

Answer –  I think, by such a usage, the author gives more importance to such people who were like these great patriots in every way.
1. This means that Mr. Singh regularly invites people like Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan to his parties. The invitees are not exactly these film stars but other persons. They are similar in many ways to these stars.
2. It means Madhuri Dixit has all the traits of Madhubala though she is not that.
3. History is not only the story of great persons like Alexanders, Napoleons and Hitlers but ordinary people.

III. Idiomatic Expressions

Match the italicised phrases in column A with the phrase nearest in meaning in column B. (Hint: First look for the sentence in the text in which the phrase in column A occurs.)

Answer – These are to be matched as given below :

Go Back To Chapters