NCERT Solution for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

NCERT Solution for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Oral Comprehension Check

Page No 18

Question:- 1. Where did the ceremonies take place? Can you name any public buildings in India that are made of sandstone?

Answer:- The ceremonies were held at Pretoria’s beautiful sandstone amphitheatre, which was attended by diplomats and world leaders from a variety of countries. The Rashtrapati Bhavan and the Red Fort are two red sandstone public buildings in India.

Question:- 2. Can you say how 10 May is an ‘autumn day’ in South Africa?

Answer:– Autumn, in general, denotes the harvest season, which is connected with abundance and prosperity. The installation of South Africa’s first democratic, non-racial administration took place on this auspicious day in the midst of the largest assemblage of world leaders ever on South African soil, making 10 May a ‘autumn day’ in South Africa.

Question:- 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 indicates that coloured people have suffered greatly as a result of whites’ discrimination. He saw it as a tremendous and glorious human triumph because a black person became president of a country where black people are treated poorly and are not considered human beings.

Question:- 4. What does Mandela thank the international leaders for?

Answer:- Mandela used the term “human calamity” to describe how coloured people have suffered severely as a result of white oppression. Because a black person became president of a country where black people are treated badly and are not recognised human beings, he saw it as a huge and glorious human accomplishment.

Question:- 5. What ideals does he set out for the future of South Africa?

Answer:- Mandela set the goal of liberating the people of South Africa from the chains of poverty, hardship, misery, gender discrimination, and other forms of oppression. He wished for the people of the country to be free of all types of exploitation and prejudice.

Oral Comprehension Check

Page No 21

Question:- 1. What do the military generals do? How has their attitude changed, and why?

Answer:- Military generals carry out their responsibilities. They owe their country allegiance. They carry out their responsibilities in accordance with military regulations. Their perspective has shifted. According to the defence rules, they are more concerned with personal gain than with their genuine tasks.

Question:- 2. Why were two national anthems sung?

Answer:- As there were two main populations or races, two national anthems were sung. The whites had one and the blacks had the other. Second, the white people’s anthem was the old republic’s anthem.

Question:- 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 century, whites established a system of racial dominance over blacks, laying the foundation for one of the world’s harshest and most cruel civilizations.

(ii) In the latter decade of the twentieth century, the former system was overturned and replaced by one that recognised the rights and freedoms of all people, regardless of skin colour.

Question:- 4. What does courage mean to Mandela?

Answer:- For Mandela, courage does not mean the absence of fear, but rather the triumph over it. He believes that brave folks should be able to conquer fear rather than be fearless.

Question:- 5. Which does he think is natural, to love or to hate?

Answer:- Mandela believed that love, rather than hatred, comes more easily to the human heart.

Oral Comprehension Check

Page No 24

Question:- 1. What “twin obligations” does Mandela mention?

Answer:- Every man has two obligations in life, according to Mandela: I obligations to his family, parents, wife, and children; and (ii) obligations to his people, community, and country.

Question:- 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:- For Mandela, like any other child, freedom meant having fun and living a happy existence. Childhood antics appear to be transitory once one becomes an adult since most childish behaviours are wasteful from an adult’s perspective. Once you’ve reached adulthood, you’ll need to work to support yourself and your family. It is only then that you will be able to live a respectable life in your family and society.

Question:- 3. Does Mandela think the oppressor is free? Why/Why not?

Answer:- Mandela does not believe that the oppressor is free, because an oppressor, according to him, is a victim of hatred trapped behind prejudice and narrow-mindedness. Both the oppressor and the oppressed are robbed of their humanity and peace, he realises.

Thinking about the Text

Question:- 1. Why did such a large number of international leaders attend the inauguration? What did it signify the triumph of?

Answer:- The world leaders that attended the inauguration event demonstrated the international community’s sympathy with the notion of ending Apartheid. This symbolised the triumph of good over evil, as well as the triumph of a tolerant society free of prejudice and discrimination based on caste, colour, or creed.

Question:- 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 wishes to pay honour to all the people who have given their lives for the purpose of freedom by claiming that he is merely the sum of all those African patriots. He expresses gratitude to those who came before him, saying that they set the way for him in terms of cooperation and unity. As a result, with their backing, he might try to gain power in order to provide equality to his people.

Question:- 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:- It is a proven fact that the more one is oppressed, the stronger one’s character gets. According to Mandela, decades of oppression and cruelty generated a large number of patriots. Oliver Tambos, Walter Sisulus, Chief Luthulis, Yusuf Dadoos, and others were among them.

Here are several more instances Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sdrdar Patel, Lokmanya Tilak, Subhash Chander Bose, Bhagat Singh, and others are among them.

Question:- 4. How did Mandela’s understanding of freedom change with age and experience?

Answer:- At first, Mandela conceived of personal freedom as the ability to do whatever one pleased. However, as he grew older, he began to see freedom as indivisible. It’s also made up of his own soldiers. Freedom for all of his own people was more essential to him than anything else.

Question:- 5. How did Mandela’s ‘hunger for freedom’ change his life?

Answer:- Mandela’s “hunger for freedom” transformed him into a great politician and visionary. He toiled away at it at all hours of the day and night. He was subjected to physical and mental abuse. It was for the sake of gaining independence for his own people.