1. What
is the apartheid system? For how many years did Nelson Mandela suffer imprisonment for
this? In which year, it was revoked from South Africa?
Ans. Apartheid system is a political system that
separates people according to their race.
Nelson Mandela
suffered imprisonment for thirty years for this.
This system was
revoked from South Africa in the year of 1994.
2. Tell
us about Nelson Mandela’s victory in the election.
Ans. Nelson Mandela became the first black
President of South Africa after winning 252 seats out of 400.
3. From
how many countries did people come to South Africa and why?
Ans. About one hundred forty countries came to
South Africa to attend the inauguration ceremony in the Union buildings.
4. How
did the people of South Africa celebrate their new freedom in the streets?
Ans. South African men, women and children of all
races sang and danced together. By this way, the people of South Africa
celebrated their new freedom in the streets.
5. Tell
us about the largest gathering in South African soil.
Ans. The largest
gathering took place in the Union building in Pretoria. More than 140 countries
attended the inauguration ceremony.
6. How
did the amphitheatre building see the white rule and now ready for a change?
Ans. For decades, the
amphitheatre building was a site of white supremacy but then it was the site of
a gathering of peoples of different colours and nations. A new era of
democratic government started from then.
7. Tell
us about the oath-taking moments by Deputy Presidents and the President.
Ans. Mr. de Klerk
first took the oath as the second Deputy President and then Thabo Mbeki took
the oath as the first Deputy President. Finally, Mandela himself took the oath
as the President and he pledged to obey and uphold the constitution and devote
himself for the well being of the Republic and his people.
8. How
according to Mandela humanity will be proud?
Ans. According to
Mandela, the peoples have suffered a lot and this discrimination was like a
human disaster and through this, the birth of a new society with moral values
took place which would make the humanity proud.
9. How did Mandela reflect on being host after
the incident of ‘outlaw’?
Ans. After the
incident of ‘outlaw’, Mandela was privileged to be the host of the host to the
nations of the world on his own soil.
10. How had there
been freedom from different aspects-political, poverty and others?
Ans.
The largest gathering took place in the Union Buildings. Democracy was being
established, South Africa. Peoples were
liberated from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering,
gender and other discriminations.
11. How did South
African air force show their loyalty to the new government?
Ans.
The South African air force i.e., jets, helicopters and troop carriers roared
in perfect formation which symbolized not only military force but also demonstrated
the military’s loyalty to democracy.
12. What was the view
of Mandela about the Generals of South Africa’s Defence force?
Ans. The South African Defence force and police
had bedecked their chests with ribbons
13. What did Mandela
share about the National Anthems of South Africa on that day?
Ans. Mandela shared that two national anthems were
played, one for the whites and the other for the blacks symbolising equality.
14. How does Mandela
reflect the history of the Boer war and the rule of the White?
Ans.
After the Boer war took place, the
White-skinned people began to patch up differences between the blacks and the
whites and erected a system of racial domination.
15. How did the White
create racial discrimination in South Africa?
Ans. The Whites patched up differences and erected
racial domination against dark-skinned peoples in their own land.
16. What does Mandela
say about the sacrifices and courage of the patriots?
Ans.
Mandela said that people had suffered a
lot to bring a change and their suffering and courage cannot be repaid or
counted.
17. How does Mandela find
himself to be a juncture point for freedom back new hope ahead?
Ans.
Mandela realised that the sufferings and courage of those African patriots
cannot be repaid or counted and he felt that the long and noble line ended and
it would begin with him. But he felt bad as he could not thank them for their
sacrifices and they couldn’t witness their achievement.
18. How had been the
effect of the apartheid on the black?
Ans.
The apartheid system divided the black and the whites. The blacks were deprived
of their rights and freedom. The policy of apartheid created a deep and lasting
wound in South Africa. It had been the years of brutality and oppression.
19. Name the people
Mandela referred in text and how according to Mandela they turned out to be
extraordinary?
Ans.
Mandela referred to Oliver Tambos, Walter Sisulus, Chief Luthulis, Yusuf
Dadoos, Bram Fischers and Robert Sobukwes.
These
people turned out to be extraordinary by showing their immense courage, wisdom
and generosity.
20. How heights of
character can be possible with depths of oppression? How did Mandela value the
people in his country more than the gems and minerals?
Ans.
The apartheid system created a deep and lasting wound in the country. Mandela provided various examples like Oliver
Tambos, Walter Sisulus, Chief Luthuli’s, Yusuf Dadoos, and many more, to show
their sacrifice towards the country. If they would not have been there it was
very difficult to bring about democracy in South Africa.
According
to Mandela, his country was rich in minerals and gems but to him, the greatest
wealth was his people, finer and truer than the purest diamonds.
21. How an idea can
motivate people to risk their life? How did this give them strength against
torture?
Ans.
People have risked their lives for an
idea by having immense courage in them.
This
courage gives strength them to withstand tortures and attacks as courage is the
triumph over fear.
22. What is the view
of Mandela about courage and absence of fear?
Ans.
According to Mandela, courage was not the absence of fear rather the triumph
over it. A brave man is the one who conquers fear.
23. How according to
Mandela those who hate can even love?
Ans.
According to Mandela, no one is born hating another person but they learn to
hate others. In the same way, they can be taught to love as love comes
naturally to the human heart than its opposite.
24. Discuss the two
obligations as discussed by Mandela. How it was impossible for him to carry
with both obligations?
Ans.
One of the obligations is that the
obligations towards family members and the other towards the people, the
community and the country.
It
was impossible for him to carry with both obligations because, in a country
like South Africa, a man who was dark-skinned was punished as well as isolated
from others. Moreover, they were ripped from their family and forced to live
apart.
25. How did Mandela change
in many ways as he went to fight for rights and freedom?
Ans.
Mandela had different opinions at his different stages of life. As a boy,
freedom was like an illusion. Later, he considered freedom to be allowed to
stay out at night, read whatever he pleased, and go wherever he wished. As a
young man, he had basic and honourable freedom of achieving potential and
getting married. Soon after when he joined the South African National Congress,
his meant the freedom of his people.
26. How was Mandela a
free child in his childhood?
Ans.
Being free was like an illusion to
Mandela in his childhood. He wanted to stay out at nights, read whatever
pleased him and go wherever wished.
27. How in his young
age did Mandela realise that freedom was an illusion?
Ans.
Mandela realised that freedom was an illusion when he discovered as a young man
that his freedom had been taken away from him and then he began to hunger for
it.
28. When did Mandela
join the African National Congress and why?
Ans.
When Mandela got to realise that he along with his countrymen were also not
free and it was mandatory to make everyone free, then he decided to join the African
National Congress. This is because the hunger for his freedom was more than
that of his people.
29. What
transformations did Mandela go through as he engaged himself?
Ans.
After engaging himself, Mandela transformed himself from a frightened young man
to a bold one and changed himself from a law-abiding person to a criminal. He
even turned himself from a family-loving husband into a man without a home.
30. Discuss Mandela’s
thought about indivisible freedoms.
Ans.
According to Mandela, freedom is indivisible. The chains on his people were
like the chains on him.
31. What thought did
Mandela reflect about oppressor and oppressed? How are they alike?
Ans.
Mandela told that if a man takes away another person’s freedom then he becomes
the prisoner of hatred and is locked behind the bars of prejudice and
narrow-mindedness. According to Mandela, the oppressor and the oppressed are
robbed of their humanity.
Extra
questions (8 marks)
1. How
does the character of Mandela reflect traits of a noble human?
Ans. In the autobiography
“Long Walk to Freedom” by Nelson Mandela, the character Mandela reflects traits
of a noble human. The apartheid system took away the rights and freedom from
the dark-skinned people. Mandela stood up and fought for the rights of his
people. He realised that the hunger of the freedom was more in his peoples and
this strong desire to achieve freedom transformed him from a frightened young
man to a bold one, a law-abiding person to a criminal and a family-loving to a
man without a home. He devoted his life
for the people and had to struggle a lot. He joined the African National
Congress and organised movements to eradicate the apartheid system. After much
struggle, he was able to make the South African government a democratic one.
2. Discuss
how apartheid is a stigma in our society?
Ans. Apartheid system
separates the white-skinned people and the black-skinned people. It took away
the rights and the freedom of the blacks. The blacks were humiliated and
tortured. The policy of apartheid created a deep and lasting wound in the
country and the people. The blacks who attempted to live as a human being was
punished and isolated. A man who tried to fulfil their duty was ripped off from
their family and was forced to live a life apart. The peoples suffered a lot.
Peoples like Mandela came up and held various movements and struggled a lot.
Finally, he was able to establish democracy in South Africa.
3. How
does the text show that freedom is dear and foremost for humans?
Ans. The story “Long
Walk to Freedom” by Nelson Mandela shows that freedom is most dear and foremost
for humans. The meaning of freedom was different to Mandela at the different
stages of life. When he was a child, he considered the freedom to be an
illusion. But when he grew up he felt the hunger for it. He realised that his
countrymen were deprived of their freedom. Mandela realised that he could not
enjoy freedom if his countrymen couldn’t. Moreover, he considers freedom to be
indivisible.
4. How
can we make the world a better place by eradicating racism and similar social
curse?
Ans. Racism is a social curse. We can make the
world a better place by eradicating racism and a similar social curse. Racism
creates a difference between peoples and this may result in the disintegration
of society. The people who are oppressed face numerous difficulties. Often
their rights and freedom are being taken away. They are extremely humiliated
and tortured. So by eradicating racism and similar social curse, we can help to
build up a healthy society free from any sorts of differences and uplift the
conditions of various peoples. And people’s quality cannot be judged by their
colour, caste or creed. This will also help in making people united as “Unity
is Strength”.
5. The
war should not be between white and black and narrow thoughts it should be
against poverty, hatred and hunger.
Ans. The war should
not be between white and black and narrow thoughts it should be against
poverty, hatred and hunger. Poverty, hatred and hunger are the social evils. People
should fight against these instead of fighting among each other based on their
colour. The quality of the person cannot be judged by their colour, but it can
be judged by their work. But peoples bring out systems like apartheid and
create simply meaningless discrimination. They should forget about such
differences and come together to eradicate poverty, hatred and hunger. Poverty, hatred and hunger are major serious
issues. War should be fought against this, which will help in increasing the
prosperity in the country and would create a sense of brotherhood among the
citizens. By this way, the above statement is well justified.