Nelson Mandela Class 10 Questions and Answers - Study Mitra
Study Mitra Special: Nelson Mandela – Long Walk to Freedom
Welcome students to Study Mitra! Today, we are diving deep into the inspiring chapter "Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom". This post contains a curated collection of 40 essential questions and answers to help you master this chapter for your Class 10 exams.
Handwritten & Core Important Questions (22 Q&As)
Q1. Where did the inauguration ceremony take place?
Answer: The inauguration ceremony took place in the lovely sandstone amphitheater formed by the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
Q2. What did Mandela mean when he said South Africa was catching a "glimmer of humanity"?
Answer: It means that even during the darkest times in prison, Mandela saw a brief spark of kindness or empathy in one of the guards, which gave him hope to keep going.
Q3. Why were two national anthems sung on the day of the inauguration?
Answer: Two national anthems were sung to symbolize equality, unity, and the cultural coming together of both white and black people in the new South Africa.
Q4. What is the 'apartheid' system that Mandela talks about?
Answer: Apartheid was a harsh political system in South Africa that separated and discriminated against people based entirely on their skin color and race.
Q5. How does Mandela define courage?
Answer: According to Nelson Mandela, courage is not the complete absence of fear but rather the triumph over it. A brave man is one who conquers fear.
Q6. What are the "twin obligations" every man has in life according to Mandela?
Answer: Every man has two obligations: first, to his family, parents, wife, and children; and second, to his people, his community, and his country.
Q7. Why was Mandela not born with a hunger to be free?
Answer: As a child, Mandela felt completely free because his freedom was limited to running in the fields and swimming in the streams. He didn't know about racial oppression back then.
Q8. What changed a frightened young lawyer into a bold criminal in South Africa?
Answer: It was the deep desire for the freedom, dignity, and self-respect of his people that completely transformed him into a rebel against the unjust laws.
Q9. How did the desire for freedom change Mandela's lifestyle?
Answer: It transformed him from a family-loving husband into a man without a home, forcing him to live the isolated and dedicated life of a monk.
Q10. Why does Mandela say that freedom is indivisible?
Answer: He believed that the chains on any single person of his people were chains on all of them, and the chains on all of his people were chains on him.
Q11. Who accompanied Nelson Mandela on the day of the inauguration?
Answer: Nelson Mandela was accompanied by his daughter, Zenani, on the historic day of the inauguration.
Q12. Who took the oath before Nelson Mandela at the ceremony?
Answer: Mr. de Klerk was first sworn in as second Deputy President, followed by Thabo Mbeki who was sworn in as first Deputy President.
Q13. What did Mandela pledge when he took office?
Answer: Mandela pledged to obey and uphold the Constitution and to devote himself to the well-being of the Republic and its people.
Q14. What did the victory over apartheid symbolize for the world?
Answer: It symbolized a common victory for justice, for peace, and for human dignity against the evil forces of racial discrimination.
Q15. To whom did Mandela express his deep gratitude during his speech?
Answer: Mandela expressed his gratitude to all the international leaders and dignitaries who came to celebrate this victory with the people of South Africa.
Q16. What did Mandela promise regarding the future of South Africa?
Answer: He promised that the beautiful land of South Africa would never, never again experience the oppression of one race by another.
Q17. What did the display of South African military jets show?
Answer: It showed the military's absolute loyalty to the newly formed, democratic, and completely non-racial government.
Q18. How did the military generals treat Mandela on this day compared to the past?
Answer: In the past, those generals would have arrested Mandela. But on this day, they saluted him and pledged their loyalty to him as President.
Q19. What color pattern did the Impala jets leave in the sky?
Answer: The Impala jets left a smoke trail of the new South African flag colors: black, red, green, blue, and gold.
Q20. What did the deep wounds of apartheid require to heal?
Answer: The deep wounds caused by decades of oppression required many years, if not generations, of peace and care to fully heal.
Q21. What did Mandela realize about his freedom when he grew up?
Answer: He realized that his boyhood freedom was just an illusion and that his real freedom had already been taken away from him.
Q22. What does Mandela say about a person who takes away someone else's freedom?
Answer: He says that a person who takes away another man's freedom is himself a prisoner of hatred, prejudice, and narrow-mindedness.
18 High-Yield Extra Questions & Answers
Q23. "The decades of oppression and brutality produced the Oliver Tambos, the Walter Sisulus..." Explain this statement.
Answer: Mandela explains that intense hardships and oppression under apartheid produced legendary freedom fighters of extraordinary courage, wisdom, and generosity that the country had never seen before.
Q24. How does Mandela view the oppressor and the oppressed? Are they both free?
Answer: Mandela believes that both the oppressor and the oppressed are locked out of their humanity. The oppressed is physically chained, while the oppressor is a prisoner of hatred. Neither is truly free.
Q25. Describe the atmosphere and significance of 10th May 1994 in South Africa.
Answer: 10th May 1994 was a bright and clear autumn day. It marked the dawn of freedom after more than three centuries of white rule, attended by leaders from over 140 countries.
Q26. Why does Mandela call his country rich, and what is its greatest wealth?
Answer: Mandela says South Africa is rich in minerals and gems under its soil, but its greatest and truest wealth is its people, who are finer and truer than pure diamonds.
Q27. How did Mandela's understanding of freedom change from childhood to youth?
Answer: As a child, freedom meant running around safely. As a student, it meant personal freedom to stay out late. As a young man, he understood it as the collective dignity and freedom of his entire community.
Q28. Discuss the significance of international leaders attending Mandela's inauguration.
Answer: Their presence signified the end of South Africa's isolation due to apartheid. It was a formal acceptance of the nation back into the global world as an equal.
Q29. What was the structure of the system created by white rulers after the Anglo-Boer war?
Answer: They created a system of racial domination against the dark-skinned people of their own land, forming the basis of one of the harshest, most inhumane societies the world had ever known.
Q30. What turned the life-loving man Nelson Mandela into a monk-like figure?
Answer: The unquenchable hunger for the freedom and basic human rights of his people forced him away from his family to live a dangerous, law-breaking life.
Q31. Can a person fulfill both twin obligations under an apartheid government?
Answer: No, in South Africa, a man of color who attempted to fulfill his duty to his people was ripped from his family and forced to live an isolated life, making it impossible to fulfill both.
Q32. What is the meaning of the word "transitory" freedoms according to Mandela?
Answer: Transitory freedoms mean temporary or short-lived freedoms, such as being able to stay out at night, read what you want, or travel wherever you please as a student.
Q33. What does Nelson Mandela say about human goodness?
Answer: He believes that human goodness is like a flame that can be hidden or buried deep down, but it can never be fully extinguished.
Q34. Why was South Africa considered an 'outlaw' before 1994?
Answer: It was considered an outlaw because most nations had broken off diplomatic relations with it due to its cruel and illegal policy of racial apartheid.
Q35. What major political party did Mandela join to fight for freedom?
Answer: Nelson Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC) to fight against the oppression of the apartheid regime.
Q36. What did the new South African government promise regarding human rights?
Answer: The new government promised to liberate all its people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender, and other types of discrimination.
Q37. What lesson about hate and love does Mandela share in the chapter?
Answer: He notes that people must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can also be taught to love, because love comes more naturally to the human heart than hate.
Q38. What was the age of Mandela when he became the first black President?
Answer: Nelson Mandela was 80 years old when he became the first black President of democratic South Africa in 1994.
Q39. What did freedom mean to Mandela when he was a boy in the village?
Answer: To boy Mandela, freedom meant being free to run in the fields, swim in the clear stream, roast mealies under the stars, and ride on the slow bulls.
Q40. What is the final message of Study Mitra for this chapter?
Answer: The final message is that true freedom requires everyone to respect the freedom of others. True liberation means freeing both the victim and the oppressor from their chains of physical pain and mental hatred.
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We hope these 40 questions and answers help you excel in your exams. Nelson Mandela's journey is a testament to the power of resilience and hope.
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