Chapter 2 Long Walk to Freedom | class 10th english | First Flight Important Questions

Class 10 English Chapter 2 Long Walk to Freedom Important Questions

Question 1. Where did the oath-taking ceremony take place?

Answer: The oath-taking ceremony took place in Union Buildings of Pretoria.

Question 2. What promise does Mandela make in the beginning of opening of his oath-taking speech?

Answer: Mandela thanks all the international leaders and guests as he calls it an occasion of joy and victory for Justice. He promises that the country shall not again experience the oppression of one by another.

Question 3. What ideals did Mandela set out for the future of South Africa in his speech?

Answer: Mandela set out ideals for the future of South Africa because he had deep feelings for his country and countrymen. He pledged to liberate all the people from poverty, deprivation and discrimination.

Question 4. What freedom meant to Mandela in childhood? 

Answer: During childhood the meaning of freedom for Mandela was quite limited he considered it to be free to run in the fields, to swim in the clear stream, free to roast mealies and ride the board backs of slow moving bulls.

Question 5. Why did inauguration ceremony take place in the amphitheatre formed by the Union Building in Pretoria?

Answer: It was the first democratic, non-racial government taking oath in South Africa. The ceremony was attended by dignitaries from more than 140 countries around the world and thousands of the people of South Africa of all the races to make the day memorable. So, it took place in, the amphiteatre formed by the Union Building in Pretoria.

Question 6. What are the ideals which Mandela set for the future of South Africa in his swearing- in ceremony?

Answer: Mandela emphasised to liberate all the people from poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discriminations in his swearing-in ceremony.

Question 7. What did Mandela think for oppressor and oppressed? 

Answer: Mandela always thought that both oppressor and oppressed are deprived of their humanity. Oppressor is a prisoner of hatred while oppressed has no confidence in humanity so both of them need to be liberated.

Question 8. What do you understand by Apartheid’?

Answer: ‘Apartheid’ is a political system that divides people according to their race. In this system black-coloured people in South Africa were not free even to discharge their personal and social obligations of being parents, sons and husbands, etc.

Question 9. Describe the effect of the policy of apartheid on the people of South Africa.

Answer: The policy of apartheid could not be considered fortunate for the people of South Africa. It created distance and a deep wound in the country and the people. Many great men like Oliver Tambo, Walttr Sisulu, Yusuf Dadoo, Bram Fischer, etc were produced due to the brutality and oppression. They were men of great character

Question 10. How is courage related to the brave man according to the author of the lesson?

Answer: The author believes that courage is not the absence of fear, but it is the triumph over it. The brave man is not the one who does not feel fear of any kind but he is the one who has the courage to conquer it.

Question 11. Could everyone fulfil the obligations personal or social in South Africa?

Answer: No, everyone was not free to fulfil their obligations because of colour of the skin. If a person tried to fulfil their obligations, they were punished and isolated for being a rebellion.

Question 12. What did Mandela realise about his brothers and sisters? 

Answer: Mandela realised that his brothers and sisters were not free in their own country due to their colour. The freedom of everyone in his society was curtailed. He joined the African National Congress and fought for the freedom.

Question 13. Why was Nelson Mandela changed into a bold man?

Answer: Nelson Mandela was changed into a bold man due to his . desire of the freedom for his country and his countrymen. He wanted to live a life with dignity as he could not enjoy the limited freedom.

Question 14. What did Mandela think about the oppressor and the oppressed?

Answer: Mandela thought about the oppressor and the oppressed that both are robbed equally. A mail who takes away another man’s freedom is a prisoner of hatred. In the same way, if his freedom is taken away, they both are without freedom. So both of them must be liberated.

Question 15. How did ‘hunger for freedom’ change Mandela’s life?

Answer: In the beginning of his life, Mandela was not aware about freedom. Later, Mandela found that his freedom had been taken away from him. As a student, he wanted freedom only for himself but slowly his own freedom became the greater hunger for the freedom of his people. This changed him completely.

Question 16. What are the ‘twin obligations’ referred to by Nelson Mandela?

Answer: According to Nelson Mandela, every man has two obligations in life. The first obligation is to his family, to his parents, wife and children. Secondly, he has an obligation to his country, people, and community.

Question 17. Could a man. according to Mandela, fulfil these twin obligations in a country like South Africa?

Answer: No, these twin obligations could not be fulfilled by a man, in a country like South Africa, according to Mandela. It was because a man of dark colour who attempted just to live as a human being was punished and isolated in the country.

Question 18. What is the meaning of courage to Mandela?

Answer: According to Mandela, courage was not the absence of fear, but triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. Mandela learned the true meaning of courage from his comrades in the struggle.

Question 19. What was unique in the inauguration ceremony?

Answer: The inauguration ceremony took place in the amphitheatre formed by the Union Buildings in Pretoria. For decades, this had been the seat of white supremacy. Now it was the oath taking ceremony day for South Africa’s first democratic, non-racial government. It was really a unique occasion.

Question 20. Describe the inauguration ceremony in simple words?

Answer: It was the day of 10th May, 1994. The first democratic, non- racial government was to be installed. Dignitaries from different countries participated in the ceremony. South African men, women and children of all races were present there.