Nelson Mandela Long Walk to Freedom Extra Questions and Answers
Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1. What unintended effect was produced by decades of oppression?
Answer: The decades of oppression made him a strong person. He set out the goal to liberate the people of South Africa from continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, and other discrimination. He decided to strive for freedom and justice for all.
Question 2. What pained Nelson Mandela on becoming the President of South Africa?
Answer: Nelson Mandela was saddened by not being able to thank those African patriots who had fought for independence and sacrificed their lives for it. This pained him as they were not able to see the impact of their sacrifices.
Question 3. When did Mandela’s hunger for self-turn into a hunger for freedom for all his people?
Answer: Mandela gradually realized that freedom was curtailed for those people who looked like he did, but not for the whites. Consequently, he joined the African National Congress, and that was when his “hunger for freedom” transformed into a “greater hunger.”
Question 4. Why is 10th May 1994 important for South Africa?
Answer: May 10, 1994, is significant for South Africa because the first democratic non-racial government elections were held on this day. Nelson Mandela became the first black president of the country.
Question 5. What ideals does Mandela set out for the future of South Africa in his speech?
Answer: The ideals Mandela set out for the future of South Africa in his speech were to liberate the people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender, and other discriminations.
Question 6. What did Nelson Mandela pledge when he was sworn in as President?
Answer: Nelson Mandela pledged to uphold the Constitution of his country and devote himself to liberating his people from the bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender, and other discriminations. He vowed to ensure freedom and justice for all.
Question 7. What did Nelson Mandela remember on the day of the Inaugural Ceremony?
Answer: He remembered the history — the birth of Apartheid, its impact on his people, and the long fight for freedom. He recalled the freedom fighters who suffered and sacrificed for freedom and what freedom meant to him at different stages of life.
Question 8. Why was the 10th of May, 1994, a red-letter day in the history of South Africa?
Answer: May 10, 1994, was a red-letter day in the history of South Africa. It marked the end of the hated apartheid regime, with a new democratically elected non-racial government under Nelson Mandela. International leaders and dignitaries came to pay their respects to the new government.
Question 9. Where did the ceremonies take place? What had it been for decades?
Answer: The ceremonies of the inauguration of the new government took place at the lovely sandstone amphitheatre in the Union Buildings in Pretoria. This same place had remained the seat of white supremacy for decades.
Question 10. How was that site a rainbow gathering of different colours and nations?
Answer: The end of the apartheid regime was a common victory for peace, justice, and human dignity. Leaders and dignitaries from all nations, irrespective of their color, race, and religion, gathered to celebrate that victory. The site presented a rainbow gathering of different colors and nations.
Question 11. Who were the persons sworn in on the 10th of May? What did Mandela pledge to obey?
Answer: Mr. de Klerk was first sworn in as the second Deputy President. Then Thabo Mbeki was sworn in as the first Deputy President. Finally, Mr. Nelson Mandela was sworn in as the President of the Republic of South Africa. He pledged to obey and uphold the constitution and devote himself to the well-being of the Republic and its people.
Question 12. What was born out of the experience of an extraordinary human disaster? Why should humanity be proud of it?
Answer: The apartheid regime was an extraordinary human disaster for the blacks of South Africa. The end of apartheid laid the foundation for a non-racial democratic regime in South Africa, based on human equality and dignity. This government is an ideal one, of which all humanity can be proud.
Question 13. Who was given the rare privilege to be the host to the nations of the world on their own soil?
Answer: Those who were outlaws not so long ago were given the rare privilege. They had the privilege of hosting and welcoming nations of the world on their soil. The blacks were no longer outlaws but enjoyed equality and human dignity.
Question 14. After achieving political emancipation what does Mandela want to do in South Africa?
Answer: South Africa and the blacks have achieved their political emancipation. Mandela pledges to liberate his people from the bondage of poverty, want, suffering, gender, and other discriminations. He envisions that South Africa will never experience the oppression of one by another, and he wishes the reign of freedom will never die in South Africa.
Question 15. What did the display of jets and military salute symbolize?
Answer: There was a spectacular show of South African jets and troop carriers over the Union Buildings. The highest generals of the military and police saluted President Mandela. It was a clear demonstration of the military’s loyalty to democracy and to a freely elected government.
Question 16. Why did the same generals salute Mandela who would have arrested him not so many years ago?
Answer: In the apartheid regime, Nelson Mandela was a rebel and was imprisoned for many years. After the end of apartheid, he became the head of the non-racial democratically elected government of South Africa. The same generals who would have imprisoned him not so long ago were obliged to salute the president of the new Republic of South Africa.
Question 17. What did the playing of two national anthems symbolize?
Answer: On the historic day of the inauguration ceremony of the Republic of South Africa, two national anthems were played. The whites sang ‘Nkosi Sikelel-i-Africa,’ and the blacks sang ‘Die Stem.’ Neither group knew the lyrics of the anthem they once despised. They would soon know the words by heart.
Question 18. Why was Mandela overwhelmed with a sense of history, and what bad thing happened in the first decade of the 10th century?
Answer: Mandela is overwhelmed with a sense of history and remembers when the hated apartheid policy was introduced in South Africa. After the Boer war, the white people of South Africa patched up their differences. They set up a system of racial domination against the black people of their own race.
Question 19. Why was the apartheid regime in South Africa one of the harshest and most inhuman systems in the world?
Answer: The apartheid regime was based on racial discrimination and the exploitation of blacks in South Africa. Fundamental rights were reserved only for whites, while blacks were deprived of these freedoms. Oppression, torture, and exploitation of blacks were common features of the apartheid regime.
Question 20. Why does Nelson Mandela call himself simply the sum of those African patriots who had gone before him?
Answer: Nelson Mandela gratefully acknowledges the sacrifices of thousands of his people who fought against the apartheid regime. Their suffering and courage can never be repaid or cemented. Mandela humbly believes that he was simply the sum of all those African patriots who had gone before him.
Question 21. How did the policy of apartheid create a deep and lasting wound in South African blacks?
Answer: The policy of apartheid created a deep and lasting wound in South Africa and the blacks. It would take many years to recover from that profound hurt. Racial discrimination unleashed a reign of terror, oppression, and brutality on the blacks of South Africa.
Question 22. How did the policy of apartheid and deep oppression produce patriots of extraordinary courage, wisdom, and generosity?
Answer: The policy of apartheid unleashed a reign of terror and oppression on the black people, but they could not break their resolution and determination. Deep oppression produced patriots of extraordinary courage, wisdom, and generosity. It produced thousands of Tambos, Sisulus, Sadoos, Fischers, and Sobukwes of their time.
Question 23. What is the greatest wealth of a country according to Nelson Mandela?
Answer: South Africa is rich in minerals and gems, but Mandela believes that the greatest and real wealth of a nation is its people. They are finer and truer than the purest diamonds.
Question 24. How does Mandela define courage, and from where did he learn the meaning of courage?
Answer: Nelson Mandela learned the meaning of courage from great patriots and comrades in the struggle. They risked their lives and stood up to attacks and tortures of the apartheid regime. He learned that courage was not the absence of fear but the triumph over it. The brave man is not the one who doesn’t feel afraid, but the one who conquers that fear.
Question 25. How can people be taught to love? Which comes naturally to the human heart — love or hate?
Answer: No one is born hating another person because of their color or race. People are taught to hate, and if they learn to hate, they can be taught to love. Love comes more naturally to the human heart than hatred.
Question 26. What are the twin obligations every man has in life?
Answer: Mandela thinks that every man has twin obligations in life. The first is his obligation to his family, to his parents, to his wife, and children. The second duty is his duty to his people, his community, and his country. Each man has to fulfill these two obligations according to his position and abilities.
Question 27. Why was it impossible for a man of Mandela’s birth and color to fulfill the twin obligations?
Answer: In South Africa, no black could fulfill the twin obligations. If a black tried to live as a human being, he was punished and isolated. A person who tried to fulfill his duty to his people was separated from his family and forced to live in secrecy and rebellion.
Question 28. Was Mandela born with a hunger to be free? What did freedom mean to him in childhood?
Answer: Nelson Mandela was not born with a hunger to be free. In childhood, freedom had a very limited concept. He felt that he was free to run in the fields, swim in the stream near his village, and ride the broad backs of slow-moving bulls. As long as he obeyed his father and the customs of his life, he was a free man.
Question 29. What were the transitory freedoms that Nelson Mandela yearned for as a young man? Why did he feel that his boyhood freedom was an illusion?
Answer: Nelson Mandela felt that his boyhood freedom was an illusion. His freedom had already been taken from him. Then he began to hunger for it. At first, he wished for the transitory freedoms of staying out. Later on, he yearned for basic needs of earning, marrying, and having a family.
Question 30. When and how did Mandela’s hunger for his own freedom become the greater hunger for the freedom of his people?
Answer: Mandela realized that not only was he not free, but his people were not free. When he joined the African National Congress, his hunger for his own freedom became the greater hunger for the freedom of his people.
Question 31. What, according to Mandela, is ‘true freedom’?
Answer: When Mandela was a boy, freedom for him meant to run freely in the fields and swim in the streams. As a young man, he wanted basic and honorable freedoms, e.g., to earn his living, marry, and have a family. According to Mandela, true freedom means freedom not to be obstructed in leading a lawful life.
Question 32. What animated Mandela’s life and transformed a frightened young lawyer into a bold criminal?
Answer: It was the desire for the freedom of his people to live their lives with dignity and self-respect that animated his life. It transformed a frightened young man into a bold one. It drove a law-abiding attorney to be a criminal. It turned a family-loving husband to live like a monk.
Question 33. Freedom is “indivisible,” said Mandela. How were the chains on anyone the chains on all of his people?
Answer: Mandela thought that he is not more virtuous than the others. He thought that “freedom is indivisible.” The chains on any one of his people were chains on all of them. The chains on all of his people were the chains on him.
Question 34. Why did Nelson Mandela feel that both the oppressor and the oppressed are robbed of their humanity and hence, both of them must be liberated?
Answer: Nelson Mandela rightly believes that both the oppressor and the oppressed are robbed of their humanity. A man who takes away another’s freedom is a prisoner of hatred. He is locked behind the bars of prejudice and hate. A person can never be free if his freedom is taken away. Hence, the oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity.
Long Answer Type Questions
Question 1. What was the significance of Nelson Mandela’s use of the phrases ‘an extraordinary human disaster’ and ‘glorious human achievement’ in his inaugural speech?
Answer: In his inaugural speech, Nelson Mandela referred to the extraordinary human disaster as the era of Apartheid in South Africa, characterized by racial discrimination, oppression, and suffering for the black population. The glorious human achievement was the subsequent victory of his African National Congress Party in the 1994 elections, marking the end of over three centuries of white rule and Mandela becoming the first black President of South Africa.
Question 2. What challenges did Nelson Mandela face in his quest for freedom for his people?
Answer: Nelson Mandela encountered numerous hardships and sacrifices in his pursuit of freedom for his people. He sacrificed the comfort of his home, endured isolation, and faced imprisonment for demanding equality. Despite hunger, oppression, and injustice, Mandela, along with his comrades, persisted in the struggle, ultimately leading to the end of Apartheid on May 10, 1994.
Question 3. Provide a portrayal of Nelson Mandela’s character.
Answer: Nelson Mandela is a dedicated patriot with profound love for his country and its people. He demonstrated a sacrificial nature by forgoing personal comfort and family life to fight for freedom. Advocating for equality, Mandela opposed the Apartheid regime and endured imprisonment, displaying traits of tolerance, courage, and perseverance.
Question 4. How did Nelson Mandela’s understanding of freedom evolve throughout his life?
Answer: Mandela’s concept of freedom changed at different stages of his life. Initially, as a boy, he perceived freedom as a simple, carefree existence. In his youth, he sought transitory freedoms such as the ability to stay out at night and read freely. However, as he matured, joined the African National Congress, and faced the harsh realities of Apartheid, Mandela realized that true freedom was not individual but collective, encompassing the freedom of all.
Question 5. Comment on the symbolism of the inauguration ceremony in South Africa and its significance in the fight against the apartheid regime.
Answer: The inauguration ceremony symbolized a collective victory for justice, peace, and human dignity against the oppressive apartheid regime. International leaders gathered to recognize the historic moment, highlighting a global acknowledgment of the struggle. The event marked the triumph of the black patriots and the establishment of a democratic, non-racial government, signifying a new era of equality.
Question 6. Describe the historical significance of Nelson Mandela’s inauguration and the birth and burial of the apartheid regime.
Answer: Nelson Mandela’s inauguration marked a historic moment, representing the end of the apartheid regime’s dominance. After the Boer war, the imposition of racial discrimination led to the birth of one of the world’s harshest regimes. The struggles of black patriots culminated in victory, with the democratically elected government taking charge on May 10, 1994.
Question 7. Explain why the apartheid regime in South Africa is considered one of the harshest and most inhumane societies in history.
Answer: The apartheid regime in South Africa, rooted in racial discrimination, symbolized oppression and exploitation. Depriving black South Africans of their rights and dignity, the regime imposed harsh and inhumane policies. The enduring wounds caused by apartheid led to the sacrifices and struggles of black patriots, ultimately resulting in a common victory for humanity, justice, and human dignity.
Question 8. What twin obligations does Nelson Mandela mention, and why were fulfilling them challenging for him and other black South Africans?
Answer: Mandela mentions twin obligations: one to family and another to one’s people, community, and country. In South Africa, fulfilling these obligations was challenging for individuals like Mandela due to the oppressive apartheid regime. Attempts to serve one’s people led to separation from family, forcing a life of secrecy and rebellion against an unjust system.
Question 9. How did Mandela’s concept of freedom evolve from boyhood and youth to his mature age, and how did his personal hunger for freedom transform into a desire for the freedom of his people?
Answer: Mandela’s concept of freedom evolved from a carefree boyhood illusion to a desire for transitory freedoms in his youth. Joining the African National Congress transformed his personal hunger for freedom into a greater hunger for the freedom of his people. He sought dignity and self-respect for his people, leading him to become a rebel and live in secrecy away from his family.
Question 10. Why does Mandela assert that freedom is indivisible, and how does the oppression of both the oppressed and the oppressor rob them of their humanity?
Answer: Mandela believes freedom is indivisible, understanding that his own freedom is incomplete if his people are not free. He asserts that both the oppressor and the oppressed must be liberated, as the oppressor, in taking away another’s freedom, becomes a prisoner of hatred. Both the oppressed and the oppressor lose their humanity in the process, emphasizing the interconnectedness of freedom.
Question 11. Describe Nelson Mandela’s contribution to the struggle for independence against the apartheid regime, highlighting his dedication to human rights.
Answer: Nelson Mandela played a pivotal role in the relentless fight against South Africa’s apartheid regime. Enduring suffering and torture in prison, Mandela led the country to establish its first democratically elected government. His journey from a young lawyer to a bold ‘criminal’ showcased his commitment to human rights and the ultimate triumph over racial oppression.