Previous Year Questions 2025

Q1: Mandela in his speech says, "The policy of apartheid created a deep and lasting wound in my country and my people." Explain the significance of the word "wound" as used by Mandela. (Answer in 40-50 words) (3 Marks)

Solution:

Ans: When Mandela refers to apartheid as a "deep and lasting wound", he compares the system to a severe injury inflicted on the nation. Apartheid caused immense physical suffering, emotional trauma, and psychological damage to millions of Black South Africans. Families were separated, people were humiliated, and generations were denied equality and dignity. Like a wound, its effects did not disappear immediately even after freedom was achieved; healing required time, reconciliation, and justice. Mandela uses this word to stress the seriousness and long-term impact of apartheid on both the country and its people.

Q2: Why does the author use the phrase "that drove a law-abiding citizen to become a criminal" to describe Mandela? (Answer in 40-50 words)  (3 Marks)

Solution:

Ans: Nelson Mandela uses this phrase to explain how unjust laws forced him to break them. He was naturally a law-respecting person, but apartheid laws were immoral and discriminatory. To fight for his people's freedom and dignity, he had to oppose these laws through resistance. As a result, he was labelled a criminal by the apartheid government, even though his actions were morally right and aimed at achieving justice and equality.

Q3: How did Mandela learn the meaning of courage?  (Answer in 40-50 words)  (3 Marks)

Solution:

Ans: Mandela learned the true meaning of courage from his fellow comrades in the struggle against apartheid. He witnessed ordinary men and women face brutal torture, long imprisonment, and even death without surrendering their ideals. Their strength and determination taught him that courage does not mean the absence of fear. Instead, courage means controlling fear and standing firm for a just cause despite suffering and danger.

Q4: The transition from the apartheid system in South Africa to a new era of equality reflects broader historical trends in the struggle for human rights and social justice. Elaborate.  (Answer in 40-50 words)  (3 Marks)

Solution:

Ans: The transition from apartheid to democracy in South Africa reflects a wider global movement for human rights and social justice. It shows that systems based on racial discrimination and oppression cannot last forever. Through unity, sacrifice, and moral courage, the people of South Africa defeated injustice peacefully. Mandela's leadership symbolised hope and inspired oppressed communities worldwide to fight for equality, dignity, and democratic values.

Q5: Why, according to Mandela, was it important to learn to hate?  (Answer in 40-50 words)  (3 Marks)

Solution:

Ans: Mandela explains that hatred is not something people are born with; it is learned through social conditioning and prejudice. People are taught to hate others because of race, religion, or background. If hatred can be learned, it can also be unlearned. Mandela emphasises that love, compassion, and understanding are more natural to human beings and can replace hatred through education and tolerance.

Q6: Why did Mandela feel that liberation was important for both, the oppressor and the oppressed?  (Answer in 40-50 words)  (3 Marks)

Solution:

Ans: Mandela believed that both the oppressor and the oppressed need liberation because oppression dehumanises everyone involved. The oppressed are denied freedom, dignity, and opportunities, while the oppressor becomes trapped in hatred, fear, and prejudice. A person who takes away another's freedom is himself imprisoned morally and emotionally. True freedom, Mandela argues, is achieved only when injustice ends and humanity is restored to both sides.

Q7: How did Nelson Mandela's understanding of freedom change over the course of time? (Answer in 30-40 words)  (3 Marks)

Solution:

Ans: Mandela's understanding of freedom changed with age and experience. As a child, freedom meant playing, running, and living without restrictions. As a student, it meant personal liberties such as reading and moving freely. Later, he realised that his freedom was incomplete without the freedom of his people. He came to see freedom as collective dignity, equality, and justice for all.

Q8: Why does Nelson Mandela feel very strongly about 'an extraordinary human disaster'?  (Answer in 30-40 words)  (3 Marks)

Solution:

Ans: Mandela describes apartheid as an "extraordinary human disaster" because it caused prolonged racial oppression, violence, and injustice on a massive scale. It denied basic human rights to the majority of the population and destroyed lives, families, and self-respect. The suffering lasted for decades and damaged the moral fabric of the nation, making apartheid one of the most inhumane systems in history.

Q9: What effect does the experience as described in the lines below have on the speaker? "Time and again, I have seen men and women risk their lives for an idea."  (1 Mark)

Solution:

Ans: The experience inspired Mandela and taught him the true meaning of courage - that brave people are those who face fear and overcome it for a noble cause, even at the risk of their own lives.

Q10: Select one inference about the idea of courage from the given context:

 "I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it."  (1 Mark)

(a) being fearless

(b) absence of fear

(c) feeding your fears

(d) ability to overcome fear

Solution:

Ans: (d) ability to overcome fear

Mandela believed that a truly brave person is not one who feels no fear, but one who conquers fear and stands firm despite it.

Q11: According to the author, what does true courage entail? How does this perspective differ from a common misconception about courage?  (Answer in about 40 words) (2 Marks)

Solution:

Ans: According to Mandela, true courage means facing and overcoming fear, not the absence of it. The common misconception is that brave people never feel afraid, but Mandela learned that real bravery lies in conquering fear for a just and noble cause.

Q12: Fill in the blank with the correct phrase from the bracket in the context of the given extract: 

Men stood up to torture showing strength and resilience that is __________ (impossible to understand / seeped in reality).  (1 Mark)

Solution:

Ans: ​Men stood up to torture showing strength and resilience that is impossible to understand.​​​

Q13: In 'The Ball Poem', Berryman explores the themes of loss, growing up, and transformation. Mandela also experienced loss of freedom and suffering along with his countrymen during his growing years on the basis of his race and colour. Compare and contrast the commonality of themes in both the texts.   (Answer in 100-120 words) (6 Marks)

Solution:

Ans: Both "The Ball Poem" and "Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" deal with the themes of loss, learning, and transformation. In The Ball Poem, the boy loses his ball - a symbol of his childhood innocence - and learns the painful but essential lesson of accepting loss as part of life. Similarly, Mandela experiences the loss of freedom under apartheid and witnesses his people's suffering. Yet, from this pain, he grows stronger, wiser, and more determined to fight for justice. Both texts show that true maturity comes through suffering - the boy learns personal responsibility, while Mandela learns the value of freedom, courage, and humanity. Loss, in both cases, becomes the foundation of growth and transformation.

Q14: Comment on the reactions and feelings of Lencho and Nelson Mandela when they faced challenges in their lives.  (Answer in 100-120 words) (6 Marks)

Solution:

Ans: Both Lencho in "A Letter to God" and Nelson Mandela in "Long Walk to Freedom" faced great challenges but responded with strong faith and determination. Lencho's crops were destroyed by a hailstorm, yet he showed unshaken faith in God, believing that help would come. His trust, though simple and naive, reflected hope in goodness. Mandela, on the other hand, faced years of oppression, imprisonment, and injustice under apartheid. Instead of losing heart, he showed courage, forgiveness, and resilience, leading his nation to freedom without hatred. While Lencho's faith was spiritual and personal, Mandela's was social and moral - both believed deeply in hope and human goodness even in the face of suffering.

Q15: Both 'Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom' by Nelson Mandela and 'The Trees' by Adrienne Rich explore themes of transformation, liberation, and the power to change. Examine the commonality of themes in both the works. (Answer in 100-120 words) (6 Marks)

Solution:

Ans: Both "Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" and "The Trees" explore the themes of transformation, liberation, and the struggle for freedom. In Mandela's text, the people of South Africa fight to end apartheid and gain equality after years of oppression. Their journey from bondage to freedom symbolises national rebirth and human dignity. Similarly, in Adrienne Rich's poem, trees breaking free from the confines of a house represent nature's and women's liberation from restriction and control. Both works celebrate the power of resilience and the unstoppable desire for freedom. Mandela's liberation is social and political, while Rich's is symbolic and personal - yet both affirm that freedom and change are natural, powerful forces of life.

Previous Year Questions 2024

Q1: Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:      (CBSE 2024)

We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation. We pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination.

Never, never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another.

The sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement.

Let freedom reign. God bless Africa!

(A) State any one inference about Nelson Mandela from the given context: "We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation."

(B) State True or False: When Mandela says, "God bless Africa", he intends to mean well-being and welfare of only black people in South Africa.

(C) "Nelson Mandela's speech is full of optimism." Elaborate in about 40 words with reference to the extract.

(D) Which phrase would correctly substitute 'so glorious', in the given sentence from the extract? "The sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement."

Solution:

Ans:

(A) One inference about Nelson Mandela from the given context "We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation" leads one to believe that Nelson Mandela was a leader dedicated to bringing political freedom and liberation to all South Africans. He was known for his strength of spirit, integrity, honour, and leadership

(B) False. When Nelson Mandela says, "God bless Africa," he does not only mean the welfare and well-being of South Africa's black population. Instead, he is wishing for an abundance of wealth, harmony, and peace for the whole country of South Africa.

(C) Nelson Mandela's speech is full of optimism as he expresses hope for a future free from oppression. He envisions a united Africa where all people can thrive, highlighting the importance of freedom for everyone.

(D) The phrase that could correctly substitute "so glorious" in the given sentence would be "such magnificent."

Q2: Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

On the day of the inauguration, I was overwhelmed with a sense of history. In the first decade of the 20th century a few years after the bitter Anglo-Boer war and before my own birth, the white skinned people of South Africa patched up their differences and created a system of racial domination against the dark-skinned people of their own land. The structure they created formed the basis of one of the harshest, most inhumane societies the world has ever known. Now, in the last decade of the twentieth century, and my own eighth decade as a man, that system has been overturned forever and replaced by one that recognised the rights and freedoms of all peoples, regardless of the colour of their skin.      (CBSE 2024)

(i) Explain the feelings of the narrator when he said ; "I was overwhelmed with a sense of history."

Solution:

Ans: His mind was full of the happenings of the past, the struggle that they went through to make the day a reality.

(ii) The system of racial domination has been replaced by a system that:

(a) confirms the education of the Blacks.

(b) recognises the rights and freedoms of all people.

(c) recollects the bitter experiences.

(d) focuses on the personality development.

Solution:

Ans: (b) recognises the rights and freedoms of all people.

(iii) Comment on the kind of society apartheid had created.

Solution:

Ans: A Harsh and inhumane society had been created.

(iv) Which phrase would correctly substitute 'patched up' in the given sentence from the extract:

"....the white skinned people of South Africa patched up their differences..."

Solution:

Ans: repaired

Q3: Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Tenth May dawned bright and clear. For the past few days, I had been pleasantly besieged by dignitaries and world leaders who were coming to pay their respects before the inauguration. The inauguration would be the largest gathering ever of international leaders on South African soil. The ceremonies took place in the lovely sandstone amphitheatre formed by the Union buildings in Pretoria. For decades this had been the seat of white supremacy, and now it was the site of rainbow gathering of different colours and nations for the installation of South Africa's first democratic non-racial government.

(Nelson Mandela - Long Walk to Freedom)      (CBSE 2024)

(i) What do you infer from the following statement?

"The inauguration would be the largest gathering ever of international leaders on South African Soil."

Solution:

Ans: For the first time in the history of South Africa, the ceremony was attended by the maximum number of dignitaries from all around the world. 

(ii) Explain in about 40 words the effective shift from white supremacy to a rainbow gathering.

Solution:

Ans: Before that day of inauguration, South Africa was being ruled by the Whites and the Black population was subjected to a system of discrimination called Apartheid. The entire world had delinked itself from the country. But on that day, as a mark of solidarity with the people, world leaders had arrived in South Africa for the ceremony. Thus, there was a shift from the white supremacy to a gathering of rainbow colours.

(iii) Which phrase would correctly substitute 'pleasantly besieged' in the given sentence from that extract?

Solution:

Ans: delightful to be surrounded by

(iv) State true or false with reference to the given extract.

In the past the 'amphitheatre' had been a seat for theatrical performances.

Solution:

Ans: False

Q4: Nelson Mandela in his inauguration speech says, "We, who were outlaws not so long ago, have today been given the rare privilege to be host to the nations of the world on our own soil."

What is the significance of this statement with reference to the political system that prevailed before this?      (CBSE 2024)

Solution:

Ans: Earlier, the White supremacy in South Africa had founded a system of supremacy and people like Mandela who fought for the freedom of the masses were considered outlaws and were punished. However, with the end of that system, now a democratic government was being set up and thus, these freedom fighters were now considered as the harbingers of this freedom. Thus, now these so called outlaws became the frontrunners of the nation who were hosting the world leaders on the occasion of the swearing-in ceremony.

Q5: In the chapter 'A Baker from Goa' the narrator talks about his childhood in Goa and his fond memories. In about 120 words write a presentation draft comparing the childhood of the narrator in 'A Baker from Goa' to that of Nelson Mandela.

You may begin this way:

Childhood memories remind us of the days gone by.....

Reference : A Baker from Goa and Nelson Mandela : Long Walk      (CBSE 2024)

Solution:

Ans: Childhood memories remind us of the days gone by. The author of the story A Baker from Goa reminisces the good old days when he lived in Goa. He elaborates ablout the lazy mornings when they would meet the baker who visited twice a day to sell baked goods. The kids would look for the favourite bread bangles, eat them without brushing their teeth. The entire story is filled with nostalgia where we get to know the importance of a baker in Goan households. The baker was like a friend, companion and guide to the narrator. He also throws light on the significance of baked items in Goan culture which makes the baker an essential part of the community. Thus, the narrator shares sweet memories of his childhood. 

Nelson Mandela's childhood was also full of freedom. He was free to do whatever he wished for. Like run in the fields, swim in the stream, roast mealies under the night sky and ride the bulls. He also has sweet memories of his childhood when he enjoyed the freedom to do follow his heart. All he was expected was to obey his father and follow the rules of his tribe. 

Thus, we notice that both of them are nostalgic about their childhood. They miss the good old days when they had a carefree life. 

Q6: A desire is more personal whereas a vision has broader connotations. You have been asked to present an analysis of Valli's desire and Mandela's vision and how they are respectively fulfilled. Write this presentation draft including your insights, in about 120 words, comparing the approaches of both Valli and Mandela.

You may begin like this :

One acknowledges that both, Valli and Mandela however, (Reference - Nelson Mandela - A Long Walk to Freedom & Madam Rides a Bus)       (CBSE 2024)

Solution:

Ans: One acknowledges that both Valli and Mandela were able to achieve their goals. Valli had a desire to go on a bus ride. Being a mature girl, Valli left no stone unturned to undergo a successful outing. The readers are in awe of her wisdom, gracefulness and intelligence which helped her gather all information about the trip, make the necessary arrangements for the bus ride and also, make a safe bus journey and return home securely. Thus, she was able to fulfil her dream.

Nelson Mandela envisioned a free populace in his country. He wanted justice and equality for the people of the nation. His vision was beyond personal desires and he felt pain for all the countrymen. He struggled for a long period of almost thirty years in order to end racial discrimination and set up the first democratic government in the country. His persistence is an inspiration for us. The readers get to know that the real diamonds of the country are the numerous freedom fighters whose struggle finally made the country free. 

Thus, we see that both the characters display strong qualities that helped them in their endeavours. A strong character is the foundation of success.

Previous Year Questions 2023

Q2: Mandela said, "People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love." Discuss.    (2023)

Solution:

Ans: When Mandela said "People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love," he is making an observation that people don't start hating other people the moment they are born, they learn to hate others as they go by. People are born without prejudice, it is our conditioning that teaches us to discriminate. Mandela is hopeful that if people can be taught to hate so can they be taught to love. He expresses his confidence that behaving lovingly comes naturally to humans, and so it will be easier for them to love one another. He derived his confidence from his experiences in prison. He was treated harshly in prison and faced much torture, but even during those dark times, he would find one of the guards pitying him. It taught him that even oppressors have a heart and can change if given a chance.

Q3: 'No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background or his religion'. Do you agree? Elaborate on the basis of the chapter "Nelson Mandela - Long Walk to Freedom".     (2023)

Solution:

Ans: Nelson Mandela believes that freedom is indivisible. He also says that no one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. Even in the grimmest times in prison, when his comrades and he were pushed to their limits, he would see a glimmer of humanity in one of the guards, perhaps just for a second, but it was enough to reassure him and keep him going. Man's goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.

Previous Year Questions 2021

Q4: 'and now it was a gathering of different colours'.     (Term I, 2021-22)

What does the author mean by the underlined phrase?

(a) A multi-coloured rainbow in the sky

(b) Decoration of different colours

(c) Leaders of different nations gathered there

(d) African people wearing different colours

Solution:

Ans: (c)

The phrase "a gathering of different colours" refers to the gathering of dignitaries and leaders from various nations, symbolizing unity and support for South Africa's freedom from apartheid.

Thus, the correct answer is (c) Leaders of different nations gathered there.

Q5: 'In life, every man has twin obligations', (Nelson Mandela). The 'twin obligations' are: 

(a) first to his community and the second to his country. 

(b) first to his family and the second to his country. 

(c) first to his country and the second to his parents.

(d) first to his community and the second to his family. (CBSE Term-1 2021)

Solution:

Ans: (b)

Mandela speaks about the "twin obligations" that every man has. According to him, these are:

(i) The obligation to his family, to take care of and provide for them.

(ii) The obligation to his country, to work towards the freedom and welfare of his people.

Thus, the correct answer is (b) first to his family and the second to his country.

Previous Year Questions 2020

Q6: What did Nelson Mandela remember on the day of the inaugural ceremony?     (2020)

Solution:

Ans: On the day of the inaugural ceremony, Nelson Mandela was overwhelmed with a sense of history. He remembered the birth of their Apartheid, its effect on his people and their long fight for freedom, the racial discrimination dark-skinned people suffered on their own land. He also remembered the freedom fighters who suffered and sacrificed their lives for freedom. Then he remembered how the system had been over-turned forever and ever and replaced by one that recognised the right and freedom of all people, regardless of the colour of their skin.

Q7: What does Mandela refer to as 'so glorious a human achievement'?    (2020 C)

Solution:

Ans: Nelson Mandela refers to the achievement of equality and the end of apartheid, which allowed a black person like himself to become the President of South Africa, as "so glorious a human achievement." This reflects his belief in the triumph of justice, human dignity, and the ability of people to overcome deep divisions to build a fairer society.

Previous Year Questions 2019

Q8: Which two obligations, according to Nelson Mandela, does every man have in life? How could a man not fulfill these obligations in a country like South Africa?     (2019 C)

Solution:

Ans: In this lesson, Nelson Mandela talks about two obligations that are there in every man's life. The first obligation is towards the family, parents, his wife, and children. The second obligation is towards his community and his parents. Mandela says that a man is free to do one's duties only when he has his freedom. A person of color in South Africa was oppressed and not allowed or free to perform his obligations and was punished if he tried to do that. The author says that he never thought of these things before as a child, but after he grew up and began to think about it, he fought for the people and their freedom to perform their personal and social duties.

Previous Year Questions 2012

Q9: What did Mandela realize about his brothers and sisters? (CBSE 2012)

Solution:

Ans: When Mandela grew up, he realised that brothers and sisters of his race had no liberty in their own country due to colour of their skin. He later decided to fight for freedom and dignity of people of his community.

Previous Year Questions 2011

Q10: What did Mandela think for oppressor and oppressed?(CBSE 2011)

Solution:

Ans: Mandela always thought that both the oppressor and the oppressed are robbed of their humanity. The oppressor is a prisoner of hatred who is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness while the oppressed has no freedom. So, both of them need to be liberated.