Nelson Mandela : Long Walk to Freedom – important questions for Boards 2027

CBSE Class 10 English

1. VSA · 0.5 marks

   Name one sound the caged tiger repeatedly makes in Peter Niblett’s poem.

   Answer

   The caged tiger repeatedly growls, one sound Peter Niblett uses to convey the animal’s restless confinement.

2. MCQ · 1 mark

   What does Mandela mean when he says that freedom is indivisible? (1 mark) A. One person’s loss of freedom affects the whole people. B. Freedom belongs only to those in government. C. A person can be free while taking freedom from others. D. Freedom is unrelated to the rights of other people.

   Answer

   (a) One person’s loss of freedom affects the whole people — Mandela says the chains on any of his people were also chains on all of them.

3. SA · 2 marks

   What was apartheid, and on what basis did this political system separate people? (2 marks)

   Answer

   Apartheid was a political system that separated people according to their race. It governed South Africa, where Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress spent a lifetime fighting racial oppression and seeking equality.

4. MCQ · 4 marks

   Choose the option that best explains Mandela’s description of apartheid as a “deep and lasting wound.” (4 marks) A. It caused profound harm that would take many years or generations to recover from. B. It was a brief disagreement that had little effect on the country. C. It affected only the leaders involved in the inauguration. D. It ended as soon as the new government took office.

   Answer

   (a) It caused profound harm that would take many years or generations to recover from — Mandela says South Africa would spend years, if not generations, recovering from apartheid’s deep and lasting wound.

5. MCQ · 5 marks

   Which statement best describes the effect of Mandela’s hunger for his people’s freedom on his life? (5 marks) A. It transformed his life and drove him to join the struggle. B. It persuaded him to abandon his people’s cause. C. It allowed him to enjoy personal freedoms without concern for others. D. It convinced him that the struggle was unnecessary.

   Answer

   (a) It transformed his life and drove him to join the struggle — Mandela’s hunger for his people’s freedom led him to become a criminal in the eyes of the law and to live without a home.

6. VLA · 6 marks

   In about 100–120 words, describe Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress’s struggle against apartheid, including Mandela’s imprisonment and the events that led to his becoming President in 1994. (6 marks)

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7. MCQ · 10 marks

   Choose the option that best captures Mandela’s view of the oppressor and the oppressed. (10 marks) A. The oppressor is also imprisoned by hatred and prejudice; both oppressor and oppressed are robbed of their humanity. B. Only the oppressed lose their humanity; the oppressor remains fully free. C. The oppressor’s freedom depends on keeping others unfree, without personal cost. D. Neither group is affected by the denial of freedom.

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8. VVLA · 12 marks

   In about 220–250 words, trace the change represented by Mandela’s inauguration. Include the ANC’s election result, the end of White rule, the transformation of the Union Buildings into the site of a diverse gathering, Mandela’s pledge, and the commitments to justice, peace, human dignity and freedom from deprivation and discrimination. (12 marks)

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9. VVLA · 15 marks

   In about 250–300 words, discuss Mandela’s reflections on courage, hatred, love and human goodness. Explain what he says makes a person brave, why people can learn to love, and what the image of goodness as a flame conveys. (15 marks)

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10. MCQ · 1 mark

    In Rilke’s poem, what effect do the panther’s repeated pacing and the bars have on it? A. They make it eager to escape. B. They leave its powerful will paralysed. C. They help it forget the cage. D. They make it more playful.

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