Complete, official NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 2: Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and companion poem A Tiger in the Zoo by Leslie Norris. Fully grounded in the official NCERT textbook (reprint 2026–27), covering all In-Text Oral Comprehension Checks (Pages 18, 21, 24), Thinking about the Text (Q1–Q5), Thinking about Language (Noun/Verb pairs, Definite Articles, Idioms, Contrasts), and Thinking about the Poem exercises.
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1. Oral Comprehension Check (In-Text Questions)
Oral Comprehension Check (Textbook Page 18 / 19)
Q1. Where did the ceremonies take place? Can you name any public buildings in India that are made of sandstone?
Ans: The ceremonies took place in the lovely amphitheatre formed by the Union Buildings in Pretoria. In India, famous public buildings made of sandstone include:
- Red Fort (Lal Qila) in New Delhi (red sandstone)
- Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi (red and cream sandstone)
- Parliament House (Sansad Bhavan) in New Delhi
- Humayun’s Tomb in New Delhi
- Fatehpur Sikri near Agra, Uttar Pradesh
Q2. Can you say how 10 May is an ‘autumn day’ in South Africa?
Ans: 10 May is an ‘autumn day’ in South Africa for two distinct reasons:
- Geographical Context: South Africa lies in the Southern Hemisphere, where the seasons are reversed compared to India and the Northern Hemisphere. May falls during the autumn season in South Africa.
- Symbolic / Metaphorical Context: Autumn represents harvest and transition. On 10 May 1994, South Africa harvested the hard-earned fruits of freedom after decades of struggle, shedding the old leaf of racial discrimination (Apartheid) to welcome the spring of democracy.
Q3. At the beginning of his speech, Mandela mentions “an extraordinary human disaster”. What does he mean by this? What is the “glorious human achievement” he speaks of at the end?
Ans:
• “An extraordinary human disaster”: Mandela refers to the decades-long regime of Apartheid in South Africa. Under this brutal policy of racial segregation, the native Black majority was stripped of human dignity, subjected to cruel discrimination, humiliation, police torture, and denied basic fundamental rights purely because of the colour of their skin.
• “A glorious human achievement”: Mandela refers to the establishment of South Africa’s first democratic, non-racial government led by a Black president, where every citizen enjoys equal rights, justice, and human dignity without any discrimination.
• “A glorious human achievement”: Mandela refers to the establishment of South Africa’s first democratic, non-racial government led by a Black president, where every citizen enjoys equal rights, justice, and human dignity without any discrimination.
Q4. What does Mandela thank the international leaders for?
Ans: Mandela thanks the international dignitaries and leaders for traveling to Pretoria to celebrate with the people of South Africa a common victory for justice, peace, and human dignity. Their official presence symbolized the complete end of South Africa’s international isolation, welcoming the newly liberated nation back into the global brotherhood of democratic nations.
Q5. What ideals does he set out for the future of South Africa?
Ans: Mandela pledges to liberate all his people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender discrimination, and all other forms of inequality. He solemnly vows that never, never, and never again shall this beautiful land experience the oppression of one person by another.
Oral Comprehension Check (Textbook Page 21)
Q1. What do the military generals do? How has their attitude changed, and why?
Ans:
• The highest military generals of the South African defence force and police saluted Nelson Mandela and pledged their loyalty to the new democratic government.
• Attitude Change: Not many years earlier, these very same generals would not have saluted him; instead, they would have arrested him and locked him in prison as an outlaw.
• Why: Their attitude changed because a historic political transformation had occurred. The discriminatory white-supremacist regime was replaced by a freely elected, non-racial democratic government. The armed forces now served a democracy dedicated to constitutional equality rather than an oppressive racial dictatorship.
• Attitude Change: Not many years earlier, these very same generals would not have saluted him; instead, they would have arrested him and locked him in prison as an outlaw.
• Why: Their attitude changed because a historic political transformation had occurred. The discriminatory white-supremacist regime was replaced by a freely elected, non-racial democratic government. The armed forces now served a democracy dedicated to constitutional equality rather than an oppressive racial dictatorship.
Q2. Why were two national anthems sung?
Ans: Two national anthems were sung on the day of the inauguration to symbolize racial equality, mutual respect, and national reconciliation:
- The white citizens sang ‘Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika’ (the traditional African blessing hymn).
- The Black citizens sang ‘Die Stem’ (the old anthem of the republic).
Q3. How does Mandela describe the systems of government in his country (i) in the first decade, and (ii) in the final decade, of the twentieth century?
Ans:
• (i) In the first decade of the 20th century: Following the bitter Anglo-Boer War and before Mandela’s own birth, the white-skinned people of South Africa patched up their differences and created a system of racial domination against the native dark-skinned people. This created the framework for Apartheid—one of the harshest, most inhumane societies the world had ever known.
• (ii) In the final decade of the 20th century: That discriminatory system had been overturned forever and replaced by a system that recognized the fundamental rights and freedoms of all peoples, regardless of the colour of their skin.
• (ii) In the final decade of the 20th century: That discriminatory system had been overturned forever and replaced by a system that recognized the fundamental rights and freedoms of all peoples, regardless of the colour of their skin.
Q4. What does courage mean to Mandela?
Ans: To Mandela, courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. He observed that brave men are not those who never feel afraid, but those who conquer their inner fears in the face of grave danger and stand up for what is right.
Q5. Which does he think is natural, to love or to hate?
Ans: Mandela firmly believes that love comes more naturally to the human heart than hatred. Hatred is an unnatural emotion that must be taught by society. If humans can be taught to hate, they can much more easily be taught to love, because love resonates with our innate humanity.
Oral Comprehension Check (Textbook Page 24)
Q1. What “twin obligations” does Mandela mention?
Ans: Mandela mentions that every man has twin obligations in life:
- First Obligation: To his family—his parents, his wife, and his children.
- Second Obligation: To his people, his community, and his country.
Q2. What did being free mean to Mandela as a boy, and as a student? How does he contrast these “transitory freedoms” with “the basic and honourable freedoms”?
Ans:
• As a boy: Freedom meant simple, carefree outdoor pleasures—running freely in the fields near his mother’s hut, swimming in the clear village stream, roasting mealies under the open stars, and riding slow-moving bulls.
• As a student: Freedom meant personal, temporary privileges—staying out late at night, reading what pleased him, and choosing where to travel.
• Contrast: Mandela calls these childhood and student privileges “transitory freedoms” because they were temporary, selfish, and merely an illusion. He contrasts them with the “basic and honourable freedoms” of adult life: the right to develop one’s potential, earn an honest living, marry, and raise a family without discriminatory state interference.
• As a student: Freedom meant personal, temporary privileges—staying out late at night, reading what pleased him, and choosing where to travel.
• Contrast: Mandela calls these childhood and student privileges “transitory freedoms” because they were temporary, selfish, and merely an illusion. He contrasts them with the “basic and honourable freedoms” of adult life: the right to develop one’s potential, earn an honest living, marry, and raise a family without discriminatory state interference.
Q3. Does Mandela think the oppressor is free? Why/Why not?
Ans: No, Mandela firmly states that the oppressor is not free. A person who robs another of their freedom is himself a prisoner of hatred, locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness. Both the oppressor and the oppressed are equally stripped of their true humanity.
2. Thinking about the Text (Detailed Textbook Solutions)
Q1. Why did such a large number of international leaders attend the inauguration? What did it signify the triumph of?
Ans:
• Reason for Attendance: Over 140 countries sent world leaders and dignitaries to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to demonstrate international solidarity with South Africa’s peaceful transition from Apartheid to non-racial democracy. For decades, South Africa had been treated as an international outcast due to its racist policies; the presence of global leaders officially restored the country’s rightful place in the world community.
• What it Signified: Their presence signified a common victory for justice, peace, and human dignity over the cruelty of racial oppression. It proved that democratic determination and forgiveness can peacefully overcome decades of hatred.
• What it Signified: Their presence signified a common victory for justice, peace, and human dignity over the cruelty of racial oppression. It proved that democratic determination and forgiveness can peacefully overcome decades of hatred.
Q2. What does Mandela mean when he says he is “simply the sum of all those African patriots” who had gone before him?
Ans:
• With profound humility, Mandela refuses to take sole personal credit for dismantling Apartheid. He acknowledges that South Africa’s freedom was paid for by the blood, suffering, and sacrifices of thousands of nameless freedom fighters who endured torture, exile, and death long before his inauguration.
• By describing himself as “simply the sum of all those African patriots”, he means that he is carrying their unfinished mission to completion. He laments that those great pioneers did not live to witness the democratic harvest of their sacrifices, and he honors heroes like Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Chief Luthuli, Yusuf Dadoo, and Bram Fischer.
• By describing himself as “simply the sum of all those African patriots”, he means that he is carrying their unfinished mission to completion. He laments that those great pioneers did not live to witness the democratic harvest of their sacrifices, and he honors heroes like Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Chief Luthuli, Yusuf Dadoo, and Bram Fischer.
Q3. Would you agree that the “depths of oppression” create “heights of character”? How does Mandela illustrate this? Can you add your own examples to this argument?
Ans:
• Agreement: Yes, I fully agree. Extreme hardship and prolonged oppression often refine human spirit, calling forth extraordinary courage, resilience, and moral strength that ordinary comfort can never produce.
• Mandela’s Illustration: Mandela illustrates this by showing that decades of brutal Apartheid oppression unexpectedly produced towering giants of intellect, courage, and generosity in South Africa—such as Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Chief Luthuli, Yusuf Dadoo, Bram Fischer, and Robert Sobukwe—men whose character was forged in the fiery furnace of adversity.
• Our Own Examples:
• Mandela’s Illustration: Mandela illustrates this by showing that decades of brutal Apartheid oppression unexpectedly produced towering giants of intellect, courage, and generosity in South Africa—such as Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Chief Luthuli, Yusuf Dadoo, Bram Fischer, and Robert Sobukwe—men whose character was forged in the fiery furnace of adversity.
• Our Own Examples:
- Mahatma Gandhi & Sardar Patel: The deep oppression of British colonial rule produced towering leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, who championed non-violent civil disobedience, and Sardar Patel, who unified a diverse nation.
- Bhagat Singh & Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: British imperial repression sparked fearless patriotism in youth, producing revolutionaries who willingly embraced martyrdom for their motherland.
- Dr. B. R. Ambedkar: Having faced the severe trauma of social untouchability and caste discrimination, Dr. Ambedkar rose to become the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, ensuring equality and fundamental rights for every citizen.
Q4. How did Mandela’s understanding of freedom change with age and experience?
Ans: Mandela’s understanding of freedom progressed through three key developmental phases:
- Boyhood (Illusion of Freedom): As a young child, he felt free if he could run in the green fields, swim in the village stream, and obey his elders. He did not know that his freedom was already severely curtailed by the white minority government.
- Youth / Student Life (Transitory Freedoms): As a college student, he wanted individual, temporary freedoms—the liberty to stay out at night, read whatever books he fancied, and choose where to go. As a young man in Johannesburg, he sought basic personal freedoms: earning his keep, marrying, and building a family without state harassment.
- Maturity & Adulthood (Universal Freedom for His People): With age and political awareness, Mandela realized that his personal freedom was hollow because all Black South Africans were chained. His focus shifted from personal liberty to a collective “hunger for the freedom of his people,” leading him to sacrifice personal comfort and spend 27 years in prison to liberate both the oppressed and the oppressor.
Q5. How did Mandela’s “hunger for freedom” change his life?
Ans: The unyielding hunger for the freedom and dignity of his people completely revolutionized Mandela’s life in four dramatic ways:
- It transformed a frightened young man into a fearless, bold rebel.
- It drove a law-abiding attorney to become a hunted outlaw pursued by the apartheid police.
- It forced a family-loving husband to abandon his household and live like an ascetic monk without a home.
- It compelled a life-loving person to spend 27 long years confined inside a narrow prison cell on Robben Island.
3. Thinking about Language (Textbook Grammar Exercises)
I. Noun & Verb Formations (Suffixes -tion / -ment)
| Noun (Textbook Word) | Corresponding Verb |
|---|---|
| formation | form |
| government | govern |
| rebellion | rebel |
| constitution | constitute |
| oppression | oppress |
| discrimination | discriminate |
| deprivation | deprive |
| emancipation | emancipate |
| transformation | transform |
| imagination | imagine |
Fill in the Blanks with Noun Forms (Rosa Parks & Martin Luther King Jr.):
Martin Luther King’s contribution (contribute) to our history as an outstanding leader began when he came to the assistance (assist) of Rosa Parks, a seamstress who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. In those days American Blacks were confined to positions of second class citizenship by restrictive laws and customs. To break these laws would mean subjugation (subjugate) and humiliation (humiliate) by the police and the legal system. Beatings, imprisonment (imprison) and sometimes death awaited those who defied the System. Martin Luther King’s tactics of protest involved non-violent resistance (resist) to racial injustice.
II. Using the Definite Article (‘The’) with Proper Names
Normally, proper nouns do not take the definite article ‘the’. However, when ‘the’ is used before proper names or in plural forms (e.g., “the Oliver Tambos”), it signifies men of that extraordinary type, calibre, or greatness.
- 1. Mr Singh regularly invites the Amitabh Bachchans and the Shah Rukh Khans to his parties.
Meaning: Mr Singh regularly invites famous superstars, cinema legends, and high-profile celebrities who possess the stature and fame of Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. - 2. Many people think that Madhuri Dixit is the Madhubala of our times.
Meaning: People consider Madhuri Dixit to possess the timeless beauty, grace, expressive dancing talent, and screen charisma that legendary actress Madhubala was celebrated for. - 3. History is not only the story of the Alexanders, the Napoleons and the Hitlers, but of ordinary people as well.
Meaning: History does not just belong to mighty world conquerors, imperial generals, and infamous dictators; it is equally created by common, everyday citizens.
III. Idiomatic Expressions (Matching Phrases)
- 1. I was not unmindful of the fact → (i) had not forgotten; was aware of the fact
- 2. when my comrades and I were pushed to our limits → (iii) felt that we could not endure the suffering any longer
- 3. to reassure me and keep me going → (ii) help me continue to live in hope in this very difficult situation
- 4. the basic and honourable freedoms of… earning my keep → (i) earning enough money to live on
IV. Looking at Contrasts (Sentence Completion)
- It requires such depths of oppression → (v) to create such heights of character.
- Courage was not the absence of fear → (iii) but the triumph over it.
- The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid → (iv) but he who conquers that fear.
- If people can learn to hate → (i) they can be taught to love.
- I was not born with a hunger to be free. → (ii) I was born free.
4. Thinking about the Poem: A Tiger in the Zoo (Leslie Norris)
Q1. (i) Find the words that describe the movements and actions of the tiger in the cage and in the wild. Arrange them in two columns.
Ans:
| In the Cage (Confinement) | In the Wild (Natural Habitat) |
|---|---|
| Stalks in his vivid stripes | Lurking in shadow |
| Walking the few steps of his cage | Sliding through long grass |
| Pads of velvet quiet | Waiting near the water hole |
| Suppressing his quiet rage | Where plump deer pass |
| Locked in a concrete cell | Snarling around houses at jungle’s edge |
| His strength behind bars | Baring his white fangs, his claws |
| Stalking the length of his cage | Terrorising the village |
| Ignoring visitors | Hunting freely at night |
| Staring with brilliant eyes at stars | Roaming unrestricted in the wild |
Q1. (ii) Find the words that describe the two places (the zoo and the jungle), and explain how the poet uses words and images to contrast the two situations.
Ans:
- Words for the Zoo: “cage”, “concrete cell”, “behind bars”, “few steps”, “patrolling cars”. These words invoke unnatural confinement, rigid boundaries, mechanical noise, and total loss of independence.
- Words for the Wild: “shadow”, “long grass”, “water hole”, “plump deer”, “jungle’s edge”, “white fangs”, “claws”. These words invoke boundless openness, camouflage, vitality, predatory instinct, and primal majesty.
- Contrasting Effect: The poet Leslie Norris creates a poignant juxtaposition between the majestic, fearsome apex predator in nature and his tragic, helpless state in captivity. In the wild, the tiger is an embodiment of regal power and fear; in the zoo, he is reduced to a bored tourist attraction pacing within a sterile concrete box.
Q2. Notice the use of a word repeated in lines such as: (i) “On pads of velvet quiet, / In his quiet rage.” (ii) “And stares with his brilliant eyes / At the brilliant stars.” What do you think is the effect of this repetition?
Ans:
• Repetition of ‘quiet’: Contrasts the silent, velvet-soft physical pads of the tiger’s feet (pads of velvet quiet) with the fierce, boiling anger held captive inside his heart (quiet rage). He cannot roar or strike out, so his intense fury remains trapped in silence.
• Repetition of ‘brilliant’: Links the radiant, wild sparkle in the tiger’s eyes (brilliant eyes) with the luminous, untamed night sky (brilliant stars). It highlights his silent yearning for freedom, looking past the iron bars towards the eternal splendour of the cosmos.
• Repetition of ‘quiet’: Contrasts the silent, velvet-soft physical pads of the tiger’s feet (pads of velvet quiet) with the fierce, boiling anger held captive inside his heart (quiet rage). He cannot roar or strike out, so his intense fury remains trapped in silence.
• Repetition of ‘brilliant’: Links the radiant, wild sparkle in the tiger’s eyes (brilliant eyes) with the luminous, untamed night sky (brilliant stars). It highlights his silent yearning for freedom, looking past the iron bars towards the eternal splendour of the cosmos.
Q3. Are zoos necessary for the protection or conservation of some species of animals? Are they useful for educating the public? Are there humane alternatives to zoos?
Ans:
• Protection & Conservation: Zoos have historically protected critically endangered species from extinction through captive breeding programs, veterinary healthcare, and protection from poachers.
• Limitations: However, traditional zoos severely restrict animals’ natural hunting instincts, space, and freedom, often leading to psychological trauma (zoochosis), depression, and pacing behaviour.
• Humane Alternatives:
• Protection & Conservation: Zoos have historically protected critically endangered species from extinction through captive breeding programs, veterinary healthcare, and protection from poachers.
• Limitations: However, traditional zoos severely restrict animals’ natural hunting instincts, space, and freedom, often leading to psychological trauma (zoochosis), depression, and pacing behaviour.
• Humane Alternatives:
- Wildlife Sanctuaries & National Parks: Expansive protected ecosystems where wild animals roam freely in their natural terrain while being guarded by forest rangers.
- Biosphere Reserves & Wildlife Corridors: Safe migration zones that allow wild populations to hunt and breed naturally without human interference.
- Virtual & Digital Sanctuaries: Immersive VR/AR simulations and high-definition nature documentaries that educate children without imprisoning innocent living beings behind bars.
📚 Explore More Class 10 English Resources
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