Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom — Class 10 English MCQ with Answers (2026-27)

Updated 23 August 2026 · checked against the CBSE 2026-27 syllabus

10 objective questions on Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (Class 10 English — First Flight — Prose), every one checked against the CBSE 2026-27 syllabus. Pick an option and the correct answer is shown straight away, with your marks running at the top.

Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom MCQ questions with answers

1. “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. We thank all of our distinguished international guests for having come to take possession with the people of our country of what is, after all, a common victory for justice, for peace, for human dignity.”
   The guests at the spectacular ceremony are being called​ distinguished‌ because they
   1. have been invited as guests to attend it
   2. are eminent world leaders witnessing it
   3. are visiting the country for this purpose
   4. have resumed diplomatic relations with the country

   Answer: b) are eminent world leaders witnessing it

   Why: ‘Distinguished’ marks their own standing — they are eminent leaders, not merely invitees.

2. “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. We thank all of our distinguished international guests for having come to take possession with the people of our country of what is, after all, a common victory for justice, for peace, for human dignity.”
   It is a victory for 'human dignity'. Pick the option that‌ lists‌ what 'human dignity' would include.
   1. equality, liberty, indecency
   2. liberty, indecency, self-respect
   3. immorality, self-respect, equality
   4. equality, liberty, self-respect

   Answer: d) equality, liberty, self-respect

   Why: Indecency and immorality are the opposite of dignity; only equality, liberty and self-respect belong together.

3. “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. We thank all of our distinguished international guests for having come to take possession with the people of our country of what is, after all, a common victory for justice, for peace, for human dignity.”
   Why does the speaker say that it is a 'rare privilege'? He​ says​ this as they have
   1. been deprived of this honour
   2. seldom been given this honour
   3. experienced it for the first time
   4. been chosen over other countries for this honour

   Answer: c) experienced it for the first time

   Why: South Africa had been an international outcast under apartheid; this is the first time it hosts the world.

4. “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. We thank all of our distinguished international guests for having come to take possession with the people of our country of what is, after all, a common victory for justice, for peace, for human dignity.”
   How do you think the speaker feels? Choose the option that best fits‌ his​ state of mind.
   1. emotional, elated, unmindful
   2. elated, unmindful, overwhelmed
   3. overwhelmed, elated, honoured
   4. elated, honoured, unmindful

   Answer: c) overwhelmed, elated, honoured

   Why: ‘Unmindful’ contradicts the whole passage; overwhelmed, elated and honoured all fit the tone.

5. “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. We thank all of our distinguished international guests for having come to take possession with the people of our country of what is, after all, a common victory for justice, for peace, for human dignity.”
   Pick the option that showcases the usage of 'host' as in​ the‌ extract.
   1. He was praised for his hospitality as the host of the party.
   2. She was able to host the event without any hindrance.
   3. She met the host and apologised for her friend’s misbehaviour.
   4. He is the best host that one can ever come across.

   Answer: b) She was able to host the event without any hindrance.

   Why: In the extract ‘host’ is a verb — to hold or stage an event — exactly as in option (b).

6. “It was only when I began to learn that my boyhood freedom was an illusion, when I discovered as a young man that my freedom had already been taken from me, that I began to hunger for it. At first as a student I wanted freedom only for myself, the transitory freedoms of being able to stay out at night, read what I pleased and go where I chose. Later, as a young man in Johannesburg, I yearned for the basic and honourable freedoms…”
   The title that best suits this‌ extract‌ is
   1. Freedom for everything
   2. Knowledge about Freedom
   3. Significance of Freedom
   4. Realisation of Freedom

   Answer: c) Significance of Freedom

   Why: The passage traces what freedom came to mean to him — its growing significance, from personal comforts to basic rights.

7. “It was only when I began to learn that my boyhood freedom was an illusion, when I discovered as a young man that my freedom had already been taken from me, that I began to hunger for it. At first as a student I wanted freedom only for myself, the transitory freedoms of being able to stay out at night, read what I pleased and go where I chose. Later, as a young man in Johannesburg, I yearned for the basic and honourable freedoms…”
   Why do you think the speaker mentions​ some​ freedoms as 'transitory'?
   1. The freedoms are momentary and keep changing with time.
   2. The definition of freedom is constant but perspectives differ.
   3. Freedom means different things to different people.
   4. Freedom is not that important after a certain age.

   Answer: a) The freedoms are momentary and keep changing with time.

   Why: ‘Transitory’ means short-lived — staying out at night or reading freely are passing student pleasures.

8. “It was only when I began to learn that my boyhood freedom was an illusion, when I discovered as a young man that my freedom had already been taken from me, that I began to hunger for it. At first as a student I wanted freedom only for myself, the transitory freedoms of being able to stay out at night, read what I pleased and go where I chose. Later, as a young man in Johannesburg, I yearned for the basic and honourable freedoms…”
   Choose the option that‌ best​ fits the usage of the word 'illusion' as used in the extract.
   1. He was never able to get past the illusion.
   2. The illusion I experienced was quite intriguing.
   3. A large mirror in the room creates an illusion.
   4. I was living under the illusion that this is possible.

   Answer: d) I was living under the illusion that this is possible.

   Why: Mandela means a false belief he lived under, not a visual trick — the same sense as option (d).

9. “It was only when I began to learn that my boyhood freedom was an illusion, when I discovered as a young man that my freedom had already been taken from me, that I began to hunger for it. At first as a student I wanted freedom only for myself, the transitory freedoms of being able to stay out at night, read what I pleased and go where I chose. Later, as a young man in Johannesburg, I yearned for the basic and honourable freedoms…”
   The speaker says, 'at first as a student​ I‌ wanted freedom only for myself.' Why do you think he only thought about himself?
   1. He didn’t want to think about the freedom denied to others.
   2. He was being selfish and was only bothered about himself.
   3. He didn’t think that freedom denied to him was important for others.
   4. He was too young to realise that freedom was denied to others as well.

   Answer: d) He was too young to realise that freedom was denied to others as well.

   Why: His awareness grew with age — as a boy he simply had not yet seen that his whole people were unfree.

10. “It was only when I began to learn that my boyhood freedom was an illusion, when I discovered as a young man that my freedom had already been taken from me, that I began to hunger for it. At first as a student I wanted freedom only for myself, the transitory freedoms of being able to stay out at night, read what I pleased and go where I chose. Later, as a young man in Johannesburg, I yearned for the basic and honourable freedoms…”
    A part of the extract has been paraphrased. Choose the option that best fills the blanks: “The speaker's belief about freedom since childhood proved false. It was not​ until the speaker‌ grew up to be a young man when it (i) ______ on him that he was (ii) ______ of freedom. Then he began (iii) ______ it.”
    1. (i) desired (ii) dawned (iii) depriving
    2. (i) dawned (ii) deprived (iii) desiring
    3. (i) dawned (ii) arrived (iii) desiring
    4. (i) arrived (ii) deprived (iii) dawned

    Answer: b) (i) dawned (ii) deprived (iii) desiring

    Why: The idiom is ‘it dawned on him’; he was ‘deprived of’ freedom and then began ‘desiring’ it.