Telangana SCERT TS 9th Class English Study Material Pdf Unit 6A A Long Walk to Freedom Textbook Questions and Answers.
TS 9th Class English Guide Unit 6A A Long Walk to Freedom
PRE-READING (Motivation/Picture Interaction) :
Look at the following pictures and discuss the questions that follow.
Question 1.
What do you know about the great persons in these pictures ?
Answer:
The people in the picture are the father of our nation Mahatma Gandhi and the President of Republic of South Africa, Dr. Nelson Mandela. They are great leaders who inspired millions of people not only in the place in which they were born but also across the world.
Question 2.
What similarities do you find in their lives?
Answer:
Both of them fought for the independence of their countries.
Both of them followed the method of non violence and truth.
They led a simple life.
ORAL ACTIVITY:
Question.
Debate – “Non-violence is the only solution for the present day crisis in the society/world.”
Answer:
(A speech in favour of the motion)
Mr Chairman Sir,
I, Nikitha Prabhakar, stand before you to speak in favour of the motion ‘Non-violence is the only solution for the present day crisis in the society.’
Violence may solve a problem temporarily but cannot give a permanent solution. The principle of non-violence has been preached by Jesus, Buddha and Gandhi. Jesus said, if anybody slaps you on the left cheek, offer him the right cheek! Gandhf too followed the same principle and further applied it to large scale public activity-. It was with this principle Gandhi brought independence to India. Nehru too followed it successfully.
And also with this principle only Nelson Mandela abolished racial discrimination successfully.
Non-violence simply means the absence of force, generally we say that might is right. But there is fear and danger in such a situation when a problem is’solved through the means of non-violence, it gives us a happy and successful solution. We should follow it in our day-to¬day life in all social, economic, political and religious aspects of life. That is why 1 say Non¬violence is the only solution for the present day crisis in the society.
Thank you.
Against the Motion:
Mr Chairman Sir,
I, Uma Krishnan, stand before you to speak against the motion, Non-violence is the only solution for the present day crisis in the society. I strongly oppose my friend because we all know very well that we got independence after so many years and racial discrimination too is abolished after a long time due to this principle. If we bear problems like terrorism, border problems, etc. by following non-violence principle, many adversities occur and we suffer a lot.
I am not against to non-violence principle. But what I want to say is if we use non¬violence principle to all crises we may not get fruitful result. It may take a long time to change the people who incite problem. Meanwhile we face much loss. That is why I want to oppose the statement non-violence is the only solution for the present day crisis in the society.
Thank you.
I. Answer the following questions.
Question 1.
Why is it difficult to fulfill the ‘twin obligations’ in a country like South Africa?
Answer:
In a country like South Africa, it was difficult for a black man who attempted to live as a human being was punished and isolated. A man who tried to fulfill his duty to his people was inevitably ripped from his family and his home and was forced to live a life apart and had to live a life of uncertainty.
Question 2.
What sort of freedom did Mandela enjoy as a boy? Was it real? Give your opinion.
Answer:
Mandela was free to run in the fields near their hut. free to swim in the clear stream that ran through His village, free to roast mealies under the stars and ride the broad backs of slow- moving bulls. It was not real. It was an illusion. He was not totally free because had to obey his father and abide by the customs of his tribe. As long he was a boy he was under the impression that he was free.
Question 3.
How did Mandela’s understanding of freedom change with age and experience?
Answer:
At first, as a student, he wanted freedom only for himself, the transitory freedoms of being able to stay out at night, read what he pleased and go where he chose. Later, as a young man he yearned for the basic and honourable freedoms of achieving his potential of earning his livelihood and of marrying and having a family. Then he wanted to have freedom for his brothers and sisters. Finally, hunger for his own freedom became the greater hunger for the freedom of his people. This is how Mandela’s understanding of freedom has changed with age and experience.
Question 4.
What does the line ‘the oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity’ suggest?
Answer:
According to Dr. Mandela the line ‘the oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity’ suggests that a man who takes away another man’s freedom is a prisoner of hatred and he is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness.
Question 5.
What relevance does Nelson Mandela’s life have to the present society?
Answer:
Nelson Mandela believed in individual freedom. It is not taken for granted. Everyone has to struggle for it. There was a lot of oppression in South Africa during Mandela’s time. We can see the similar conditions in present days in several parts of the world.
Question 6.
”It was this desire … that animated my life.” Which desire is the narrator referring to?
Answer:
Mandela, the narrator, K referring to his desire for the freedom of the people of his country to live their lives with dignity and self respect is the desire that animated Mandela’s life. That freedom transformed a frightened young man into a bold man.
Vocabulary:
I. Tick (✓) the most appropriate meaning for each of the following underlined words.
Question 1.
I was born free.
a. able to act at will
b. having personal rights
c. not subjected to constraints
d. costing nothing
Answer:
c. not subjected to constraints
Question 2.
I was prevented from fulfilling mu obligations.
a. not able to perform
b. stopped from doing
c. conditioned to do
d. forced to do
Answer:
b. stopped from doing
Question 3.
My freedom was curtailed.
a. enhanced
b. lost
c. reduced
d. blocked
Answer:
c. reduced
Question 4.
I was not a virtuous leader.
a. dignified
b. law-abiding
c. well behaved
d. honest
Answer:
d. honest
II. Read the following paragraph carefully. Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate forms of the words in brackets.
Nelson Mandela was an outstanding black leader (lead) of South Africa, who spent his life time fighting (fight) against racial segregation (segregate). He had to spend 30 years of imprisonment to achieve freedom (free) of the coloured. Finally he created (creation) history when he became the first black man as the President of independent (independence) Republic of South Africa. This great leader who has been a source of inspiration (inspire) for millions of freedom lovers in the world was influenced by Mahathma Gandhi, the Father of our Nation!
Grammar:
Defining Relative Clause :
I. Read the following sentences and notice the underlined parts.
1. The man who takes away another man’s freedom is a prisoner.
2. The people followed the principles that Mandela advocated.
As you perhaps know, the clauses underlined above are called adjectival clauses because they qualify the noun in the preceding clause.
In sentence (1) we are able to identify who the man is with the help of the information contained in the clause, who takes another man’s freedom. Similarly, the identity of the principles is revealed by the clause, that Mandela advocated. Without these clauses the listeners will not be able to know who the man is and which principles they are. Who in (1) refers to the man and that in (2) refers to the principles. These words in these sentences are Relative pronouns.
The Adjectival clauses are also called Defining Relative Clauses because they help to define the person or the object referred to.
The whole expression containing the noun phrase and the Relative Clause now acts like a single noun phrase.
Exercise:
Pick out the Defining Relative Clauses and the Noun Phrases they define from the text. Fill in the table given below. One is done for you.
Example :
In South Africa, a man of colour who attempted to live as a human being was punished and isolated.
Answer:
| Relative clauses | Relative pronoun used | Noun phrase that the relative pronoun defines |
| 1 who attempted to live as a human being | who | a man of colour |
| 2. who tried to fulfil his duty to his people | who | a man |
| 3. that I could know | that | every way |
| 4. that ran through my village | that | clear stream |
| 5. that animated my life | that | the desire for freedom of my people |
| 6. that was curtailed | that | my freedom |
| 7. who looked like I did | who | everyone |
Writing:
I. Read the story once’again and analyze the text in the light of the following questions.
- What incidents do you find in the first paragraph?
- How does the writer reflect on (feel about) these incidents?
- What is the writer’s point of view on the incidents?
You may have witnessed several instances of discrimination in the world around you. Write an essay about one such incident. You may use the following clues:
- When and where did it take place?
- With whom did the incident occur?
- What were you doing at that time?
- How did you feel about these incidents?
- Observe all the features of an essay.
Answer:
When I was studying in class VIII, I witnessed an incident of discrimination in my class. It was the fifth day after the reopening of the school. A dark-skinned boy student, named Raju, from a socially backward class joined the school in our class. The attender of our school took the boy and sent him into our class. The boy looked around and took his seat beside a fair-skinned boy, named Venu, in the front row.
Immediately the fair-skinned boy, Venu, left his seat and went to the back bench looking angrily at the dark-skinned boy, Raju. When the teacher entered the class, Raju brought the incident to the notice of the teacher. The teacher asked him to be calm and asked him not to talk to anybody about the issue.
Four days later, in the evening at 4 p.m. we went to the playground. We wanted to form a team of kabaddi to play against the team of Class IX. Raju, the newly joined boy, also wanted ’ to join us in the team. On seeing this Venu went away from the playground looking angrily at Raju. We did not understand why Venu was doing so. But I felt that it was not fair on the part of Venu.
I wanted to convince him. But he went away walking fast towards the classroom. After the school was over, while going home, Venu attacked Raju with two of his friends. Raju was beaten blue and black. Venu warned Raju to quit the school. He also blamed that he lost his seat in the classroom in the front row and his place in the kabaddi team because of Raju.
The next morning Raju came to school with his parents. His parents requested the headmaster of our school to look into the issue. The headmaster became angry and was . disappointed with this incident. He consoled the boy and his parents and requested them to go home. He promised the parents to settle the problem. Our headmaster was a man of loveable nature. He treats all equally. He immediately called Venu and asked for explanation over the incident. Venu explained that he did not like to sit beside a boy from socially backward class and he did not like to play with him.
Now the headmaster understood the feelings of Venu. Our headmaster took the boy to his room and gave good counselling. Later he conducted a staff meeting. He discussed the issue with all the teachers. With the help of the teachers the headmaster held a meeting for all school children. All the teachers and our headmaster gave counselling to all children. They said that untouchability is a sin and a crime. All are equal in society. From that day Raju was treated well by Venu. Venu apologised to Raju for his behaviour. They became friends. We all enjoyed our lessons and played our games together from that time.
Untouchability has been a very real issue in many classrooms around the country, but cases of untouchability are not reported. Often teachers may not be aware of untouchability in their classrooms because victims are scared of reporting them out of fear of making the situation worse. I feel that the key to tackle the problem in schools is through education for both teachers andstudents.
Untouchability needs to be rooted out wherever it occurs, and particularly in schools, where every child has the right to learn in an environment free from prejudice. It is teachers and parents, not the government, that know what is happening in their schools, and they are best placed to deal with this kind of behaviour when it happens.
Study Skills:
Read the following biographical account of a great patriot of India, which describes events in his life. After reading the text, complete the chronological table.
Subhash Chandra Bose was bom on 23rd January in Cuttack in 1897. He was bom in a rich family. When he was five he was admitted into a big European school. At the age of twelve, he was shifted to another school, where his headmaster, Beni Madhav Das, kindled the spirit of patriotism in him. When he was fifteen, he came under the profound influence of an outstanding spiritual leader, Swami Vivekananda.
After his graduation Subhash left for Cambridge in 1919 to appear for the Indian Civil Service Examination (ICS). But he had made up his mind to dedicate his life to the service of his country; he resigned from the Indian Civil Service and returned to India in 1921. He took part in freedom struggle, Independence Movement and fought against the British rule in India. Bose was arrested and sent to a prison in Burma. With the cooperation of some prisoners and freedom lovers Bose formed the Indian National Army (INA) in 1941 in Singapore. He inspired the troops to fight against the British to liberate their motherland. On 21st October 1943 the Azad Hind Government was set up in foreign soil.
Subhash is called ‘Nethaji’ (Netha- a leader) because he was a’ true and passionate leader of the Indian struggle for freedom.
Complete the following table based on your reading of the passage.
Answer:
| Year | Incident that took place and its significance |
| 1897 | Subhash was born. |
| 1902 | He was admitted into a big European school. |
| 1909 | He was shifted to another school. |
| 1912 | He came under the profound influence of Swami Vivekananda. |
| 1919 | He left for Cambridge for the Indian Civil Service Examination. |
| 1921 | He resigned from the Indian Civil Service and returned to India. |
| 1941 | Bose formed the Indian National Army in Singapore. |
| 1943 | Azad Hind Government was set up in foreign soil. |
Listening:
I. Listen to your teacher ‘The Speech of Subhash Chandra Bose’ and answer the following question orally.
Speech of Subhash Chandra Bose
Brave soldiers! Today you have taken an oath that you will give fight to the enemy till the last breath of your life, under the national tricolour. From today you are the soldiers of the Indian National Army of free India. You have volunteered to shoulder the responsibility of forty crores of Indians. From today your mind, might and money belong to the Indian Nation. Friends, you have the honour to be the pioneer soldiers of Azad Hind Fauj. Your names will be written in the history of Free India. Every soldier who is martyred in this holy war will have a monument in Free India.
The coming generations will shower flowers on those monuments. You are very fortunate that you have got this valuable opportunity to serve your motherland. Although we are performing this ceremony in a foreign land, our heads and hearts are in our country. You should remember that your military and political responsibilities are increasing day by day and you must be ready to shoulder them competently.
The drum of Indian Independence has been sounded. We have to prepare for the battle ahead. We should prepare ourselves as early as possible so that we can perform the duties we have shouldered. I assure you that the time is not far off then you will have to put to use the military skill which you possess.
Today we are taking the vow of independence under the National Flag. A time will come when you will salute this flag in the Red Fort. But remember that you will have to pay the price of freedom. It has to be got by force. Its price is blood. We will not beg freedom from any foreign country. We shall achieve freedom by paying its price. It doesn’t matter how much price we have to pay for it. I assure you that I will lead the army when we march to India together.
The news of the ceremony that we are performing here has reached India. It will encourage the patriots at home, who are fighting empty-handed against the British. Throughout my life it had been my * ambition to equip an army that would capture freedom from the enemy. Today I congratulate you because the honour of such an army belongs to you. With this I close my speech. May God be with you and give you the strength to the pledge which you have taken voluntarily today.
Inquilab…………. Zindabad!
Question 1.
What is the thrust of Subhash Chandra Bose’s speech?
Answer:
Inspiring the soldiers who joined the Indian National Army.
II. Say whether the following statements are True or False.
Question 1.
Subhash asked the soldiers to sacrifice everything for their motherland.
Answer:
True
Question 2.
Subhash dreamt that every soldier of INA would have a monument in Free India.
Answer:
True
Oral Activity:
Debating:
Work in pairs. Organize a debate in class on the following proposition.
Women should work in kitchens and men in offices.
One member of the pair speaks in favour of the proposition, while the other speaks against it.
Remember:
Organize your ideas as main points and sub points.
Put your ideas in a proper order / sequence.
Give suitable examples, quotes, etc.
Use polite expressions.
You may use some of the following words/phrases to express your views
In my opinion ……………………
I personally feel ……………………
It’s my feeling ……………………
I think ……………………
To agree with your opponents
I agree with my worthy opponents ……………………
I am in favour of the ……………………
I think they/you are right ……………………
I support the idea ……………………
To disagree with your opponents
I’m sorry to differ with you ……………………
I disagree with you ……………………
It may be your opinion but I’m not happy with this ……………………
That’s purely your idea but the reality is different ……………………
To establish your point of view or stand
Since I have evidence I strongly believe this ……………………
I’m fully confident with my point as ……………………
I’ve no doubt .about this since it is a ……………………
Therefore I conclude that ……………………
Answer:
For the proposition:
I would like to speak in favour of the proposition. I fully agree that women have equal rights on par with men in all respects. However, women can take care of the home very well. They can take care of the children in their nourishment and education. They are very happy under the loving care of the mother. If women are at home, the whole family will be happy.
Men cannot do certain household works as effectively as the women do. Especially, they cannot cook well and they cannot bring up the children as lovingly as the women. Similarly women cannot endure physical strain just like men.
When women work in offices get tired by the time they get home and cannot support the family well. The children also feel lonely. So, they may become indisciplined. There will be misunderstanding and unrest due to stress and strain and other reasons.
Therefore, I conclude that women should work in kitchens and men should work in offices to have happiness at home.
Against the proposition:
I am sorry I don’t agree with you. Women should work in kitchens and men in offices are outdated assumption. Nowadays women are well educated and they can do any sort of job. They are a great resource for the nation. It should be utilized in a proper way.
If men wish they can do household work as effectively as the women. They can bring up the children. They can show love and affection. As for physical work is concerned, I agree to some extent. But nowadays mental work is more important than physical work.
If we have good understanding we can avoid misunderstanding. We can support the family and children well. Thanks for giving me this opportunity.
A Long Walk to Freedom Summary in English
Nelson Mandela was the first black leader to be elected as the president of The Republic of South Africa. The present lesson is extracted from his autobiography A Long Walk to Freedom’ in which he had written his views about freedom and experiences during the struggle for freedom and racial segregation.
He says every man has two obligations. The first obligation is to his family, parents, wife and children and the second one is to his people, community and his country. In a civil society each one can fulfil those obligations. But in a country like South Africa it is not possible for a black man. A person who tried to fulfill his obligations was punished, isolated and put away by the government at that time.
Mandela was not born with a hunger to be free. He had the freedom as a child to run in the fields, roast mealies and ride the bulls.
When he became young he realized that the boyhood freedom was an illusion. Slowly and gradually his understanding about freedom had been changed.
As a student he desired to have freedom for himself. As a young man he yearned for basic and honourable freedom to marry, have family and livelihood. Slowly he developed hunger for freedom not only for himself but also for the people in the country. These desires for freedom j of his people animated him. It had transformed a frightened young man into a bold man, a law- abiding attorney to become a criminal. He was forced to live like a monk. He felt that the chains on his people were the chains on all of them and the chains on all his people were chains on him.
He opined that the oppressor must be liberated just surely as the oppressed. The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity.
About the Author:
Nelson Mandela, born on July 18, 1918, was the first South African President to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Trained as an attorney, he helped form the Youth League of the African National Congress (ANC)in 1944. In 1961 he abandoned peaceful protest and became head of the ANC’s new military wing. Sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964, Mandela came to symbolize black political aspirations and was named head oftheANC after his release on Feb. 11, 1990. He and F. W. de Klerk shared the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating South Africa’s peaceful transition to multiracial democracy. After the ANC victory in the April 1994 elections, Mandela worked to ease racial tensions, court foreign investment, and provide services to the victims of apartheid.
Glossary:
obligations (n) : the state of being forced to do something because it is your duty or because of law
inclination (n) : a feeling that makes a person to do something
inevitably (adv) : certainly to happen and unable to be avoided or prevented
ripped (v) : to tear something or pull forcibly away
rebellion (n) : an attempt by some people in a country to change their government using violence
twilight (adj) : used to describe a way of life which is characterized by uncertainty
uncertainty (n) : the state of being uncertain, confusion or ambiguity
mealie (n) : maize
abide by (ph.v) : to accept and act according to a law or agreement
illusion (n) : an idea or belief which is not true
transitory (adj) : continuing for a short time
yearned (v) : to want something very much.
earning my keep (idm) : doing useful things to live
curtail (v) : to limit something
hunger for (ph.v) : to have a strong desire for something
law-abiding (adj) : obeying and respecting the law
attorney (n) : a lawyer
monk (n) : a man belonging to a religious community living under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience
virtuous (adj) : having high moral standards
animate (v) : make someone more active
indivisible (adj) : unable to be divided or separated
oppressor (n) : a person or a group of people that treat somebody in cruel or unfair way
prejudice (n) : an opinion about someone or something that is not based on reason or experience ; bias
rob (v) : take property unlawfully by force or threat of force