CLASS –X

ENGLISH NCERT SOLUTIONS-First Flight

Answer
Page No: 18 Comprehension Check

Answer1 The ceremonies took place in the campus of the Union Building of Pretoria.
The Parliament House in New Delhi, the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, the Supreme Court of
India in New Delhi and Madras High Court in Chennai are some examples of Indian public
buildings that are made of sandstone.

Answer2: 10 May is an ‘autumn day’ in South Africa because on this day there was the largest
gathering of international leaders on South African soil for the installation of South Africa’s first
democratic, non-racial government.
Page No: 19

Answer3: By human disaster Mandela means to say that coloured people have suffered a lot due to
discrimination in the hands of whites. He considered it as great glorious human achievement
that a black person became the president of a country where the blacks are not considered as
human being and are treated badly.

Answer4: Mandela felt privileged to be the host to the nations of the world because not too long
ago, the South Africans were considered outlaws. He thus thanked all the international leaders
for having come to witness his investiture as President since this event could be considered as a
common victory for justice, peace and human dignity.

Answer5: Mandela set out the ideals of poverty alleviation, removal of suffering of people. He also
set the ideal for a society where there would be no discrimination based on gender or racial
origins.
Page No: 21 Oral Comprehension Check

Answer1: The highest military generals of the South African defence force and police saluted
Mandela and pledged their loyalty.
Their attitude towards blacks had taken great change. Instead of arresting a black they saluted
him.

Answer2: On the day of the inauguration, two national anthems were sung, one by the whites, and
the other by the blacks. This symbolized the equality of blacks and whites.

Answer3: (i) In the first decade of the twentieth century, the white-skinned people of South Africa
patched up their differences and erected a system of racial domination against the dark-skinned
people of their own land, thus creating the basis of one of the harshest and most inhumane
societies the world had ever known.
 and certain needs as a young man. Gradually, he realized that he was selfish during his boyhood.
He slowly understands that it is not just his freedom that is being curtailed, but the freedom of
all blacks. It is after attaining this understanding that he develops a hunger for the freedom of his
people.

Answer5: Mandela realized in his youth that it was not just his freedom that was being curtailed,
but the freedom of all blacks. The hunger for his own freedom became the hunger for the
freedom of his people. This desire of a non-racial society transformed him into a virtuous and
self-sacrificing man. Thus, he joined the African National Congress and this changed him from a
frightened young man into a bold man.

Thinking about Language

Answer1:
Noun Verb
Rebellion Rebel
Constitution Constitute
Formation Form
Government Govern
Obligation Oblige
Transformation Transform
Discrimination Discriminate
Deprivation Deprive
Demonstration Demonstrate
Oppression Oppress
Imagination Imagine

Answer2: 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.
Page No: 25

Answer2:
1. This means that Mr Singh regularly invites famous personalities such as Amitabh Bachchan
and Shah Rukh Khan to his parties.
2. This means that Madhuri Dixit is compared to a landmark in acting in the form of legendary
actress Madhubala.
3. This means that history is not only the story of the great fighters and leaders such as
Alexander, Napoleon and Hitler, but also of ordinary people.

Page No: 26