No Easy Walk to Freedom

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Why was the Defiance Campaign politically significant?

A) It caused the government to repeal apartheid laws.

B) It mobilized the masses in accordance with the 1949 Programme of Action.

C) It garnered international support for the anti-apartheid struggle.

D) It consolidated the Congress movement.

2. Why did the ANC and the SAIC formulate the “M” Plan?

A) To consolidate the Congress machinery by mobilizing mass support

B) To exert pressure on the South African economy

C) To gain seats in the South African government

D) To mobilize international support for the South African struggle

3. How did Mandela view the Liberal Party?

A) As allies to the movement who opposed white supremacy in all forms

B) As a fascist organization identical to the Nationalist Party

C) As an ally in its opposition to the Nationalist Party but as an advocate of a less forceful form of white supremacy

D) As advocates of democracy sincerely dedicated to the ideals articulated in its constitution

4. What was the purpose of Bantustan policy?

A) To increase Black representation in the South African government

B) To deprive the African people of land ownership and self-determination and create a cheap Black labor supply

C) To divide South African land proportionate to the South African population

D) To confine the South African Indian population to 13% of South African land

5. What was the ANC’s relationship to the Communist Party?

A) They were identical in their short-term and long-term goals and so were essentially the same.

B) The ANC rejected communism and did not allow Communist Party members into the organization.

C) The Communist Party supported white supremacy, so it didn’t work with the ANC.

D) The ANC’s long-term objectives aligned with the Communist Party’s short-term objectives, and this formed the basis for solidarity.

6. How did Mandela’s view of early African societies influence his political outlook?

A) He was intrigued by tribalism and advocated tribal authority in modern society.

B He saw the seeds of revolutionary democracy and socialism in early African societies and was inspired by their resistance to colonial imposition.

C) He found early African societies too “primitive” and believed they had nothing of value for the modern resistance struggle.

D) He believed that royal lineage could provide great political leadership in modern times.

7. Why was the National Action Council created at the All-In African Conference?

A) To implement the resolutions adopted at the conference

B) To identify leaders who would be elected to parliamentary seats

C) To elect leaders to go on an African tour and amass support for the movement

D) To choose people to surrender to the government so that the government would be less forceful

8. What organization was created to carry out violent resistance against the Nationalist government?

A) Congress of the People

B) National Action Council

C) Liberal Party

D) Umkonto we Sizwe

9. What government policy did Mandela bring up during the trial in Pretoria to illustrate its effects on the Indian population?

A) Group Areas Act

B) Bantu Education Act

C) Bantu Authorities Act

D) Criminal Law Amendment Act

10. Why did Mandela express his gratitude to the nations represented at the PAFMECA conference?

A) For providing financial assistance to the ANC

B) For persuading the UN to pass resolutions against the South African government

C) For enforcing diplomatic and economic sanctions against South Africa and providing asylum to South African refugees

D) For sending troops to South Africa to help with Umkonto’s sabotage efforts

11. Why did the ANC agree to shift from nonviolent to violent tactics?

A) Members of PAFMECA encouraged it to do so.

B) The government created an atmosphere of violence that the African people might turn inward on themselves.

C) The UN resolved to support the ANC in violent action.

D) The Pan-Africanist Congress threatened to withdraw support if the ANC did not agree to violent tactics.

12. What was Mandela’s view of the Pan-Africanist Congress?

A) That they were allies and avid supporters of the ANC and other organizations fighting for democracy

B) That they were motivated by opportunism and petty political differences and had been traitorous to the movement

C) That they were great at organizing demonstrations and mass protests supporting the objectives of the movement

D) That they were the most fitting party to gain parliamentary seats to represent the African people

13. How did Mandela view surrendering himself to the government after it issued the warrant for his arrest?

A) As the best way to get the government to stop repressing the movement

B) As allowing him to negotiate with the government on behalf of the people

C) As cheap martyrdom and politically irresponsible

D) As the best way to end his isolation from his family and friends while in hiding

14. What was Mandela’s task after he left the PAFMECA conference?

A) To return immediately to South Africa and surrender himself

B) To go to communist countries and ask for financial assistance for the South African struggle

C) To escape to another country so that the Nationalist government would have a harder time finding him

D) To go on an African tour amassing support for the South African liberation struggle

15. What about the Rivonia Trial indicates that Mandela should not have been implicated in the charges brought against ANC members after the raid of their underground headquarters?

A) He was not in South Africa at the time of the raid.

B) He was already serving a prison sentence when the raid took place.

C) He had withdrawn from ANC membership by the time of the raid.

D) He was not involved in the creation or organization of Umkonto we Sizwe.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. How did the Nationalist government attempt to use education to maintain white supremacy in South Africa?

2. What is the primary political strategy that Mandela advocates throughout his writings and speeches, and what tactics did that strategy entail in practice?

3. What group did Mandela identify as the driving force behind the resistance movement and why?