PREVIEW ACTIVITY 1 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2021. For use only with license.

Nelson Mandela Interview With Oprah (B1 - B2)

Work with a partner, group, or your teacher. Do the activities below together.

PART 1 Discuss the questions below about Nelson Mandela, apartheid, and peace.

1 What do you know about Nelson Mandela and his life?

2 Do you know what “apartheid” was in South Africa?
3 What does the word “peace” mean to you? Why can it be hard to achieve?

PART 2 Choose the correct words that fit the text below about Nelson Mandela.

inspiration opposition government activist prison

Nelson Mandela was a social rights , politician and philanthropist

who became South Africa’s first black president from 1994 to 1999. After becoming in-
volved in the anti-apartheid movement in his 20s, Mandela joined the African National
Congress in 1942. For 20 years, he directed a campaign of peaceful activism against
the South African , and against its racist policies and oppression.

Beginning in 1962, Mandela spent 27 years in for his political

. In 1993, Mandela and South African President F.W. de Klerk
were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to rebel against the
country’s apartheid system. For generations to come, Mandela will be a source of
for civil rights activists worldwide.

PART 3 Match the nouns below with their definitions.

1 oppression a. the process of becoming free from authoritative control

2 reconciliation b. the unfair or cruel governing of someone
3 liberation c. a story that is untrue or not factual
4 myth d. a return to friendly relations
5 humility e. the quality of being modest; not overly proud or arrogant

Unscramble the word below for the adjective used to describe someone with humility:
H B L U E M

Use a dictionary or translator to translate the above word into your native language:
Translation:
PREVIEW ACTIVITY 2 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2021. For use only with license.
Nelson Mandela Interview With Oprah (B1 - B2)

PART 1 Choose the correct definition for the vocabulary terms as used in the sentences.

1 It is natural for people to desire success and happiness.

desire means... a. try to suggest or recommend

b. stay away from or avoid
c. strongly wish for or want

2 Criminals are often put in prison because they’re a threat to society.

a threat means... a. a hard choice or selection

b. a serious protest or rebellion
c. a potential risk or danger

3 If people are unsatisfied with their country’s leadership, it can bring about
a revolution.

bring about means... a. cause to happen

b. disconnect or break
c. solve or fix something complicated

4 Understandably, many people of color have bitterness about the long-term

discrimination they have experienced in society.

bitterness means... a. anger or unhappiness about something

b. suggestion or recommendation for something
c. satisfaction or happiness with something

5 People generally embrace people who are kind and nice to them.

embrace means... a. argue or disagree

b. welcome or accept
c. participate or join

6 It can be difficult to forgive someone who has done wrong to you.

forgive means... a. make a relationship with someone worse

b. become very angry or upset with someone
c. stop feeling angry towards someone

Bonus Phrase!

willing to forgive = to feel ready or really want to forgive someone for something
EXAMPLE I was angry at my brother for a few weeks for crashing my new car, but now
I’m willing to forgive him.
NELSON MANDELA INTERVIEW
WITH OPRAH
Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2021. For use only with license.
Nelson Mandela Interview With Oprah (B1 - B2)

PREVIEW DISCUSSION QUESTION

What do you know about Oprah Winfrey? Do you

know who she is and what she is known for?

VIEWING ACTIVITY

PART 1 Write short answers according to the information in the video.

0:19 1 What does Nelson Mandela think of oppression and what happened in the past?

0:48 2 According to Mandela, what should you focus your attention on in life?

1:49 3 Which adjective does Oprah use to describe Mandela?

2:04 4 What question does Oprah ask Mandela at the end of the interview?

Try to explain why the audience laughs when Mandela asked the producer what the
PART 2
subject of the show was. (1:35)

PART 3 Choose the correct word for each sentence below about or from the video below.

0:03 1 Mandela was put in prison by a(n) oppressor / peacemaker .

0:50 2 Mandela has a(n) optimistic / pessimistic vision about life.
1:20 3 Mandela says that he is just an ordinary / extraordinary human being.
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY 1 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2021. For use only with license.
Nelson Mandela Interview With Oprah (B1 - B2)

PART 1 Oprah says that one characteristic that stands out about Mandela is his humility.
What do you think it means if someone has a characteristic that “stands out”?

If someone has a characteristic that stands out, it means this

characteristic is easily noticeable or recognizable.

Discuss: What personal characteristics do you have that stand out the most to others?

Oprah wonders how a man can come out of prison after 27 years and not have a heart
PART 2
of stone. What do you think it means if someone has a “heart of stone”?

Discuss: Other than long-term imprisonment, what things might make someone have
a heart of stone?

PART 3 Choose the correct nouns that fit the spaces below. One isn’t used!

liberation bitterness oppression humility myth

1 Oprah wonders how Mandela has no after being in prison

for 27 years and that he was willing to forgive his oppressors.

2 Mandela says he hated , and then when he thinks about

the past, it makes him angry.

3 Mandela says his main task when he came out of prison was to destroy the
that just one individual can bring about .

Choose the correct set of antonyms (words with opposite meaning) for the nouns
PART 4
below that were used in the video.

1 peace a. liberty / liberation

2 humility b. truth / fact
3 myth c. violence / war
4 oppression d. pride / arrogance
5 bitterness e. happiness / acceptance
 POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY 2 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2021. For use only with license.
Nelson Mandela Interview With Oprah (B1 - B2)

PART 1 Study the usage and examples of “one of the...” + [superlative adjective].

During the interview, Mandela says...

“ Humility is one of the most important qualities which you must have.”

We often use the grammatical form “one of the...” + [superlative adjective] to describe a noun
(E.g., “Humility”). “Humility” is an uncountable noun, so it is followed by the first person singular
form of the verb “to be”.

Keep in mind that longer adjectives, such as “important” or “interesting” with more than 2
syllables generally use “the most” + [adjective] (the most important, the most interesting, etc.),
and shorter adjectives with 2 syllables or less generally use the form the + [adjective] + “-est”
(the longest, the hardest, etc.).

Your advice is one of the most helpful things you can give me.
NEXT EXAMPLE
Spending life in prison is one of the strictest punishments that you can get
for committing a serious crime.

Choose the correct uncountable noun that fits the context of each sentence below
PART 2
and then write the correct form using “one of the...” + [superlative adjective].

Corruption Education Violence Money Peace Courage

EX Violence is one of the biggest (big) problems which our city council is
trying to reduce this year.

1 is (influential) factors that affects your

lifestyle and where you live.

2 is (powerful) tools that can have a

positive impact in the world.

3 is (strong) personal characteristics that

people need to be a good leader.

4 is (harmful) things that can exist in the

government of a country.

5 is (tough) things to achieve with so much

war and conflict in the world.
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY 3
Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2021. For use only with license.
Nelson Mandela Interview With Oprah (B1 - B2)

SPEAKING TASK:

Your teacher will choose a few of the speaking topics below to discuss. Discuss the topics
with your teacher or partner. In your discussion, explain your ideas in detail.

1 Describe some other peacemakers in history that come to

mind. Does anyone remind you of Mandela? If so, explain
what their contributions were to the world or to society.

2 What do you think are some of the biggest social prob-

lems in Africa today? What do you think could be hard
about living in Africa today?

3 What are some of the biggest changes you think are

needed in your government or country at the moment?

4 In the interview, Mandela discusses how humility can

have a positive impact on society. What specific things
can people do or actions can they take to have a positive
impact on society?

5 Think about the world right now. In your opinion, in what

places does oppression exist? Can you think of any other
regimes in history in which oppression existed?

WRITING TASK:

Imagine you are Nelson Mandela, and you are writing a short thank you letter to Oprah
for inviting you on the show. Explain what it was like to be on the show and what you
enjoyed about the interview.
QUIZ & REVIEW ACTIVITY Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2021. For use only with license.
Nelson Mandela Interview With Oprah (B1 - B2)

Work with a partner. Complete the quiz and review activities below.

PART 1 Questions. Answer the questions below about the video.

1. What question about prison does Oprah ask Mandela at the start of the
interview?
2. What question did Mandela ask the producer at the Oprah show?
3. According to Mandela, what do you need to be a good leader and peacemaker?

PART 2 Vocabulary: Explain and/or write what each word means below.

1. oppression

2. bitterness

PART 3 Vocabulary: Write the missing verbs in the spaces below.

1 Mandela says it’s important to use the time you have to transform the world
into what you it to be.

2 Mandela was willing to his oppressors after his time in prison.

3 Mandela says his main task when he came out of prison was to destroy the
myth that just one individual can about liberation.

Grammar: Write the missing part of Mandela’s quote from the video below using
PART 4
“one of the...” + [superlative adjective].

Humility is which you must have.

Write two of your own sentences using “one of the...” + [superlative adjective].

Bonus: Write one or two antonyms (words with opposite meaning) for the words
PART 5
used in the video below.

1 peace 4 oppression
2 humility 5 bitterness
3 myth