Chapter 5 – When People Revolt – 1857 and After Questions and Answers

Content Structure

A. Exercise Questions & Answers
B. Additional Questions & Answers
- Multiple choice questions & answers (MCQs)
- Fill in the blanks
- True or False
- Match the following
- Short-type questions & answers
- Long-type questions & answers

A. Exercise Questions & Answers

1. What was the demand of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi that was refused by the British?
Ans: Rani Lakshmibai (Jhansi) wanted the British to accept her adopted son as the next ruler after her husband’s death but the British refused.

2. What did the British do to protect the interests of those who converted to Christianity?
Ans: In 1850, the British made a new law to help people who became Christians. This law said that if an Indian converted to Christianity, they could still inherit their family’s property.

3. What objections did the sepoys have to the new cartridges that they were asked to use?
Ans: In Meerut, some sepoys refused to use new cartridges because they believed they were coated with cow and pig fat, which hurt their religious beliefs.

4. How did the last Mughal emperor live the last years of his life?
Ans: The last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, was sent to prison for life in Rangoon (now Myanmar) with his wife, Begum Zinat Mahal. He died there in November 1862.

5. What could be the reasons for the confidence of the British rulers about their position in India before May 1857?
Ans: The British felt strong and secure in India before May 1857 for several reasons. They had a large army, including many Indian soldiers (sepoys), which made them feel powerful. Their modern weapons gave them an advantage over Indian fighters. Another reason was that Indians were not united. Many Indian rulers and people were not working together against the British, which made it easier for them to stay in control. Lastly, the British had control over money and land. They managed trade, owned large amounts of land, and controlled wealth that made them very strong.

6. What impact did Bahadur Shah Zafar’s support for the rebellion have on the people and the ruling families?
Ans: Bahadur Shah Zafar’s support for the rebellion had a powerful effect. His backing gave people hope, making them feel brave and ready to fight the British. Many kings and nawabs who had lost their power joined the rebellion to restore Mughal rule. His leadership also united people from different regions and brought them together to fight against the British.

7. How did the British succeed in securing the submission of the rebel landowners of Awadh?
Ans: The British used promises and rewards to win back the rebel landowners of Awadh. They promised loyal landowners that they could keep their land if they supported the British. Rebels who surrendered and had not killed any British people were assured of safety. The British also guaranteed protection to zamindars and landlords, securing their land and wealth so they would support British rule.

8. In what ways did the British change their policies as a result of the rebellion of 1857?
Ans: After the rebellion of 1857, the British made several changes to their policies to strengthen their control over India.

British Rule Directly – In 1858, the East India Company was removed, and India came under British Crown rule. A British minister (Secretary of State for India) was put in charge, and the Governor-General was renamed Viceroy.
Indian Rulers Kept Their Kingdoms – Indian kings were allowed to keep their lands and pass them to their heirs (children), but they had to accept British rule.
Changes in the Army – The number of Indian soldiers was reduced, and more British soldiers were added. The British now recruited Gurkhas, Sikhs, and Pathans instead of soldiers from Awadh, Bihar, and Central India.
Muslims Were Targeted – The British took land and property from many Muslims, believing they played a major role in the rebellion.
Respect Indian Traditions – The British promised to respect Indian religions and customs.
Protection for Landowners – Zamindars and landlords were given security over their lands so they would support British rule.

B. Additional Questions & Answers

Multiple choice questions & answers (MCQs)

1. Who was the general that Rani Lakshmibai fought with against the British?
(a) Lord Dalhousie
(b) Tantia Tope
(c) Nana Saheb
(d) Kunwar Singh

Ans: (b) Tantia Tope

2. Where was Mangal Pandey hanged in 1857?
(a) Barrackpore
(b) Meerut
(c) Delhi
(d) Lucknow

Ans: (a) Barrackpore

3. Why did the sepoys refuse to use the new cartridges?
(a) Too heavy
(b) Hard to use
(c) Coated with cow and pig fat, which hurt their religion
(d) Poor quality

Ans: (c) Coated with cow and pig fat, which hurt their religion

4. Who did the Indian soldiers fight against in the rebellion?
(a) French
(b) British (Firangis)
(c) Mughals
(d) Marathas

Ans: (b) British (Firangis)

5. Who was the last Mughal emperor?
(a) Akbar
(b) Aurangzeb
(c) Shah Jahan
(d) Bahadur Shah Zafar

Ans: (d) Bahadur Shah Zafar

6. Where did the mutiny of 1857 start?
(a) Delhi
(b) Lucknow
(c) Meerut
(d) Kanpur

Ans: (c) Meerut

7. What did Nana Saheb want from the British?
(a) A new kingdom
(b) His father’s pension
(c) A British title
(d) A job in the army

Ans: (b) His father’s pension

8. Who was Peshwa Baji Rao II?
(a) The last Peshwa of the Marathas
(b) A Mughal emperor
(c) A British officer
(d) A ruler of Bengal

Ans: (a) The last Peshwa of the Marathas

9. Why were the sepoys angry with the British?
(a) Low salary
(b) New cartridges hurt their religion
(c) Bad treatment
(d) All of the above

Ans: (d) All of the above

10. Who inspired Indian soldiers to fight against the British in 1857?
(a) Bahadur Shah Zafar
(b) Lord Dalhousie
(c) Queen Victoria
(d) Robert Clive

Ans: (a) Bahadur Shah Zafar

11. What happened to Awadh in 1801?
(a) The British took full control
(b) The British made a trade deal
(c) The British forced it into a subsidiary alliance
(d) Awadh defeated the British

Ans: (c) The British forced it into a subsidiary alliance

12. What law did the British pass in 1850?
(a) Ban Indian customs
(b) Increase taxes
(c) Remove Indian kings
(d) Make conversion to Christianity easier

Ans: (d) Make conversion to Christianity easier

13. When did British officer Tytler send his report about the rebellion?
(a) May 10, 1857
(b) August 6, 1857
(c) July 14, 1857
(d) August 15, 1857

Ans: (b) August 6, 1857

14. When did Rani Lakshmibai die?
(a) June 18, 1858
(b) May 10, 1857
(c) August 6, 1857
(d) January 26, 1858

Ans: (a) June 18, 1858

15. When was Lucknow captured by the British?
(a) May 1857
(b) March 1858
(c) June 1858
(d) August 1857

Ans: (b) March 1858

Fill in the blanks

1. _____________________ was the wife of Bahadur Shah Zafar.
2. Sepoys joined the fight in __________________________, ___________________________, and ___________________________.
3. In the mid-1700s, Indians _________________ and ____________________ started losing their power.
4. _______________ was one of the last territories annexed by the British in 1856.
5. ______________ means soldiers refusing to follow army orders.
6. Firangis means _________________; the term shows an attitude of contempt.
7. In 1858, the British removed the _________________ and gave control to the ____________________.
8. On __________________, Tantia Tope was killed.
9. ________________ was the leader of the 1857 revolt.
10. _____________________ was the chief general of Nana Saheb.

Ans:
1. Begum Zinat Mahal
2. Delhi, Kanpur, and Lucknow
3. kings, nawabs
4. Awadh
5. Mutiny
6. Foreigners
7. East India Company, British Crown
8. April 18, 1859
9. Bahadur Shah Zafar
10. Tantia Tope

True or False

1. The new law passed in 1852 made conversation about Christianity easier.
Ans: False.

2. The British regained control of the country in the year 1869.
Ans: False.

3. Mughal Pandey, a young soldier, was banged to death for attacking his officers in Barrackpore.
Ans: True.

4. Tantia Tope fought a guerrilla war against the British with the support of several tribal and peasant leaders.
Ans: True.

5. The last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar died in the Rangoon Jail.
Ans: True.

6. In the countryside, peasants and zamindars resented the low taxes and the rigid methods of profit collection.
Ans: False.

7. The Revolt of 1857 began in Lucknow.
Ans: False.

8. The British passed laws to stop the practice of Satti and to encourage the remarriage of widows.
Ans: True.

9. Nana Saheb, the adopted son of the late Peshwa Baji Rao gathered armed forces and expelled the British garrison from the city.
Ans: True.

10. The rebels rushed to Delhi from Maruti and proclaimed the British as their leader.
Ans: False.

Match the following

Column A	Column B
1. Bhakti Khan	(a) Foreigners
2. Rani Laxmibai	(b) The last Mughal emperor
3. Birjis Qadr	(c) Jhansi
4. Ahmadullah Shah	(d) Lucknow
5. Kunwar Singh	(e) Bihar
6. Firangis	(f) Faizabad
7. Sepoy	(g) Bareilly
8. Bahadur Saha Zafar	(h) Indian Soldier

Ans:

Column A	Column B
1. Bhakti Khan	(g) Bareilly
2. Rani Laxmibai	(c) Jhansi
3. Birjis Qadr	(d) Lucknow
4. Ahmadullah Shah	(f) Faizabad
5. Kunwar Singh	(e) Bihar
6. Firangis	(h) Foreigners
7. Sepoy	(a) Indian Soldier
8. Bahadur Saha Zafar	(b) Mughal Emperor

Short-type questions & answers

1. What was the first step taken by the company towards ending the Mughal dynasty?
Ans: The first step taken by the British to end the Mughal dynasty was removing the Mughal emperor’s name from the coins.

2. Name two rulers who accepted Bahadur Shah Zafar as their leader.
Ans: Two smaller rulers who acknowledged the suzerainty of Bahadur Shah Zafar were:

Birjis Qadr (Lucknow)
Nana Saheb (Kanpur)

3. What rumor did the sepoys in Meerut hear about the new cartridges?
Ans: The sepoys in Meerut heard a rumor that the new cartridges were coated with cow and pig fat, which went against their religion.

4. What did Bahadur Shah Zafar do after becoming the leader of the rebels?
Ans: After becoming the leader of the rebels, Bahadur Shah Zafar sent letters to Indian rulers, asking them to unite and fight against the British.

5. When and where Bahadur Saha Zafar die?
Ans: Bahadur Shah Zafar died on November 7, 1862, in the Rangoon jail (now Myanmar).

6. When did the British recapture Delhi?
Ans: The British recaptured Delhi in September 1857.

7. Why did the British treat Muslims with suspicion and hostility?
Ans: The British treated Muslims with suspicion and hostility because they believed that Muslims played a major role in leading the 1857 rebellion against British rule.

8. Why did the British government take power from the East India Company?
Ans: The British government took power from the East India Company in 1858 because the Company could not control the 1857 revolt. To prevent more rebellions, the British Crown decided to rule India directly.

9. Who was Mangal Pandey? Why was he hanged to death?
Ans: Mangal Pandey was an Indian soldier (sepoy) in the British army.
He was hanged on April 8, 1857, because he attacked British officers in Barrackpore. His actions helped start the 1857 revolt against British rule.

10. Why did kings and rulers support Bahadur Shah Zafar in the revolt?
Ans: Kings and rulers supported Bahadur Shah Zafar in the revolt because they wanted to fight against the British and bring back Mughal rule. Many had lost their kingdoms to the British and hoped that joining the revolt would help them get their lands and power back.

Long-type questions & answers

1. Explain how the revolt started from Meerut and reached Delhi. How did Bahadur Shah Zafar’s support impact the rebellion?
Ans: In 1857, sepoys in Meerut rebelled after being punished for refusing new cartridges. They marched to Delhi and asked Bahadur Shah Zafar to lead them, and the revolt spread quickly, giving Indians hope and shocking the British.

From Meerut to Delhi

(i). Mangal Pandey’s Rebellion

On April 8, 1857, Mangal Pandey was hanged for attacking British officers in Barrackpore.

(ii). Sepoys Refuse New Cartridges

In Meerut, sepoys refused to use cartridges as they believed they had cow and pig fat, which hurt their religion.
On May 9, 1857, 85 sepoys were punished—dismissed from service and jailed for 10 years.

(iii). Sepoys in Meerut Rebel

On May 10, 1857, sepoys in Meerut freed jailed soldiers, killed British officers, took weapons, and burned buildings.
They declared war on the British but needed a leader.

Bahadur Shah Zafar Becomes Leader

On May 11, 1857, sepoys rode to Delhi and joined forces. They gathered at the Red Fort and asked Bahadur Shah Zafar to lead the rebellion. At first, he was hesitant, but he finally agreed and sent letters to rulers to unite against the British.

(i). Impact of His Support

Many small rulers had lost power under British rule.
They hoped that if the Mughals returned, they could regain control.

(ii). British Shock and Fear

The rebellion gave Indians new hope and courage to fight the British.
The British did not expect the revolt to spread so fast.
When Bahadur Shah Zafar supported it, more people joined.

2. Discuss the reason for the failure of the revolt of 1857.
Ans: The revolt of 1857 failed because Indians did not work together, and there was no strong leader to guide them. It did not spread everywhere, the British army was stronger, and some Indian rulers helped the British instead of joining the fight.

A. No Unity

Different groups had different goals.
Some Indian rulers helped the British instead of joining the revolt.

B. Weak Leadership

No strong leader to guide the rebels.
Bahadur Shah Zafar was too old and weak to lead effectively.

C. Limited Spread

The revolt was mainly in North and Central India.
South India and some other regions did not participate much.

D. The British Army Was Stronger

The British had better weapons and well-trained soldiers.
They also got help from England.

E. Poor Planning

The revolt started without proper preparation.
Rebels lacked food, weapons, and money.

F. British Divide-and-Rule Policy

The British gained support from some Indian kings and landlords.
Many Indian princes stayed loyal to the British.