Question 1

Question 6(A) The Uprising of 1857 paved the way for the rise of the national movement.(R) Although the Uprising failed to achieve its objectives, it inspired the Indians to resist the British rule.(R) contradicts (A)(R) is the reason for (A)(A) is true but (R) is false(A) and (R) are independent of each other

Accepted Answer

(R) is the reason for (A)Explanation : Reason (R) provides a reason for Assertion (A), stating that although the Uprising failed to achieve its objectives, it inspired the Indians to resist the British rule. The sacrifices made by Rani Laxmi Bai, Nana Saheb and Mangal Pandey served as a source of inspiration for the future freedom fighters.

Question 2

Question 14Arrange the following events in chronological order(A) Battle of Plassey(B) Queen Victoria's Proclamation(C) Lord Dalhousie annexed Awadh(D) Introduction of Enfield Rifle(A), (B), (C), (D)(C), (A), (B), (D)(A), (C), (D), (B)(A), (D), (C), (B)

Accepted Answer

(A), (C), (D), (B)Explanation:Battle of Plassey- 1757Lord Dalhousie annexed Awadh- 1856Introduction of Enfield Rifle- 1857Queen Victoria's Proclamation- 1858

Question 3

Question 1Study the picture and answer the following questions:(a) Who are the persons in the picture? How were they treated by their British counterparts?(b) State any three grievances they had against the British.(c) What changes were brought in their status after the Uprising of 1857?

Accepted Answer

(a) The people in the picture are Indian Sepoys in the British army. The Indian Sepoys were ill-treated by their British counterparts even though they were equally efficient. They were poorly paid, ill-fed and badly housed. British military authorities forbade the sepoys from wearing caste and sectarian marks, beards or turbans and they showed disregard for the sentiments of the sepoys.(b) Three grievances the Indian soldiers had against the British were —Bleak prospects of promotion — All higher positions in employment were reserved for the British, irrespective of their performance. Indian Sepoys could not rise above the rank of a Subedar.Lower Salaries — The wages of the Indian Sepoys were inadequate to support their families. On the other hand, the British soldiers received more than eight times the salary of the Indian soldiers.Deprivation of Allowances — The Indian Sepoys were required to serve in areas away from their homes without extra payment and additional Bhatta. The Post Office Act of 1854 withdrew the privilege of free postage enjoyed by the sepoys.(c) The Indian army was reorganised after 1858, to prevent the reoccurrence of another uprising and the status of Indian Sepoys was affected in the following ways:The strength of the European troops in India was increased. The ratio of European to Indian troops was fixed at 1:2 (Bengal army) and 2:5 (Madras and Bombay armies). The general principle was that the number of Indian sepoys should not exceed twice that of the European troops.The sophisticated weapons and ammunition were never placed under the charge of the Indians. All Indian artillery units, with the exceptions of a few mountain units, were disbanded.Discrimination on the basis of caste and religion was practised in the recruitment of the army.Newspapers, journals and nationalist publications were prevented from reaching the soldiers.In order to discourage nationalism, measures such as introduction of caste and community in most regiments were taken.

Question 4

Question 7Explain the term: Doctrine of Lapse. Name the two States annexed by the British using the Doctrine of Lapse.

Accepted Answer

According to Doctrine of Lapse, if an Indian ruler died without a male heir his kingdom would come under the Company's territory in India.The two States annexed by the British using the Doctrine of Lapse are Jhansi and Nagpur.

Question 5

Question 8Which policy was used by Lord Dalhousie against Rani Laxmi Bai? Why did Rani Laxmi Bai become a bitter enemy of the British?

Accepted Answer

The policy of Doctrine of Lapse was used by Lord Dalhousie against Rani Laxmi Bai.Rani Laxmi Bai became a bitter enemy of the British because when the ruler of Jhansi died in 1853, leaving no natural heir, the widowed Rani was pensioned and their adopted son, Anand Rao, was not recognised as a lawful successor to the throne.

Question 6

Question 9State two announcements which adversely affected the Mughal dynasty in India.

Accepted Answer

Two announcements which adversely affected the Mughal dynasty in India are-In 1849, Lord Dalhousie announced that successors of Bahadur Shah Zafar would not be permitted to use the Red Fort as their palace. They were required to shift to a place near the Qutub Minar.In 1856, Lord Canning announced that after the death of Bahadur Shah, his successors would not be allowed to use the imperial titles with their names and would be known as mere princes.

Question 7

Question 10Mention any two consequences of the annexation of Awadh.

Accepted Answer

Two consequences of the annexation of Awadh are-People had to pay higher land revenue and additional taxes on food, houses and ferries.The dissolution of the Nawab of Awadh's army and administration threw thousands of nobles, officials and soldiers out of jobs.

Question 8

Question 11State any two consequences of the disbanding of the armies of the annexed States by the British.

Accepted Answer

Two consequences of the disbanding of the armies of the annexed States by the British are-The dissolution of the Nawab of Awadh's army and administration threw thousands of nobles, officials and soldiers out of jobs.It also affected the soldier's financial position. They had to pay higher taxes on the land their families held in Awadh.

Question 9

Question 12Give the meaning of Absentee Sovereignty. Why was it resented by the Indians?

Accepted Answer

Absentee Sovereignty of the British means that India was being ruled by the British government from England, at a distance of thousands of miles.This was resented by the Indians because they felt that they were being ruled from England and India's wealth was being drained to England and not utilised for their welfare.

Question 10

Question 13What were the apprehensions of Indians about the introduction of the railways?

Accepted Answer

The apprehensions of Indians about the introduction of the railways were that in the railway compartments, the higher castes and the lower castes were made to sit side by side. They believed that the British had introduced such practices to defy their caste and religion.

Question 11

Question 15Mention any two measures which point to the policy of social discrimination followed by the British in India.

Accepted Answer

Two measures which point to the policy of social discrimination followed by the British in India are-The Indian soldiers were poorly paid, ill-fed and badly housed.All higher positions in employment were reserved for the British, irrespective of their performance.

Question 12

Question 16Give any two grievances of the peasantry against the British.

Accepted Answer

Two grievances of the peasantry against the British are-Increase in the land revenue forced many peasants into indebtedness or into selling their lands.The traditional zamindars were replaced by merchants and moneylenders. These new land owners had no concern for the peasants. They pushed rents to exorbitant levels and evicted their tenants in case of non-payment.

Question 13

Question 17What did the British do to reduce the landed aristocracy to poverty?

Accepted Answer

According to the provisions of the Inam Commission(1852), 20,000 estates were confiscated when the landlords failed to produce evidence like title deeds by which they held the land. These confiscated lands were sold by public auction to the highest bidders. This drove the landed aristocracy to poverty.

Question 14

Question 18What was the provision of the General Service Enlistment Act which was resented by the Indian soldiers? Why was it resented?

Accepted Answer

According to the traditional belief, it was a taboo for a Brahmin to cross the seas. As per the General Service Enlistment Act of 1856, Indian soldiers could be sent overseas on duty. The Act did not take into account the sentiment of the Indian soldiers. The Brahmin soldiers saw in this a danger to their caste. This led to the feeling of resentment among them.

Question 15

Question 19Mention any two grievances harboured by the Indian soldiers which created an atmosphere favourable to the First War of Independence.

Accepted Answer

Two grievances harboured by the Indian soldiers which created an atmosphere favourable to the First War of Independence are-All higher positions in employment were reserved for the British, irrespective of their performance.The wages of the Indian soldiers were inadequate to support their families. On the other hand, the British soldiers received more than eight times the salary of the Indian soldiers.

Question 16

Question 20State two effects of the defeat of the British in the first Afghan War and the Punjab Wars on the Indian soldiers.

Accepted Answer

Two effects of the defeat of the British in the first Afghan War and the Punjab Wars on the Indian soldiers are-The defeat of the British broke the myth that the British were invincible.It revealed to the Indian soldiers that the British army could be defeated by the determined Indian army.

Question 17

Question 21What was the immediate cause of the First War of Independence?

Accepted Answer

The immediate cause of the First War of Independence was the introduction of the Enfield rifle. The loading process of the Enfield rifle involved bringing the cartridge to the mouth and biting off the top greased paper with the teeth.In January 1857, there was a rumour in the Bengal regiments that the greased cartridge had the fat of cow or pig. The sepoys were now convinced that the introduction of greased cartridges was a deliberate move to defile Hindu and Muslim religions. So, the soldiers refused to use these cartridges and staged an uprising when they were forced to use them.

Question 18

Question 22Who was Mangal Pandey? What did he do?

Accepted Answer

Mangal Pandey was a Brahmin sepoy, who refused to use the Enfield rifles.He led an attack on the Adjutant of the 34th Native Infantry at Barrackpore on March 29, 1857. He was executed after a court martial.

Question 19

Question 23State two consequences of the First War of Indian Independence on the East India Company.

Accepted Answer

Two consequences of the First War of Indian Independence on the East India Company are-End of the Company's rule in IndiaThe British rulers declared emphatically their policy of non-interference in the religious affairs, customs and traditions of the Indians.

Question 20

Question 24What were the aims of India's foreign policy after the Queen's Proclamation?

Accepted Answer

The aims of India's foreign policy after the Queen's Proclamation were:protection of its Indian Empireexpansion of British economic and commercial interests in Asia and Africa.

The First War of Independence, 1857

Assertion A Reason R

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