Solution

VIII HISTORY CH-5 REVISION WORKSHEET

Class 08 - Social Science

1.
(d) Sir Henry Lawrence
Explanation:
During the mutiny of 1857, Begum Hazrat Mahal led the revolt from Lucknow. The British were led by their Resident, Sir
Henry Lawrence. The sudden attack forced Sir Lawrence to take refuge in the Residency Building. However, the Begum and
her forces followed him there too and Sir Lawrence was successfully killed in the attack.

2. (a) Only A
Explanation:
The British Resident, also known as Political Agents of British East India Company, was a government official who took up
residence in a princely state and conducted several official diplomatic functions that aided in the British indirect rule.
3.
(b) Mangal Pandey
Explanation:
Mangal Pandey was an Indian soldier who played a key role in the events immediately preceding the outbreak of the Indian
rebellion of 1857. His attack on the British officers on March 29, 1857, in Barrackpore, was the first major incident of the
Sepoy Mutiny. He was arrested and was hanged to death.

4. (a) The Rangoon Jail

Explanation:
He was tried and awarded life imprisonment for his support to the rebellions.
5. (a) Queen Victoria
Explanation:
After the Indian rebellion of 1857, the East India Company's rule was abolished in 1858. On 2nd August 1858, the British
government assumed the task of administering India in the new British Raj by passing the Government of India Act. The Bill
called for the dissolution of the British East India Company that was ruling India under the patronage of the Parliament and
transfer of that power to the British Crown. So Queen Victoria took over the administration of India.
6.
(b) Bahadur Shah Zafar
Explanation:
In 1849, Governor-General Dalhousie announced that after the death of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the family of the king would be
shifted out of the Red Fort and given another place in Delhi to reside in. Governor-General Canning decided that Bahadur
Shah Zafar would be the last Mughal king and after his death, none of his descendants would be recognised as kings – they
would just be called princes.

7. (a) conversion into Christianity easier

Explanation:
Britishers wanted to encourage Indians to convert into Christians. This law also allowed converted Christians to inherit the
property of their ancestors.
8.
(d) Viceroy
Explanation:
As the British Crown took over the administration a new title of Viceroy was introduced for the supreme representation of the
British Government in India.

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 9.
(b) Meerut
Explanation:
Meerut is the place where sepoys mutinied and a large number of people from different sections of society rose up in rebellion.

10.
(c)
Issue of the cartridges (suspected of being coated with the fat of cows and pigs) used in the new Enfield rifle introduced by the
British.

Explanation:
The government sent parties of men from each regiment to different garrisons for instructing the use of the new Enfield rifle.
The soldiers had to bit off the cartridge before loading these rifles. Rumours had it that the cartridges were coated with the fat
of cows and pigs. People thought that the English aimed to turn them all into Christians since both Muslims and Hindus would
be defiled by using it. This infuriated the sepoys and became a major cause of the mutiny.

11.

12.
(c) A is true but R is false.
Explanation:
Sepoys of the regiment at Meerut refused to do the army drill using the new cartridges, which were suspected of being coated
with the fat of cows and pigs. Eighty-five sepoys were dismissed from service and sentenced to ten years in jail for disobeying
their officers. This happened on 9 May 1857.

13.
(d) A is false but R is true.
Explanation:
In May 1867, the rebel sepoys of Meerut forced their way into the Red Fort and proclaimed Bahadur Shah Zafar as their leader.
The emperor was not quite willing to challenge the mighty British power but the soldiers persisted. The ageing emperor
had to accept this demand and this step of the emperor had great implications. Bahadur Shah Zafar’s decision to bless the
rebellion changed the entire situation dramatically as people could now see an alternative possibility.

14.
(c) A is true but R is false.
Explanation:

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 Sitaram Pande was a sepoy in the Bengal Native Army. He served the English for 48 years and retired in 1860. He helped
the British to suppress the rebellion though his own son was a rebel and was killed by the British in front of his eyes.

15. (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
Explanation:
Sati (also known as "suttee") was a common practice in India, burning a woman alive with her husband's dead body, is the most
influential and controversial sacrament. A woman dies alongside her husband because she believes it as her duty. The British
felt it was very wrong and so they believed that Indian society had to be reformed and Laws were passed to stop the practice of
sati.
16. (a) Kanpur
Explanation:
When Nana Saheb the adopted son of Baji Rao II was refused the pension of his father after the latter's death he joined the
Sepoy battalions at Kanpur in the rebellion in June 1857. He led the rebellion from Kanpur but was defeated and was driven
into the Nepal hills.
17.
(c) Meerut
Explanation:
On 24th April, many Indian soldiers refused to accept the greased cartridges. On 9th of May 85 of them were dismissed,
sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment and put in jail. This sparked of a general Mutiny among the Indian soldiers stationed at
Meerut on 10th May, 1857.

18.
(b) Vellore
Explanation:
In 1806, the Indian soldiers were ordered to wear turbans and leather boots and were forbidden from wearing earrings or use
holy ash on their forehead. On July 10, 1806 they revolted from the Fort of Vellore in South India but were brutally forced to
subjugation by the British.

19. The British introduced several reforms:

(a) They passed laws to stop the practice of sati and to encourage the remarriage of widows.
(b) They promoted English language education.
(c) In 1850, the company passed a new law that made the conversion to Christianity easier. Many Indians began to feel that the
British were destroying their religion, their social customs and their traditional way of life. But at the same time there were other
Indians who readily accepted the reforms introduced by the British. In fact, wanted to change existing social practices.
20. (i) (d), (ii) (c), (iii) (a), (iv) (e), (v) (b)
21. i. After the annexation of Jhansi, Awadh was one of the last territories to be annexed.
ii. In 1801, the Subsidiary Alliance was imposed on Awadh.
iii. In 1856, Awadh was taken over by Governor-General Dalhousie.
iv. He declared that the territory was being misgoverned and British rule was needed to ensure proper administration.
22. Reasons for their discontentment:
(a) The Indian sepoys were given poor salaries and allowances.
(b) The conditions of service also made them unhappy.
(c) Some of the new rules violated their religious sentiments and beliefs.
(d) Those were the days when many people in the country believed that if they crossed the sea they would lose their religion and
caste. So, when in 1824 the sepoys were told to go to Burma by the sea route to fight for the company, they refused to follow this
order. As a result, they were given severe punishment.
(e)In 1856, the company passed a new law which stated that every new person who took up employment in the company’s army
has to agree to serve overseas if required.
23. The British had regained control of the country by the end of 1859, but they could not carry on ruling the land with the same
policies any more. The British Parliament passed a new Act in 1858 and transferred the powers of the East India Company to the
British Crown in order to ensure a more responsible management of Indian affairs. A member of the British Cabinet was
appointed Secretary of State for India and made responsible for all matters related to the governance of India. He was given a

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 council to advise him, called the India Council. The Governor-General of India was given the title of Viceroy, that is, a personal
representative of the Crown. Through these measures, the British government accepted direct responsibility for ruling India.
24. The British introduced many reforms in India:
i. Laws were passed to stop the practice of Sati and to encourage the remarriage of widows.
ii. They promoted the English language education in Indian society.
iii. English language education was actively promoted.
iv. In 1850, a new law was passed to make a conversion to Christianity easier. This law allowed an Indian who had converted to
Christianity to inherit the property of his ancestors.
Many Indians began to feel that the British were destroying their religion, their social customs and their traditional way of life.
But many Indians who wanted to change existing social practices accepted the reforms.
25. After the British were routed from Delhi, there was no uprising for almost a week. Then, a spurt of mutinies began. The people of
the towns and villages also rose up in rebellion and rallied around local leaders, zamindars and chiefs who also were desperate to
establish their authority and fight the British. Nanasaheb, the adopted son of the late Peshwa Baji Rao, gathered armed forces,
expelled the British garrison from his city. He proclaimed himself Peshwa. He declared that he was a governor under Emperor
Bahadur Shah Zafar. In Delhi, a large number of ghazis or religious warriors came together. Bakht Khan, a soldier from Bareilly,
took charge of a large force of fighters who came to Delhi and became a key military leader of the rebellion.
26. The revolt of 1857 had a popular character due to two reasons. These are:
i. The revolt was started by the Indian sepoys employed by the East India Company and continued by them all over North India.
These sepoys were mostly ordinary people from peasant families in rural areas and so it was a popular uprising.
ii. The leaders of the revolt were the local rulers and chieftains, most of whom were well-liked by the populace due to their
treatment of the people under their control. Thus most of them, with a few exceptions, were popular rulers.
All the above people disliked the British officials, whom they felt were interfering in their normal way of life. Due to this, the
revolt developed a popular character.
27. (i) After the British were routed from Delhi there was no uprising for almost a week. Then a spurt of mutinies began.
(ii) Regiment after Regiment mutinied and took off to join other troops at nodal points like Delhi, Kanpur and Lucknow.
(iii)After them, the people of the towns and villages also rose up in rebellion. They raised around local leaders, zamindars and
chiefs who were prepared to established their authority and fight the British.
(iv) In this rebel Nana Saheb of Kanpur, Birjis Qadr of Lucknow and his mother Begum Hazrat Mahal, Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi
took active part in organizing the uprising against the British. Rani Avantibai Lodhi of Ramgarh raised and led the army agains the
British who had taken over the administration of her state.
(v)Many new leaders also came up and joined the revolt. Ahmaduallh Shah, a maulvi from Faizabad, came Lucknow to fight the
British.
28. The British did not need to justify the takeover of India to themselves, as it was part of their policy of colonialism. To the outside
world, they justified it by saying that they were civilising the natives, who were following uncivilised traditions and practices. As
part of their policy, they economically impoverished India by taking away products valued by them at throwaway prices or as
taxes for governing the people. This policy was not justified because India lost much of its resources to the British, resulting in the
poverty which we see and feel even today. Further, there were many loopholes in the policy which could be used by individuals
for their personal gain and enjoyment at the cost of the country.
29. A.The company did not get nervous to see the strength of the rebel forces. Instead, it decided to suppress the revolt with all its
might.
B.It brought reinforcements from England, passed new laws so that the rebels could be convicted with ease, and the revolt. Delhi
was recaptured from the rebel forces in September 1857.
C.The last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar was tried in court and sentence to life imprisonment. He and his wife were sent
to prison in Rangoon in October 1858.
D.The recaptured of Delhi did not mean that the rebellion died down completely. People continued to resist and battle the British.
So, the British had to fight for two years to suppress the massive forces of popular rebellion.
E.The British took Lucknow in 1858. Rani Lakshmibai was defeated and killed in June 1858. Tanita Tope, who fought a guerrllia
war, was finally captured, tried and killed in April 1859.

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