CLASS – 8 CHAPTER-7 REVOLT OF 1857 A. Choose the correct answer and fill in the blanks :- 1. (a) the doctrine of lapse 2. (d) machine-made 3. (a) Mangal Pandey 4. (b) Begum Hazrat Mahal 5. (b) greased cartridges B. Match the columns :- 1. Kanpur — Nana Saheb 2. Bareilly — Khan bahadur khan 3. Delhi — Bhakt Khan 4. Lucknow — Begum Hazrat Mahal 5. Bihar — Kunwar Singh C. Fill in the blanks :- 1. Doctrine of lapse 2. Soldiers 3. Meerut 4. Bahadur Shah 5. Territorial annexation D. State whether true or false. If false, correct the statement. 1. True 2. False – the social reforms introduced by the British were considered as unnecessary interferences by the British in the social customs of Indian society 3. true 4. True 5. True E. Answer the following questions in 10 5.20 words :- 1. What profession did the artisans and craft men turn to when they could no longer make profit from their products ? ANS : the artisans and craftmen were forced to work according to the desire of the servants of the company and in return, received very little remuneration. 2 . Why did the soldiers not want to use the greased cartridges ? ANS : At that time it was believed that the grease used in the cartridges was made from the fat of cows and pigs. Both Hindu and Muslim soldiers refused to use the greased cartridges as it hurt their religious sentiments. 3. Who led the revolt against the British in awadh? Ans: Begum Hazrat Mahal led the revolt against the British in Awadh. 4. Name a few leaders who led the various rebellions and revolts around the country. ANS: Kunwar Singh, Begum Hazrat Mahal,Nana saheb, Bhakt khan, Khan Bahadur Khan were few leaders who led the various and revolts around the country. F. Answer the following questions in 50-70 words. 1. Why were the social reforms introduced by the British recent advice by the Indians? ANS: Certain laws Passed by thecompanies government including useful social legislation like the abolition of sati, female infanticide and encouragement of widow remarriage were considered as unnecessary interferences by the British in the social customs of Indian society. 2. How far was the Doctrine of Lapse responsible for the revolt of 1857? ANS: Doctrine of lapse is one of the major cause of revolt. According to this doctrine if any ruler die without any male heir their regions will be annexed and came under British control. Several princely states like Satara, Jhansi, Udaipur were annexed. But by annexation of awadh, it created and atmosphere of rebellion. It adversely affected the sepoy’s pursue. Dalhousie that he wanted to free people from nawab’s mismanagement and taluqdars operation but got no relief further added anger among peoples. It also created panic among rulers of native states. 3. Name the areas where support for the revolt was strong and places where the revolt failed to penetrate. ANS: the revolt covered the entire territory from Delhi to Bihar in the East. Revolts occurred in Lucknow, Kanpur and Jhansi. In Kanpur, Nana Saheb became the leader of the rebels while in Jhansi Rani Lakshmi Bai challenged the British. In Bihar, Kunwar Singh undertook the leadership of the rebels, while in Lucknow the rebels organised under the leadership of Begum Hazrat Mahal. the soldiers revolted at some places in Rajasthan, Gwalior and Indore but they were easily suppressed. The revolt spread to one or two places in South India but the attempts of revolt in places like Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Sind were thwarted. 4. What were the causes of discontent amongst the soldiers? ANS: Political causes – Lord Dalhousie’s policy of the doctrine of lapse was resented by the ruling class because it curbed their rights of adoption. Annexation of Jhansi , Satara and Nagpur under the doctrine created great resentment. Economic causes – the primary motive of the political domination of India by the British was its economic exploitation. The British utilised their political power for exploiting the economic resources and wealth of India for the benefit of Britain. Social and religious causes— a serious cause of discontentment among all classes of Indians was they became apprehensive of the intentions of the British concerning their religion. Military causes — the sepoys in the the colonial army were unhappy with many rules and regulations imposed by the British. They were paid very low salaries this was not sufficient to fulfill their daily means and they were not assigned any honour or reward after the success in the battle .  Immediate cause — in 1856, the British introduced the Enfield rifle in the army and the soldiers were trained to use them. At that time it was believed that the grease used in the cartridges was made from the fat of cows and pigs. Both Hindu and Muslim soldiers refused to use the greased cartridges as it hurt their religious sentiments. 5. Do you believe that weak leadership was one of the reasons for the failure of the revolt? ANS: the leadership of the revolt was weak and it was not organised under one person or one command. The leaders of the revolt like emperor Bahadur Shah ,Begum Hazrat Mahal , Nana Saheb and Tantia tope, Rani Lakshmi Bai and others neither planned nor coordinated with one another as one unit. G. Answer the following questions in 80 - 100 words. 1. Why did the revolt of 1857 fail to achieve its aim? ANS: the revolt of 1857 was failure due to the following reasons :–  lack of planning — the primary causes of the failure of the revolt were lack of planning and the absence of a central organisation. Attitude of the rulers — Many rulers,including those of Patiala, Jind,Hyderabad and the king of Nepal refused to help the rebels and gave armed support to the British. Limited support — The educated Indians and the upper and middle class did not support the rebels. On the contrary, they supported the British.  Weak leadership — the leadership of the revolt was weak and it was not organised under one person or one command. 2. What changes took place after the revolt of 1857 ? ANS : The revolt of 1857 resulted in significant changes in the administrative structure and the policies of the government. These were the changes introduced by the queen’s proclamation of 1858. The British East India company’s rule came to an end. The board of control and court of directors were abolished. In its place, a Secretary of State for India and the Indian council were created. The army was thoroughly reorganised and the proportion of British soldiers was increased. Indians were divided into martial and non -martial races and regiments were raised on on the basis of caste and region such as Sikh regiment or Jat regiment. The policy of territorial annexation was also brought to an end.