ICSE Class 10 History Civics | The First War of Independence (The Great Uprising of 1857) | Questions and Answers

Qus 1. By what other name is India's 'First War of Independence' known as?

Ans. "The Great Uprising of 1857" or the Revolt of 1857 or the Sepoy Mutiny

Qus 2. Name the policy of annexation followed by Lord Dalhousie.

Ans. The policy of annexation followed by Lord Dalhousie was the Doctrine of Lapse.

Under this doctrine, his kingdom would automatically lapse to the British if an Indian ruler died without a natural heir.

Qus 3. Give reasons as to why Nana Sahib was angry with the British.

Ans. The British refused to recognize his adoption as the heir to the Maratha throne and denied him pension and rights.

or

The British refused to recognize him as the Peshwa (heir to Baji Rao II) and stopped his pension, denying his adopted status.

Qus 4. Why was the introduction of railways and telegraph resented?

Ans. People were suspicious of the introduction of modern innovations like railways and telegraphs. Religious sentiments were hurt when a tax was imposed on property held by temples and mosques.

Qus 5. Why was Oudh annexed by Lord Dalhousie?

Ans. The Doctrine of Lapse caused territories to be annexed by the English, and this angered the Indian rulers. Disrespect shown to Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Oudh, annexation of Oudh and disbanding of armies of annexed states angered the people and soldiers who wanted to take revenge.

Qus 6. Why were the educated Indians against the British Government?

Ans. The shifting of emphasis from oriental learning to western education was not well received by the people, especially the Pandits and the Maulvis, who saw it as an attempt to discourage traditional Islamic and Hindu studies.

The policy of racial discrimination made the English believe that they belonged to a ruling class and had a feeling of superiority. They looked down upon Indians and treated them with arrogance and often insulted them. Such acts of unjust discrimination alienated the British from the Indian masses.

Educated Indians became jobless, their posts were reduced, and higher salaries were reserved for the British, so they felt discontented.

Qus 7. What was the General Service Enlistment Act?

Ans. The General Service Enlistment Act forced Indian sepoys to be sent to fight even on an overseas front, even though they had aided the British in setting up their Empire in India but were ill-paid and ill-treated. The sepoys opposed this Act.

Qus 8. What was the immediate cause of the Great Uprising of 1857?

Ans. The immediate cause was the introduction of the Enfield Rifle which used greased cartridges. A rumour spread that cow and pig fat was used to grease the cartridges. This angered the Hindu as well as the Muslim sepoys.

Qus 9. Give two results of the Great Uprising of 1857.

Ans. The Company's Rule ended and the designation of the Governor-General changed. The Governor-General now came to be known as the Viceroy. The British Government was forced to accept previous treaties.

Indian Princes were appeased by the English for aiding in suppression of the Great Uprising. The Peshwa and Mughal line were abolished, followed by the policy of 'Divide and Rule'. With the rise of nationalism the English increased expenditure on the army.

Qus 10. Give one change brought by the British in the army after the Great Uprising of 1857.

Ans. One change brought by the British in the army after the Great Uprising of 1857 was that European troops were increased as troops of the Crown and the Company combined.

Indian sepoys were mixed across castes/religions in regiments to prevent unity.

Qus 11. Give a brief outline of the major cause of the war of 1857. Where did the war of Revolt begin?

Ans. Many political causes antagonized the Indian rulers against the British rule. These included the discontentment of the rulers of Indian states, the Subsidiary Alliance system, and the Doctrine of Lapse.

The revolt started at Meerut on 10th May 1857.

Qus 12. What was the Doctrine of Lapse? Who used this doctrine for the first time in India? Name the three states annexed by the British using this doctrine.

Ans. The Doctrine of Lapse implied that if an Indian ruler died without a natural heir, his kingdom would automatically lapse to the British.

This doctrine was First used by Lord Dalhousie .

States annexed by the British using this doctrine are Satara (1848), Jhansi (1854), and Nagpur (1854).

Qus 13. How did people in India look upon the social reforms brought about by the British?

Ans. The British government's attempt to interfere in the social and religious life of the Indians led to widespread fear among the masses. Acts like the abolition of Sati, laws permitting conversion, and the Widow Remarriage Act were seen as interference in their religious sentiments. The English adopted forceful and violent methods to spread Christianity. English education also hurt the sentiments of the communities.

Qus 14. With regard to handicrafts and cottage industries, what were the consequences of the British policy of making India a raw material producing country?

Ans. Exploiting economic resources and subordinating Indian economy to the interests of British trade and industry led to the decline of Indian industry. Indian industrial towns such as Dhaka and Surat declined. Heavy duties on Indian silk and cotton textiles in Britain destroyed Indian industries. The British pursued a policy of discouraging Indian industries and made India a supplier of raw materials and a consumer of finished goods from Britain.

Qus 15. Give any two grievances of the peasantry against the British.

Ans. Two grievances of the peasantry against the British are:

i. The economic policies of the British resulted in impoverishing all the segments of Indian society, except a handful of collaborators among the Indians. The East India Company reduced agricultural India to an English economic colony to serve the interests of industrial England.

ii. Heavy taxation, coupled with famines, crippled the life and economy of people. They were frustrated with their economic condition and thought that their lot would improve only after the British left India.

Qus 16. Give the meaning of absentee sovereignty. Why was it resented by the Indians?

Ans. Absentee Sovereignty refers to the rule of the British, who were geographically distant from India. The revenues collected from the Indians were spent in India only, but a part of Britain's expenses, the Indian Funds, were met from England and India's wealth was drained to England and not utilised for their welfare. The British did not live in the villages and were unaware of their customs and traditions. The rulers also felt that the British rulers did not take reasonable care of them.

Qus 17. What was the Subsidiary Alliance? Mention two states brought under the British control using the Subsidiary Alliance.

Ans. The Subsidiary Alliance was an agreement which the British concluded with many Indian rulers. The British promised to protect these rulers from attacks by others. In return, the rulers gave away many of their powers to the British and became largely dependent on them.

Two states brought under the British control using the Subsidiary Alliance are Hyderabad and Awadh.