Revolt of 1857 — Set 14

Correct Answer: B. It expanded the Viceroy's councils to include Indian members and provided for legislative councils, part of post-1857 reforms to involve Indians in governance

The Indian Councils Act of 1861 was part of the post-1857 administrative reforms that transferred rule to the British Crown. It expanded the Viceroy's Executive Council for legislative purposes and provided for the creation of legislative councils in the provinces. Most significantly, it allowed for Indian members to be nominated to these councils — a small but symbolically important step toward including Indians in governance. The act was partly a response to the lesson of 1857 that the British needed to consult and involve Indians more in administration to prevent future revolts.

Correct Answer: B. William Tayler

Veer Kunwar Singh's main British opponent in Bihar was William Tayler, who was the Commissioner of Patna Division, and later various British military commanders sent to suppress the Bihar revolt. Kunwar Singh's forces achieved several victories, most notably capturing Jagdishpur in April 1858 just before his death. He also evaded much larger British forces by skillful maneuvering across the Ganga and Rapti rivers. Despite his advanced age and a wound that led to the amputation of his arm, Kunwar Singh maintained effective resistance until his death on April 26, 1858.

Correct Answer: C. Indian nationalist historians who saw it as the culmination of accumulated grievances

The view that the 1857 revolt was the result of accumulated grievances over a century of British rule is associated with Indian nationalist historians who emphasized the broad, structural causes of the revolt. This perspective highlights how British economic exploitation, social interference, political annexations, and racial discrimination over nearly a century created the conditions for the explosion of 1857. This is a more nuanced interpretation than either seeing it as a simple mutiny or as a fully planned nationalist conspiracy. It places the revolt in its proper historical context as a response to long-term colonial misrule.

Correct Answer: C. 1854

Nagpur was annexed by Lord Dalhousie under the Doctrine of Lapse in 1854 after the death of its ruler, Raja Raghoji III Bhonsle, without a natural heir. The annexation of Nagpur, a significant Maratha kingdom, added to the widespread resentment of Dalhousie's annexation policy among Indian rulers and their subjects. Nagpur's annexation followed those of Satara (1848), Jhansi (1853), and preceded Awadh (1856). Together, these annexations created a sense of insecurity among Indian rulers throughout the subcontinent.

Correct Answer: B. It literally means 'black water' (the sea), and crossing it was considered ritually polluting by high-caste Hindus, making the General Service Enlistment Act offensive

Kala pani (literally 'black water') was the term used by high-caste Hindus to refer to the sea. According to their beliefs, crossing the sea caused severe caste pollution and was strictly forbidden. The General Service Enlistment Act of 1856 required new soldiers to serve overseas if ordered, which directly threatened the caste identity of high-caste Bengal Army soldiers. For Brahmin and Rajput soldiers, the prospect of losing their caste by crossing the sea was deeply threatening. This act was therefore seen as an attack on their religion and status, contributing to the resentment that fueled the revolt.

Correct Answer: B. He was betrayed by Man Singh, captured, tried by a military commission, and hanged at Shivpuri on April 18, 1859

Tantia Tope continued guerrilla warfare against the British for nearly a year after the fall of Gwalior in June 1858, evading capture despite British pursuit. He was finally betrayed by Man Singh, the Raja of Narwar, a former ally, in April 1859. Tope was captured, tried by a military commission, and hanged at Shivpuri (in present-day Madhya Pradesh) on April 18, 1859. His execution marked the effective end of the 1857 revolt. Some historians have disputed whether the person executed was actually Tantia Tope, but there is no credible alternative account.

Correct Answer: B. It gave the revolt a symbolic pan-Indian legitimacy by invoking Mughal imperial tradition, providing a political focal point beyond just the sepoys

While Bahadur Shah Zafar had no real political or military power as emperor, his proclamation as the symbolic leader of the revolt had great political significance. By rallying around the Mughal Emperor in Delhi, the revolt acquired a historical and cultural legitimacy that transcended regional and religious divisions. Both Hindus and Muslims could identify with the Mughal Emperor as a symbol of pre-British India. This gave the revolt a broader appeal than a purely religious or regional uprising, and made Delhi the symbolic capital of Indian resistance to British rule.

Correct Answer: B. 28 years

The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885, exactly 28 years after the 1857 revolt. The founding of the INC reflected the political awakening and organizational evolution of the Indian nationalist movement in the decades following 1857. While the INC initially pursued moderate constitutional methods rather than armed revolt, the memory of 1857 remained important to Indian nationalism. The post-1857 changes in governance — including greater inclusion of Indians in administration — created the educated Indian middle class that would staff the INC and lead the later independence movement.

Correct Answer: B. Attacks on British officers and soldiers occurred, and some British civilians were also killed in the violence that followed the Meerut outbreak

During the Meerut revolt on May 10, 1857, after the sepoys freed the imprisoned soldiers and began the uprising, violence spread to include attacks on British officers and their families. Some British civilians, including women and children, were killed in the general violence that accompanied the revolt. This violence against civilians hardened British public opinion against the rebels and gave the British an emotional justification for harsh suppression measures. The British press used such incidents to paint the rebels as savages, while rebel proclamations often portrayed British rule as the original act of violence that forced Indians to revolt.

Correct Answer: B. The Maratha resistance that culminated in the Anglo-Maratha Wars (1775-1818)

Nana Sahib's identity as the adopted heir of the last Peshwa linked the 1857 revolt to the legacy of Maratha resistance against British power. The Peshwa had been the effective ruler of the Maratha Confederacy, which had been defeated by the British in the Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817-18) leading to Peshwa Baji Rao II's exile to Bithur. By leading the revolt at Kanpur in the name of the Peshwa tradition, Nana Sahib symbolically continued the Maratha struggle against British domination. This gave the revolt a dimension of avenging the earlier Maratha defeat and restoring Indian power.