When People Revolt 1857 and After Class 8 History Chapter 5 Extra Questions are available here. These extra questions are prepared by the subject experts of our team.
When People Revolt 1857 and After Class 8 History Chapter 5 Extra Questions
Question 1: What happened to the power of nawabs and rajas since the mid-eighteenth century?
Answer: Nawabs and rajas saw their power erode, losing their authority and honour. Residents were stationed in many courts, reducing the freedom of the rulers, disbanding their armed forces, and taking away their revenues and territories by stages.
Question 2: How did ruling families try to protect their interests with the Company?
Answer: Many ruling families tried to negotiate with the Company to protect their interests.
Question 3: What was Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi’s request to the Company?
Answer: Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi wanted the Company to recognize her adopted son as the heir to the kingdom after the death of her husband.
Question 4: What did Nana Saheb, the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II, plead for?
Answer: Nana Saheb pleaded that he be given his father’s pension when the latter died.
Question 5: How did the Company respond to the pleas of Rani Lakshmibai and Nana Saheb?
Answer: The Company turned down these pleas, confident of its superiority and military powers.
Question 6: Which territory was one of the last to be annexed by the Company?
Answer: Awadh was one of the last territories to be annexed.
Question 7: What happened to Awadh in 1801 and 1856?
Answer: In 1801, a subsidiary alliance was imposed on Awadh, and in 1856 it was taken over.
Question 8: What did Governor-General Dalhousie declare about Awadh?
Answer: Governor-General Dalhousie declared that Awadh was being misgoverned and that British rule was needed to ensure proper administration.
Question 9: What actions did the Company take to end the Mughal dynasty?
Answer: The name of the Mughal king was removed from the coins minted by the Company, and in 1849, Governor-General Dalhousie announced that after Bahadur Shah Zafar’s death, the king’s family would be shifted out of the Red Fort and given another place to reside in Delhi. In 1856, Governor-General Canning decided that Bahadur Shah Zafar would be the last Mughal king, and after his death, his descendants would not be recognized as kings, only as princes.
Question 10: Why did peasants and zamindars in the countryside resent the Company’s policies?
Answer: Peasants and zamindars resented the high taxes and the rigid methods of revenue collection.
Question 11: What happened to peasants who failed to pay back their loans to the moneylenders?
Answer: Many peasants gradually lost the lands they had tilled for generations.
Question 12: Why were the Indian sepoys in the employ of the Company discontented?
Answer: The sepoys were unhappy about their pay, allowances, and conditions of service. Some new rules violated their religious sensibilities and beliefs.
Question 13: What was the belief of many people in the country regarding crossing the sea?
Answer: Many people believed that if they crossed the sea, they would lose their religion and caste.
Question 14: What happened in 1824 when the sepoys were told to go to Burma by the sea route?
Answer: The sepoys refused to follow the order to go by the sea route, though they agreed to go by the land route. They were severely punished, and the issue did not die down.
Question 15: What law did the Company pass in 1856 regarding the sepoys?
Answer: In 1856, the Company passed a new law stating that every new person who took up employment in the Company’s army had to agree to serve overseas if required.
Question 16: How did the sepoys react to what was happening in the countryside?
Answer: Many sepoys, being peasants with families living in the villages, quickly spread the anger of the peasants among themselves.
Question 17: What reforms did the British introduce in Indian society?
Answer: The British passed laws to stop the practice of sati and encourage the remarriage of widows. They actively promoted English-language education.
Question 18: How did the Company’s stance towards Christian missionaries change after 1830?
Answer: After 1830, the Company allowed Christian missionaries to function freely in its domain and even own land and property.
Question 19: What new law was passed in 1850 regarding conversion to Christianity?
Answer: In 1850, a new law was passed to make conversion to Christianity easier, allowing an Indian who had converted to inherit the property of his ancestors.
Question 20: How did many Indians perceive the British actions regarding religion and social customs?
Answer: Many Indians began to feel that the British were destroying their religion, social customs, and traditional way of life.
Question 21: What was the sentiment among some Indians regarding existing social practices?
Answer: Some Indians wanted to change existing social practices.
Question 22: What can cause struggles between rulers and the ruled to become widespread?
Answer: Such struggles can become widespread when a large number of people believe they have a common enemy and rise up against that enemy simultaneously.
Question 23: What significant event occurred in northern India in 1857?
Answer: In 1857, a massive uprising began in northern India, threatening the presence of the English East India Company. Sepoys mutinied starting from Meerut, and people from various sections of society joined in rebellion.
Question 24: How is the 1857 uprising characterized in historical context?
Answer: Some historians regard the 1857 uprising as the biggest armed resistance to colonialism in the nineteenth century globally.
Question 25: What event triggered the initial unrest among Indian soldiers in April 1857?
Answer: The hanging of Mangal Pandey on 8 April 1857 for attacking his officers in Barrackpore.
Question 26: Why did some sepoys at Meerut refuse to use the new cartridges in May 1857?
Answer: The new cartridges were suspected of being coated with the fat of cows and pigs, which was against religious beliefs.
Question 27: What was the consequence of the sepoys’ refusal at Meerut?
Answer: Eighty-five sepoys were dismissed from service and sentenced to ten years in jail for disobeying their officers on 9 May 1857.
Question 28: What was the response of Indian soldiers in Meerut to the punishment of their fellow sepoys?
Answer: On 10 May, the soldiers marched to the jail in Meerut, released the imprisoned sepoys, attacked and killed British officers, captured guns and ammunition, and set fire to British buildings and properties.
Question 29: Who did the soldiers in Meerut declare as their leader during the uprising?
Answer: The soldiers declared Bahadur Shah Zafar, the Mughal emperor, as their leader.
Question 30: What did Bahadur Shah Zafar do in response to the soldiers’ declaration?
Answer: Bahadur Shah Zafar accepted the soldiers’ demand to lead them. He wrote letters to chiefs and rulers across the country, calling for a confederacy of Indian states to fight the British.
Question 31: What effect did Bahadur Shah Zafar’s acceptance have on the uprising?
Answer: His acceptance dramatically changed the situation, inspiring hope and confidence among Indians who saw an alternative to British rule.
Question 32: What happened after the British were driven out of Delhi during the uprising?
Answer: After the British were routed from Delhi, there was no uprising for almost a week as news spread. Then, a spurt of mutinies began.
Question 33: Where did the mutinied regiments gather?
Answer: Mutinied regiments gathered at nodal points like Delhi, Kanpur, and Lucknow, joining other troops.
Question 34: Who were some prominent leaders in the uprising?
Answer: Nana Saheb in Kanpur declared himself Peshwa under Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. In Lucknow, Birjis Qadr was proclaimed Nawab, acknowledging Bahadur Shah Zafar’s suzerainty. Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi and Tantia Tope fought alongside rebel sepoys. Rani Avantibai Lodhi led an army in Madhya Pradesh against the British.
Question 35: How did the British respond to the uprising?
Answer: The British were outnumbered and suffered defeats in several battles, convincing the people that British rule had collapsed and giving confidence to join the uprising.
Question 36: What was the situation in Awadh during the uprising?
Answer: Awadh experienced widespread popular uprising, causing fear among the British forces as every village and zamindar opposed them.
Question 37: Who were some new leaders that emerged during the uprising?
Answer: Ahmadullah Shah from Faizabad raised a large force, prophesying the end of British rule. Bakht Khan from Bareilly became a key military leader in Delhi. Kunwar Singh, an old zamindar from Bihar, also joined the rebel sepoys in battling the British.
Question 38: What was the role of religious warriors (ghazis) in Delhi during the uprising?
Answer: A large number of ghazis gathered in Delhi to fight the British alongside leaders like Bakht Khan.
Question 39: How did the East India Company respond to the uprising’s scale?
Answer: The Company decided to repress the revolt forcefully, bringing reinforcements from England, passing new laws for easier conviction of rebels, and moving into the revolt’s storm centres.
Question 40: What happened to Bahadur Shah Zafar after Delhi was recaptured in September 1857?
Answer: Bahadur Shah Zafar was tried in court, sentenced to life imprisonment, and sent to prison in Rangoon with his wife Begum Zinat Mahal in October 1858. Bahadur Shah Zafar died in the Rangoon jail in November 1862.
Question 41: Did the recapture of Delhi mark the end of the uprising?
Answer: No, the uprising continued despite the recapture of Delhi. People persisted in resisting and battling the British for two more years.
Question 42: What happened to Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi and Rani Avantibai during the suppression of the uprising?
Answer: Rani Lakshmibai was defeated and killed in June 1858. Rani Avantibai, after initial victories, chose death when surrounded by the British.
Question 43: What was Tantia Tope’s fate after the uprising’s suppression?
Answer: Tantia Tope escaped to the jungles of central India and continued a guerrilla war with tribal and peasant support. He was captured, tried, and killed in April 1859.
Question 44: How did the British attempt to regain loyalty after suppressing the uprising?
Answer: The British announced rewards for loyal landholders and assured rebels that if they submitted and had not killed any white people, their safety and land rights would be respected.
Question 45: What was the fate of many sepoys, rebels, nawabs, and rajas after the uprising?
Answer: Hundreds were tried and hanged for their participation in the uprising.
Question 46: What major changes did the British introduce after regaining control of India by the end of 1859?
Answer: The British Parliament passed a new Act in 1858 transferring powers from the East India Company to the British Crown. A Secretary of State for India was appointed with an India Council to advise him. The Governor-General of India was given the title of Viceroy, marking direct British responsibility for ruling India.
Question 47: How were the ruling chiefs of India affected by the British changes?
Answer: Ruling chiefs were assured that their territories would not be annexed in the future. They could pass on their kingdoms to heirs, including adopted sons, but they had to acknowledge the British Queen as their Sovereign Paramount.
Question 48: What changes were made regarding the composition of the army?
Answer: The proportion of Indian soldiers was reduced while European soldiers were increased. Recruitment shifted from regions like Awadh, Bihar, central India, and south India to include more Gurkhas, Sikhs, and Pathans.
Question 49: How did the British treat Muslims after the uprising?
Answer: Muslims faced large-scale confiscation of land and property, as the British suspected them of significant involvement in the uprising.
Question 50: What approach did the British adopt towards religious and social practices in India?
Answer: The British decided to respect the customary religious and social practices of the Indian people.
Question 51: How did the British policy change towards landlords and zamindars?
Answer: Policies were implemented to protect landlords and zamindars, ensuring security of rights over their lands.
Question 52: What marked the beginning of a new phase of history after 1857?
Answer: The changes introduced by the British marked the beginning of a new phase in Indian history after 1857.