CBSE Class 8 History Our Pasts When People Rebel 1857 and After Worksheet Set B

Very Short Answer

Question. Who wrote the book Majha Pravaas? 
Answer:  The book Majha Pravaas was written by Vishnubhatt Godse, a Brahman from a village in Maharashtra.

Question. When was Mangal Pandey hanged to death and why? 
Answer:  On 29 March 1857, a young soldier, Mangal Pandey, was hanged to death for attacking his officers in Barrackpore.

Question. What was Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah's prophecy? 
Answer:  Ahmadullah Shah, a Maulvi from Faizabad, prophesied that the rule of the British would come to an end soon.

Question. What was the first step taken by the company towards ending the Mughal dynasty? 
Answer:   The name of the Mughal king was removed from the coins minted by the Company.

Question. Who was the Begum Hazrat Mahal? 
Answer:   Begum Hazrat Mahal was the mother of Birjis Qadr. She took an active part in organising the uprising against the British.

Short Answer

Question. How did the Company suppress the revolt? 
Answer:   The Company decided to repress the revolt with all its might. It brought reinforcements from England passed new laws so that the rebels could be convicted with ease and then moved into the storm centres of the revolt. Delhi was recaptured from the rebel forces in September 1857. Lucknow was taken in March 1858. Rani Lakshmibai was defeated and killed in June 1858. Tantia Tope was captured, tried and killed in April 1859.

Question. What was Taiping Rebellion? 
Answer:  Taping Rebellion had started in 1850 and could be suppressed only by the mid-1860s. Thousands of labouring, poor people were led by Hong Xiuquan to fight for the establishment of the Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace.

Question. How did the British succeed in securing the submission of the rebel landowners of Awadh? 
Answer:  The British also tried their best to win back the loyalty of the people. They announced rewards for loyal landholders would be allowed to continue to enjoy traditional rights over their lands. Those who had rebelled were told that if they submitted to the British and if they had not killed any white people they would remain safe and their rights and claims to land would not be denied.

Question. What happened to the Nawabs when the British established political power in India? 
Answer:  When British established political power in India:
1. The Nawabs and Rajas lost their authority and honour.
2. British Residents were stationed in all the courts, the freedom of the rulers reduced, their armed forces disbanded and territories taken away by stages.

Question. On what condition the ruling chiefs could pass on their kingdoms to their heirs? 
Answer:   All ruling chiefs of the country were assured that their territory would never be annexed in future. They were allowed to pass on their kingdoms to their heirs, including adopted sons. However, they were made to acknowledge the British Queen as their Sovereign Paramount. 

Long Answer

Question. What impact did Bahadur Shah Zafar’s support to the rebellion have on the people and the ruling families? 
Answer: 
Bahadur Shah Zafar’s support to the rebellion boosted the morale of the people and the ruling families because:
1. The people of the towns and villages also rose up in rebellion and rallied around local leaders; zamindars and chiefs who were prepared to establish their authority and fight the British.
2. Nana Saheb, the adopted son of the late Peshwa Baji Rao, gathered armed forces and expelled the British garrison from the city.
3. In Lucknow, Birjis Qadr, the son of the deposed Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, was proclaimed the new Nawab. He too acknowledged the suzerainty of Bahadur
Shah Zafar.
4. In Jhansi, Rani Lakshmibai joined the rebel sepoys and fought the British along with Tantia Tope, the general of Nana Saheb.

Question. Why did the Indian soldiers get angry at the British? 
Answer:  Indian soldiers get angry at the British because they were unhappy about their pay, allowances and conditions of service. Some of the new rules violated their religious sensibilities and beliefs. Those were the days 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 the order, though they agreed to go by the land route. They were severely punished, and since the issue did not die down, in 1856 the Company passed a new law which stated that every new person who took up employment in the Company’s army had to agree to serve overseas if required. Poor terms of service and pensions, bad pay, lack of promotion, and increased cultural and racial insensitivity from British officers all contributed to the feelings of discontent among the Indian soldiers of the Bengal Army.

Question. Explain in what ways did the British change their policies as a result of the rebellion of 1857?
Answer:  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. All ruling chiefs of the country were assured that their territory would never be annexed in future. They were allowed to pass on their kingdoms to their heirs, including adopted sons. However, they were made to acknowledge the British Queen as their Sovereign Paramount. It was decided that the proportion of Indian soldiers in the army would be reduced and the number of European soldiers would be increased. It was also decided that instead of recruiting soldiers from Awadh, Bihar, central India and south India, more soldiers would be recruited from among the Gurkhas, Sikhs and Pathans. The land and property of Muslims was confiscated on a large scale and they were treated with suspicion and hostility. The British believed that they were responsible for the rebellion in a big way. The British decided to respect the customary religious and social practices of the people in India. Policies were made to protect landlords and zamindars and give them security of rights over their lands.

Question. Write short note on Subedar Sitaram Pande? 
Answer: Sitaram Pande was the self-proclaimed ruler who pleaded with the British to give his father’s pension when the latter died. Sitaram Pande was a sepoy who helped the British to suppress the rebellion even though his own son was killed by the British in front of his eyes. Sitaram Pande was recruited in 1812 as 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. On retirement he was persuaded by his Commanding Officer, Norgate, to write his memoirs. He completed the writing in 1861 in Awadhi and Norgate translated it into English and had it published under the title From Sepoy to Subedar.

Question. Write short note on Paika Rebellion?
Answer: Paika Rebellion of 1817 is an armed revolt against the British by the Paikas of Khurda in Odisha. The rebellion took form and shape under the leadership of Buxi Jagabandhu Bidyadhara. The resistance movement started in the form of insubordination against the British authorities by Nilakantha Mangaraj, the Raja of Harispur with whom the special Commissioner for Odisha had signed treaty engagement on December 1803. He was dismissed for defying the British authorities and placed under confinement till April 1805, and released on condition of good behaviour and regular payment of tribute. From the Maratha period the relationship between the British and Raja of Kanika was strained on account of practical activities on the coast of Odisha under the latter’s patronage. Resistance movement of Khurda was a significant event in the history of modern Odisha. This was the first resistance movement in the country and Jai Rajguru was the first martyr of India. Although the movement was suppressed by the British Raj but it provided fuel to the future movements happened in the country.