CLASS: 10

SUBJECT:HISTORY
CHAPTER 1 THE FIRST WAR OF INEPENDENCE,1857
1) What were the Political causes for the First War of Independence?
ANS i) The British tried to expand their political power in India by four ways, i,e by
outright wars, by the system of Subsidiary Alliance, by adopting the Doctrine of Lapse
and on the pretext of alleged misrule.
ii) Bahadur Shah Zafar, the Mughal ruler’s name was removed from the coins
minted by the Company. The successors of Bahadur Shah Zafar would not be
permitted to use the Red Fort as their palace.
iii) The British refused to grant Nana Saheb the pension they were paying to
Baji Rao II.
IV) Absentee Sovereignty of the British means that India was being ruled by the
British government from England and India’s wealth was being drained to England
and not utilized for their welfare.
2) What is meant by Subsidiary Alliance? Who introduced it?
Ans. Subsidiary Alliance was an agreement between the British East India Company
and the Indian Princely States by virtue of which these states lost their sovereignty.
Lord Wellesley introduced it.
3) What were the conditions of the Subsidiary Alliance?
Ans.i) Indian Princes accepted the British as the supreme power
ii ) They surrendered their foreign relations to the East India Company
iii) Indian rulers accepted a British Resident at their headquarters .
iv) They agreed to maintain British troops at their own cost and virtually lost their
independence.
4) With whom did the British negotiate the Subsidiary Alliance at the
earliest? Name the other states who accepted the Subsidiary Alliance .
Ans. The Nawab of Awadh was the first one to negotiate S.A with the British.
The Nizam of Hyderabad, the ruler of Mysore, the Raja of Tanjore, Sindia and the
Rajput States of Jodhpur accepted the S.A.
5) Explain the term ’Doctrine of Lapse’. Name the States annexed by the British
using the Doctrine of Lapse.
ANS .Lord Dalhousie , the Governor – General of India, annexed many Indian States to
the Company using the Doctrine of Lapse.
According to this Doctrine, if an Indian ruler died without a male heir, his kingdom
would ‘lapse’ to the British.
The prominent states that annexed were Jhansi, Satara, Jaitpur, Sambalpur, Udaipur
and Nagpur.

6) Which policy was used by Lord Dalhousie against Rani Laxmi Bai? Why did
Rani Laxmi Bai become a bitter enemy of the British?
Ans.The Doctrine of Lapse
When the ruler of Jhansi died in 1853, leaving no natural heir, the widowed Rani was
pensioned and their adopted son, Anand Rao was not recognized as a lawful
successor to the throne.
7) How did the Nawab of Carnatic and Tanjore lose their title?
Ans. The principle of Doctrine of Lapse was applied to take away the titles
and pensions of the rulers of the Nawabs of Carnatic & Tanjore.
8) On what basis Awadh was annexed to the Company’s dominions ? Mention
the consequences of annexation .
Ans. Lord Dalhousie annexed Awadh to the Company’s dominions on the pretext of
alleged misrule.
Consequences on the people
i) They had to pay higher land revenue and additional taxes on food, house and
ferries.
ii) The dissolution of the Nawab of Awadh’s army and administration threw thousands
of nobles, officials and soldiers out of jobs.
iii) The British confiscated the estates of the taluqdars and zamindars.The
dispossessed taluqdars became the opponents of the British rule.
iv) The annexation of Awadh also affected the soldiers financial position. They had to
pay higher taxes on the land their families held in Awadh.
9) Who was Nana Sahib? What was his main grievance against the British?
Ans. Nana Sahib was the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II, the last Peshwa.
His main grievances were
i) The British refused to grant Nana Saheb the pension they were paying to Baji Rao II.
ii) Nana Saheb was forced to live at Kanpur, far away from his family seat at Poona.
10) State the political activities into which Nana Sahib was involved?
Ans.i) Nana Saheb had inherited wealth from the former Peshwa, which he utilized in
sending emissaries to different parts of the country for generating awareness among
the Indians about the British policies.
ii) Nana Saheb also travelled between Delhi and Lucknow to gather support for the
movement.
11) State two announcements which adversely affected the Mughal dynasty in India.
Ans.i) In 1849, Lord Dalhousie announced that successors of Bahadur Shah Zafar
would not be permitted to use the Red Fort as their palace. They were required to
shift to a place near the Qutab Minar.
ii)In 1856, Lord Canning announced that after the death of Bahadur Shah, his
successors would not be allowed to use the imperial titles with their names and
would be known as mere princes.
12) Give the meaning of Absentee Sovereignty. Why was it resented by the Indians?
Ans.i) Absentee Sovereignty of the British means that India was being ruled by the
British government from England, at a distance of thousands of miles.
ii) The earlier rulers like the Mughals, who had conquered India, had settled in India.
The revenues they collected from the Indians were spent in India only.
iii) In case of Britain, the Indians felt that they were being ruled from England and
India’s wealth was being drained to England and not used for their welfare.
SOCIO – RELIGIOUS CAUSES
1) Mention the Socio – Religious causes that were responsible for the First War of
Independence.
Ana.i) British Interference with social customs of Indians
ii) People of India were suspicious about Modern Innovations like railways and
telegraph
iii) British followed the Policy of racial discrimination
iv) Corruption in Administration
v) Complex judicial system enabled the rich to oppress the poor

vi) After 1813, activities of the Christian Missionaries increased in India

vii) The Hindu Pandits and Muslim Maulvis had fears regarding Western Education
viii) Religious sentiments of the Indians were hurt by the official policy of taxing lands
belonging to temples and mosques.
ix) The Religious Disabilities Act of 1850 changed the Hindu Law of Property.
[any four points]
2) State the social reforms introduced by the British that hurt the sentiments
of Indians.
Ans.i) The abolition of Sati in 1829
ii) The introduction of the Widow Remarriage Act in 1856
iii) Opening of Western education to girls were not welcomed by the masses.

3) What were the apprehensions of Indians about the introduction of the railways?
Ans.i) There were rumours that telegraph poles were erected to hang those who
were against the British rule.
ii) Orthodox Indians noted that in the railway compartments the higher castes and
the lower castes were made to sit side by side to challenge their practices of caste
and religion.

4) Mention any two measures which point to the policy of social

discrimination followed by the British in India.
Ans i) The British believed that they were superior to Indians and followed a policy of
contempt towards the Indians.
ii) They called the Muslims as cruel and unfaithful, they illtreated and insulted them.
5) How did the British interfere with the religions of Indians?
Ans.I) The British began to interfere with the local religious and social customs. They
condemned idol worship and called local beliefs as ignorance.
ii) The Indians thought that the Government was supporting missionaries who would
convert them to Christianity.
iii) Religious sentiments of the Indians were hurt by the official policy of taxing lands
belonging to temples and mosques.

5) What were the fears of Hindus and Muslims with regard to the introduction
of Western Education?
Ans.i) In 1829, the Bengal Government established an English class in the
Calcutta Madrasa, which was a Muslim institution.
ii) Later, English classes were introduced in Benaras Sanskrit College .
iii) Introduction of western education was not received well by the Pandits and
Maulvis.
iv) They saw in it an attempt to discourage traditional Islamic and Hindu studies.

6)How did British change the law of property?

Ans.i) The Religious Disabilities Act of 1850 changed the Hindu Law of Property.
ii) It enabled a Hindu to convert from Hinduism to other religions and still they could
inherit the property of his father.
ECONOMIC CAUSES
1) Enlist the Economic causes for First War of Independence
i) The British exploited the Indian resources for their own benefits.
ii)They drained the wealth of India
iii) Indian Cottage industries and Handicrafts were decayed.
iv)Unemployment increased.
v) Inhuman treatment of Indigo cultivators
vi) India was continuously exposed to poverty and famines
vii) The landed aristocracy which included the talukdars and the hereditary landlords
were deprived of their estates .
2) How did the British exploit India economically?
i) India was forced to export raw materials like raw cotton and raw silk that the
British industries needed.
ii) India was forced to accept ready made British goods either duty – free or at
nominal duty rates, while Indian products were subjected to high import duties in
England.
iii) The Indian handmade goods were unable to compete with the cheaper, machine –
made British products.
iv) This ruined the Indian industry, deprived the artisans of their income and reduced
the avenues of employment.
v) On the other hand, export of raw materials and food grains deprived India of her
agricultural surplus and raised the prices of raw materials.
3) Explain the Drain of Wealth
Ans.i) The transfer of wealth from India to England for which India got no
proportionate economic return, is called the Drain of Wealth.
ii) The British began plundering India’s raw materials, resources and wealth by Britain
.iii)The drain included the salaries, incomes and savings of Englishmen, the British
expenditure in India on the purchase of military goods, office establishment, interest
on debts, unnecessary expenditure on the army etc.
4) How was Cottage Industries and Handicrafts destroyed in India.
Ans,i) Heavy duties on Indian silk and cotton textiles in Britain destroyed Indian
industries.
ii) British goods were imported into India at a nominal duty.
iii) By the middle of the 19th century, export of cotton and silk goods from India
practically stopped.
iv) The art of spinning and weaving , which for ages had given employment
to thousands of artisans, became extinct.
5) Give any two grievances of peasantry against the British.
i) It was the peasantry that bore the heavy burden of taxes to provide money for the
trade of the Company, for the cost of administration and the wars of British
expansion in India.
ii) In Bengal, the land revenue was double the amount collected under the Mughals.
iii) Increase in land revenue forced many peasants into indebtedness or into selling
their lands .
iv) The traditional zamindars were replaced by merchants and money lenders.

6) Explain the conditions of indigo cultivators

Ans.i) Indigo trade was highly profitable to the British but the conditions under which
the peasants had to work were inhuman.
ii) The peasants were forced to cultivate only indigo in the fields chosen by the British
planters.
iii) If they planted anything else, their crops were destroyed and their cattle were
carried off as punishment .
7) What did the British do to reduce the landed aristocracy to poverty?
Ans.i) The landed aristocracy which included the talukdars and the
hereditary landlords were deprived of their estates.
ii) According to the provisions of the Inam Commission,20,000 estates were
confiscated when the landlords failed to produce evidences like title deeds by which
they held the land.
3) These confiscated lands were sold by public auction to the highest bidders. Such
Lands were purchased by merchants and money lenders.
8) What were the reasons for growing Unemployment?
i) Traditional rulers supported scholars, preachers and men of arts. The British
discontinued their patronage .
ii) When the native States were annexed to the British dominion, thousands of
soldiers and officials in administrative, military and judicial posts became
unemployed and even if they were given employment, the British policies excluded
Indians from high posts.

MILITARY CAUSES
1) What were the Military causes for First War of Independence?
i) Ill treatment of Indian soldiers in the British army
ii)The British Parliament passed the General Service Enlistment Act in 1856.
iii) The number of Indian soldiers in British army were comparatively higher than the
British soldiers.
iv)The future of Indian soldiers was bleak without any chance of promotions.
v)The Indian soldiers were deprived of Bhatta for their foreign service and also lost
the free postal service.
vi)The wages of Indian soldiers was very low. The British soldiers received more than
eight times the salary of the Indian soldiers.
2) How did the British ill treat the Indian soldiers ?

3) Ans.i) Soldiers were poorly paid, ill -fed and badly

housed.
ii) The British Military authorities not allowed the sepoys from wearing caste or
sectarian marks, beards or turbans and they showed disregard for the sentiments of
the sepoys.
4) What was the provision of the General Service Enlistment Act which was
resented by the Indian soldiers? Why was it resented?
Ans.i) According to traditional belief, it was a taboo (not permitted,forbidden) for a
Brahmin to cross the seas.
ii)The British Parliament passed the General Service Enlistment Act in 1856.
iii)As per this Act, Indian soldiers could be sent overseas on duty.
iv)The Act did not take into account the sentiment of the Indian soldiers. The Brahmin
soldiers saw in this a danger to their caste. This led to a feeling of resentment among
them.
5) What advantage did the Indian soldiers have because of disproportion between
Indian and British troops in 1857?
Ans.i)The number of British troops in India was never very large with the British in the
ratio as low as one in four thousand .
ii)This made it easier for the large number of Indian soldiers to take up arms against
the British.
6) How was bleak Prospects of Promotions responsible for the First war of
Independence?
Ans.i)All higher positions in employment were reserved for the British, irrespective of
their performance.
ii)Indian soldiers could not rise above the rank of a Subedar. Hence , the future of the
Indian soldiers was bleak without chance of promotions.
7) How was Deprivation of Allowances adversely affected the service conditions of
the sepoys?
Ansi)Indian soldiers were required to serve in areas away from their homes without
extra payment and additional Bhatta.
ii)The Post Office Act of 1854 withdrew the privilege of free postage enjoyed by
sepoys.
8) What impact did the defeat of the British in the first Afghan War have on the
morale of the Indian soldiers?
Ans i) The British army suffered major set backs in the First Afghan war, in the Punjab
wars and in the Crimean War.
ii) The Santhal tribesmen of Bihar and Bengal armed with axes and bows revoted
against the British, temporarily defeating the British in the area.
iii) These bad performances by the British gave confidence to Indian soldiers that the
British army could be defeated by the determined Indian army.
9) How was faulty distribution of troops was also a military cause?
Ans i) Places of strategic importance like Delhi and Allahabad had no British armies
and were wholly held by the Indian soldiers.
ii) England was engaged in several wars outside India e.g ,the Persian war, the
Crimean War and the Chinese War.
Indian soldiers had the feeling that the British were in difficulty and the safety of her
Indian empire depended on them. Hence , the soldiers decided to strike at a suitable
time.
IMMEDIATE CAUSE
1) What was the immediate cause of the First War of Independence?
Ans.i)In 1856, the British government decided to replace the old fashioned musket
called Brown Bess with the new Enfield rifle.
ii) The loading process of the Enfield rifle involved bringing the cartridge to the mouth
and biting off the top greased paper with the teeth.
iii) In January 1857,there was a rumour in the Bengal regiments that the greased
cartridge had the fat of cow or pig.
iv) The sepoys were convinced that the introduction of greased cartridges was a
deliberate move. So both the Hindus and the Muslim soldiers refused to use these
cartridges and staged an uprising when they were forced to use them.
v) As a result Mangal Pandey, a sepoy led an attack on a British officer at Barrackpore
on March 29,1857.
vi) Mangal Pandey was executed after a court martial(legal proceeding by the court)

CONSEQUENCES OF THE FIRST WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

1) What were the provisions of the Government of India Act of 1858?

Ans.i) It transferred the power to govern India from the East India Company to the
British Crown.
ii) The Company’s Board of Control and Court of Directors were abolished. The power
was to be exercised by the Secretary of State for India, aided by a Council.
iii) The Governor General was also given the title of Viceroy or Crown’s personal
representative.
iv) Appointments to the Civil Service were to be made by open competition under
rules made by the Secretary of State.

2) What were the promises included in Queen Victoria’s proclamation?

Ans.i)British would follow the policy of non – intervention in social and religious
matters of Indians.
ii) British would treat all – subjects - Indians and Europeans as equals.
iii) British would grant general pardon to all those who had taken part in the war
except those who were found guilty of murder of British subjects.
iv) Do its best to advance the industries in India
5)Promote works of public utility in India so as to ensure the material as well as the
moral progress of the people.
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