👉REVOLT OF 1857

✅ Correct Answer: All of the above

• The revolt lacked unity, as different groups had different interests.
• The British had better weapons and trained soldiers.
• Rebels lacked resources and strong leadership.

❌ Why Other Options Are Wrong?

Each factor contributed to the failure, so no single cause can be blamed.

✅ Correct Answer: She died fighting in battle

• Rani Lakshmi Bai died fighting bravely at Gwalior in June 1858.

❌ Why Other Options Are Wrong?

• She was captured and imprisoned: Incorrect, she was never captured.
• She fled to Nepal: False, she fought till the end.
• She surrendered to the British: She never surrendered.

✅ Correct Answer: Ahmadullah Shah

• A Maulvi from Faizabad, he led the revolt in Bareilly.

❌ Why Other Options Are Wrong?

• Khan Bahadur Khan: Led the revolt in Rohilkhand, not Bareilly.
• Tatya Tope: Led Kanpur operations with Nana Sahib.
• Bakht Khan: Led Delhi’s rebellion, not Bareilly

✅ Correct Answer: Bahadur Shah II

• After the revolt failed, he was captured and exiled to Rangoon (Myanmar) in 1858.

❌ Why Other Options Are Wrong?

• Akbar II: Died before the revolt.
• Alamgir II: Ruled in the 18th century, not 1857.
• Aurangzeb: Died in 1707, long before the revolt.

✅ Correct Answer: V.D. Savarkar

• He was the first historian to call it the First War of Indian Independence.

❌ Why Other Options Are Wrong?

• R.C. Majumdar: Called it a sepoy mutiny, not a war of independence.
• Jawaharlal Nehru: Wrote "Discovery of India", but did not call it the first war of independence.
• Karl Marx: Wrote about the revolt but did not use this term.

✅ Correct Answer: General John Nicholson

• He led the British forces that recaptured Delhi in September 1857.
• He was fatally wounded during the battle.

❌ Why Other Options Are Wrong?

• Lord Canning: Was the Governor-General, not a military leader.
• General Havelock: Fought in Kanpur, not Delhi.
• General Outram: Played a role in Lucknow, not Delhi.

✅ Correct Answer: Lord Canning

• He was the last Governor-General of the East India Company and later became the first Viceroy of India.

❌ Why Other Options Are Wrong?

• Lord Dalhousie: Introduced the Doctrine of Lapse, but was not in power during the revolt.
• Lord Cornwallis: Implemented Permanent Settlement but ruled long before 1857.
• Lord William Bentinck: Known for abolishing Sati, but ruled earlier.

✅ Correct Answer: Introduction of greased cartridges

• The new Enfield rifle cartridges were rumored to be greased with cow and pig fat, offending both Hindu and Muslim soldiers.

❌ Why Other Options Are Wrong?

• Economic exploitation: A long-term cause, but not the immediate trigger.
• Social discrimination: Also a factor, but not the direct cause.
• High taxation: A grievance but not the spark of the rebellion.

✅ Correct Answer: Kunwar Singh

• A 75-year-old zamindar from Jagdishpur (Bihar) who fought bravely against the British.

❌ Why Other Options Are Wrong?

• Rani Lakshmi Bai: Led the revolt in Jhansi.
• Nana Sahib: Led the revolt in Kanpur.
• Begum Hazrat Mahal: Led the revolt in Lucknow.

✅ Correct Answer: Meerut

• The revolt started on 10 May 1857 in Meerut when Indian sepoys refused to use greased cartridges and were punished.
• The mutiny spread to Delhi, where Bahadur Shah II was declared Emperor.

❌ Why Other Options Are Wrong?

• Lucknow: A major center but not where the revolt began.
• Delhi: Captured after the revolt began, not the starting point.
• Kanpur: Another key center but not the origin of the rebellion.

✅ Correct Answer: Government of India Act, 1858

• Ended Company rule and transferred power to the British Crown.

❌ Why Other Options Are Wrong?

• Indian Councils Act, 1861: Gave some representation to Indians but did not transfer power.
• Charter Act, 1833: Allowed legislative centralization, but Company rule continued.
• Pitts India Act, 1784: Gave British more control over Company affairs, but did not remove Company rule.

✅ Correct Answer: V.D. Savarkar

• He was the first to call the 1857 revolt India’s First War of Independence.

❌ Why Other Options Are Wrong?

• R.C. Majumdar: Considered it a sepoy mutiny, not a war of independence.
• Jawaharlal Nehru: Wrote "Discovery of India", not about 1857 revolt.
• Bipin Chandra: Famous for modern Indian history books but not this one.

✅ Correct Answer: General Anson

• He was Commander-in-Chief of the British forces when the revolt began.

❌ Why Other Options Are Wrong?

• Lord Canning: Governor-General, but not the military chief.
• General Havelock: Led forces in Kanpur, but was not the overall commander.
• General Outram: Assisted in Lucknow, but was not the commander-in-chief.

✅ Correct Answer: Madras

• Madras Presidency remained peaceful during the revolt.

❌ Why Other Options Are Wrong?

• Meerut: The starting point of the revolt.
• Delhi: The rebels declared Bahadur Shah II as Emperor here.
• Jhansi: A major center led by Rani Lakshmi Bai.

✅ Correct Answer: General Havelock

• He led British troops to retake Kanpur from Nana Sahib.

❌ Why Other Options Are Wrong?

• Lord Canning: Governor-General during the revolt but not involved in battles.
• Lord Dalhousie: Left India before the revolt began.
• General Outram: Assisted in Lucknow, not Kanpur.

✅ Correct Answer: Delhi

• The rebels seized Delhi and declared Bahadur Shah II the Emperor of India.
• Delhi became the symbolic center of the revolt.

❌ Why Other Options Are Wrong?

• Kanpur: The revolt here was led by Nana Sahib, but Bahadur Shah II was not declared emperor.
• Lucknow: The revolt was led by Begum Hazrat Mahal, no proclamation of Bahadur Shah II.
• Jhansi: Rani Lakshmi Bai led the revolt here but did not declare Bahadur Shah II as emperor.

✅ Correct Answer: 34th Bengal Native Infantry

• Mangal Pandey was a sepoy in Barrackpore in the 34th BNI, where he attacked British officers.

❌ Why Other Options Are Wrong?

• 19th BNI: Also rebelled but was disbanded before the major uprising.
• 29th BNI & 14th BNI: Not directly linked to the initial revolt.

✅ Correct Answer: Doctrine of Lapse

• Under this policy, states without a direct heir were annexed by the British.
• This led to the annexation of Jhansi, Satara, and Nagpur, causing resentment.

❌ Why Other Options Are Wrong?

• Subsidiary Alliance: Introduced by Lord Wellesley, not Dalhousie.
• Permanent Settlement: A land revenue system implemented by Lord Cornwallis.
• Ryotwari System: Introduced in Madras and Bombay by Thomas Munro, unrelated to the revolt.

✅ Correct Answer: Begum Hazrat Mahal

• She took charge after the British annexed Awadh and led resistance in Lucknow.

❌ Why Other Options Are Wrong?

• Rani Lakshmi Bai: Led the revolt in Jhansi, not Lucknow.
• Nana Sahib: Led the rebellion in Kanpur, not Lucknow.
• Kunwar Singh: Led the revolt in Bihar, not Lucknow.

✅ Correct Answer: Nana Sahib

• He led the revolt in Kanpur and declared himself the Peshwa.
• He fought against the British alongside Tantia Tope.

❌ Why Other Options Are Wrong?

• Mangal Pandey: A sepoy who initiated the revolt at Barrackpore, not a leader of Kanpur.
• Rani Lakshmi Bai: She led the revolt in Jhansi, not Kanpur.
• Wajid Ali Shah: He was the Nawab of Awadh, exiled by the British, but did not actively lead the revolt.