Quick Review Flashcards - Click to flip and test your knowledge!
Question
Identify the years defining the first century of British rule in India.
Answer
1757 to 1857.
Question
Which battle in June 1757 marked the rapid increase of the East India Company's territorial power?
Answer
The Battle of Plassey.
Question
Name the four primary methods used by the British to expand their political power in India.
Answer
Outright wars, Subsidiary Alliance, Doctrine of Lapse, and the pretext of alleged misrule.
Question
Which battle established the British as the masters of Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha?
Answer
The Battle of Buxar (1764).
Question
Who introduced the system of the Subsidiary Alliance?
Answer
Lord Wellesley.
Question
Under the Subsidiary Alliance, what was the status of an Indian ruler's foreign relations?
Answer
They were surrendered to the East India Company.
Question
Indian rulers in a Subsidiary Alliance were required to accept a British _____ at their headquarters.
Answer
Resident.
Question
Which was the first kingdom to enter a Subsidiary Alliance with the British?
Answer
Awadh.
Question
On what pretext was Awadh annexed by the British in 1856?
Answer
Alleged misrule.
Question
Who was the Governor-General of India responsible for introducing the Doctrine of Lapse?
Answer
Lord Dalhousie.
Question
According to the Doctrine of Lapse, what happened to a kingdom if the ruler died without a male heir?
Answer
It would 'lapse' and become part of the Company's territory.
Question
Which act in 1813 led to an increase in the number and activities of Christian missionaries in India?
Answer
The Charter Act.
Question
Why did the introduction of English classes in institutions like the Calcutta Madrasa cause resentment?
Answer
It shifted the emphasis away from traditional Oriental learning.
Question
Which 1850 act enabled a convert from Hinduism to inherit their father's property?
Answer
The Religious Disabilities Act.
Question
The unilateral transfer of resources and wealth from India to England is known as the _____.
Answer
Drain of Wealth.
Question
How did the British destroy the Indian cottage industries and handicrafts?
Answer
By imposing heavy duties on Indian silk and cotton textiles in Britain.
Question
Which 1852 commission led to the confiscation of 20,000 landed estates in India?
Answer
The Inam Commission.
Question
According to traditional belief, why did Indian soldiers resent the General Service Enlistment Act of 1856?
Answer
It required them to cross the seas, which was a taboo and seen as a threat to their caste.
Question
What was the highest rank an Indian soldier could achieve in the Company's army?
Answer
Subedar.
Question
Which 1854 act withdrew the privilege of free postage previously enjoyed by the sepoys?
Answer
The Post Office Act.
Question
How did the British army reorganization affect the ratio of British to Indian soldiers after 1857?
Answer
The number of British soldiers was increased to prevent future uprisings.
Question
What was the immediate cause of the 1857 uprising?
Answer
The introduction of the greased cartridges for the Enfield rifle.
Question
Why were the greased cartridges for the Enfield rifle offensive to both Hindu and Muslim soldiers?
Answer
They were rumoured to be greased with the fat of cows (sacred to Hindus) and pigs (taboo to Muslims).
Question
Who led an attack on the Adjutant of the 34th Native Infantry at Barrackpore on March 29, 1857?
Answer
Mangal Pandey.
Question
On what date did the sepoys at Meerut break into open revolt and head towards Delhi?
Answer
May 10, 1857.
Question
Which Mughal Emperor was proclaimed the 'Emperor of India' by the revolting sepoys in Delhi?
Answer
Bahadur Shah Zafar.
Question
Who led the 1857 uprising in Lucknow?
Answer
Begum Hazrat Mahal.
Question
Who led the struggle for independence at Kanpur?
Answer
Nana Saheb.
Question
Name the general of Nana Saheb who famously escaped to Kalpi.
Answer
Tantia Tope.
Question
In which city did Rani Laxmi Bai die fighting the British on June 17, 1858?
Answer
Gwalior.
Question
Which act transferred the power to govern India from the East India Company to the British Crown?
Answer
The Government of India Act of 1858.
Question
Which new office was created to be responsible for all matters related to the governance of India under the Act of 1858?
Answer
Secretary of State for India.
Question
What was the name of the 15-member body appointed to advise the Secretary of State for India?
Answer
The Indian Council.
Question
Who was appointed the first Viceroy of India under the Government of India Act of 1858?
Answer
Lord Canning.
Question
What policy did the British adopt after 1858 to turn different Indian groups against each other?
Answer
Divide and Rule.
Question
The belief in racial superiority that led to the humiliation of Indians is known as _____.
Answer
Racial Antagonism.
Question
What promise did Queen Victoria's Proclamation make regarding religious and social matters?
Answer
A policy of non-intervention in the social and religious matters of Indians.
Question
What was a major drawback of the 1857 movement regarding its geographical reach?
Answer
It lacked nationwide dimensions and did not spread much to South, Eastern, or Western India.
Question
Concept: Absentee Sovereignty
Answer
Definition: The resentment felt because India was being governed by a foreign power whose capital was thousands of miles away.
Question
Which social groups were impoverished due to the decline of traditional patronage after the British annexation of native states?
Answer
Scholars, preachers, and men of arts.
Question
The British policy of treating India as a typical colonial economy meant India exported raw materials and imported _____.
Answer
Finished goods.
Question
Which tribal group in Bihar and Bengal rose against the British in 1855-56, breaking the myth of British invincibility?
Answer
The Santhals.
Question
How did the British government respond to the numerous famines between 1765 and 1857?
Answer
They did nothing to lessen the people's misery.
Question
What was the primary goal of the Inam Commission established in 1852?
Answer
To examine the title-deeds of landed estates and confiscate those without proof.
Question
Why did the British exclude Indians from high-ranking administrative and judicial posts?
Answer
To ensure British control and because of a belief in racial superiority.
Question
Which major military disaster during 1839-42 first revealed that the British army could be defeated?
Answer
The First Afghan War.
Question
What was the significance of the 19th Native Infantry at Berhampur in February 1857?
Answer
They were the first to refuse to accept the greased cartridges.
Question
Who was coerced into writing letters to Indian chiefs to organise a confederacy against the British?
Answer
Bahadur Shah Zafar.
Question
Which British general finally captured Delhi after four months of attack in 1857?
Answer
Sir John Nicholson.
Question
Where did Begum Hazrat Mahal flee after the British recaptured Lucknow in March 1858?
Answer
To the Nepal frontier.
Question
What happened to Tantia Tope in April 1859?
Answer
He was captured and hanged to death.
Question
Under the Act of 1858, how were appointments to the Civil Service to be made?
Answer
By open competition under rules made by the Secretary of State.
Question
What happened to the Company's Board of Control and Court of Directors after 1858?
Answer
They were abolished.
Question
Which social class in India generally did not support the 1857 uprising because they believed British rule would modernise the country?
Answer
The educated Indians.
Question
Why is the 1857 uprising hailed as the 'First War of Independence'?
Answer
It was the first mass uprising in which multiple sections of Indian society participated against a common enemy.
Question
What was the specific allowance withdrawn from sepoys when they served away from their homes?
Answer
Bhatta (foreign service allowance).
Question
How did the British use the railway compartments to manifest racial antagonism?
Answer
By reserving specific compartments 'for Europeans only'.
Question
What was the effect of the heavy land revenue policy on the Indian peasantry?
Answer
It forced many into indebtedness or led to them selling their land.
Question
Name one of the two Indian states annexed by the British using the Doctrine of Lapse mentioned in the chapter.
Answer
Jhansi (or Satara/Nagpur).
Question
The 1857 movement was supposed to begin on May 31, but it started early due to the _____.
Answer
Greased cartridges incident.