Read the passage given below to answer the following questions:
A cherry that will drop into our mouth one day:
In 1851 Governor General Lord Dalhousie described the kingdom of Awadh as "a cherry that will drop into our mouth one day". Five years later, in 1856, the kingdom was formally annexed to the British Empire. The conquest happened in stages. The Subsidiary Alliance had been imposed on Awadh in 1801. By the terms of this alliance, the Nawab had to disband his military force, allow the British to position their troops within the kingdom, and act in accordance with the advice of the British Resident who was now to be attached to the court. Deprived of his armed forces, the Nawab became increasingly dependent on the British to maintain law and order within the kingdom. He could no longer assert control over the rebellious chiefs and taluqdars. In the meantime the British became increasingly interested in acquiring the territory of Awadh. They felt that the soil there was good for producing indigo and cotton, and the region was ideally located to be developed into the principal market of Upper India. By the early 1850s, moreover, all the major areas of India had been conquered: the Maratha lands, the Doab, the Carnatic, the Punjab and Bengal. The takeover of Awadh in 1856 was expected to complete a process of territorial annexation that had begun with the conquest of Bengal almost a century earlier.
Which of the following was not a term in the subsidiary alliance?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → The Nawab agreed to pay one Lakh rupees to the British
The question asks which statement was not a term of the alliance, so each option is checked against the terms that the passage lists.
Option (1) The Nawab had to disband his military force — Correct statement. By the terms of the alliance the Nawab had to disband his military force; this is why he came to depend on the British for law and order.
Option (2) The British Resident was attached to the court of Awadh — Correct statement. The Nawab had to act on the advice of the British Resident, who was now attached to the court.
Option (3) The Nawab agreed to pay one Lakh rupees to the British — Incorrect statement. No payment of one lakh rupees was a term of the alliance. The ally did have to provide the resources for maintaining the British contingent, but that is not a fixed sum paid to the British.
Option (4) The British force was allowed to stay in the kingdom (Awadh) — Correct statement. The Nawab had to allow the British to position their troops within the kingdom; under the Subsidiary Alliance a British armed contingent was stationed in the ally’s territory.
NCERT (2026-27): “2.1 ‘A cherry that will drop into our mouth one day’ … In 1851 Governor General Lord Dalhousie described the kingdom of Awadh as ‘a cherry that will drop into our mouth one day’. Five years later, in 1856, the kingdom was formally annexed to the British Empire. The conquest happened in stages. The Subsidiary Alliance had been imposed on Awadh in 1801. By the terms of this alliance the Nawab had to disband his military force, allow the British to position their troops within the kingdom, and act in accordance with the advice of the British Resident who was now to be attached to the court.… …Subsidiary Alliance was a system devised by Lord Wellesley in 1798. All those who entered into such an alliance with the British had to accept certain terms and conditions:
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