There was the rumour that the British government had hatched a gigantic conspiracy to destroy the caste and religion of Hindus and Muslims. There was fear and suspicion that the British wanted to convert Indians to Christianity. Panic spread fast. British officers tried to allay their fears, but in vain. These fears stirred men to action. The response to the call for action was reinforced by the prophecy that British rule would come to an end on the centenary of the Battle of Plassey, on 23 June 1857. Rumours were not the only thing circulating at the time.
The lines left out after the last sentence of the passage report something else that was circulating in North India. Which of the following describes it correctly?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Chapattis passed from village to village, which people read as an omen of an upheaval
Option (1) Chapattis passed from village to village, which people read as an omen of an upheaval — Correct. Reports from North India spoke of chapattis being distributed from village to village. Their purpose was not clear then and is not clear even today, but people read it as an omen of an upheaval.
Option (2) Chapattis passed from village to village, carrying the date the sepoys had fixed for the rising — Incorrect. The meaning and purpose of the chapattis is unclear even today. So they cannot be said to have carried a date fixed for the rising.
Option (3) Chapattis passed from village to village, sent out by Bahadur Shah as a call to arms — Incorrect. Bahadur Shah is linked with the sepoys from Meerut who came to him in Delhi. Who sent the chapattis, and why, is not known.
Option (4) Chapattis passed from village to village, whose purpose Captain Wright explained in a report — Incorrect. Captain Wright reported on how the cartridge rumour began at Dum Dum. The purpose of the chapattis has never been explained.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.4 Rumours and prophecies … |