HistoryModern India: Rebels and the Raj

In the British image of Miss Wheeler defending herself against sepoys…

In the British image of Miss Wheeler defending herself against sepoys in Kanpur, her struggle to save her honour and her life is represented as a battle to save the honour of

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → Christianity

Option (1) Christianity — Correct. Her struggle has a deeper religious connotation: it is a battle to save the honour of Christianity. The Bible lying on the floor shows this.

Option (2) the East India Company — Incorrect. The Company ruled India in 1857, but the image turns her fight into a religious struggle.

Option (3) the English family — Incorrect. Women's honour was a common theme, but here the fight is lifted to a religious level.

Option (4) the British Crown — Incorrect. The image gives the struggle a religious meaning. The Crown does not come into it.

NCERT (2026-27): “5.2 English women and the honour of Britain …
In another set of sketches and paintings we see women in a different light. They appear heroic, defending themselves against the attack of rebels. Miss Wheeler in Figure 10.12 stands firmly at the centre, defending her honour, single-handedly killing the attacking rebels. As in all such British representations, the rebels are demonised. Here, four burly males with swords and guns are shown attacking a woman. The woman’s struggle to save her honour and her life, in fact, is represented as having a deeper religious connotation: it is a battle to save the honour of Christianity. The book lying on the floor is the Bible.”