Read the following passage and answer the question:
To fight the British, leadership and organisation were required. For these the rebels sometimes turned to those who had been leaders before the British conquest. One of the first acts of the sepoys of Meerut was to rush to Delhi and appeal to the old Mughal emperor to accept the leadership of the revolt. This acceptance of leadership took its time in coming. Bahadur Shah's first reaction was one of the horror and rejection. It was only when some sepoys had moved into the Mughal court within the Red Fort that the old emperor agreed to be the nominal leader of the rebellion.
What is the origin of the term ‘Firangi’?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Persian
Firangi is a term of Persian origin, possibly derived from Frank, and is used in Urdu and Hindi, often in a derogatory sense, to designate foreigners.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.1 How the mutinies began … They first seized the bell of arms and plundered the treasury. They then attacked government buildings – the jail, treasury, telegraph office, record room, bungalows – burning all records. Everything and everybody connected with the white man became a target. Proclamations in Hindi, Urdu and Persian were put up in the cities calling upon the population, both Hindus and Muslims, to unite, rise and exterminate the firangis.… Firangi, a term of Persian origin, possibly derived from Frank (from which France gets its name), is used in Urdu and Hindi, often in a derogatory sense, to designate foreigners.” |