Read the passage and answer the questions:
Rumours and prophecies played a part in moving people to action. As we saw, the sepoys who had arrived in Delhi from Meerut had told Bahadur Shah about bullets coated with the fat of cows and pigs and biting these bullets would corrupt their caste and religion. They were referring to the cartridges of the Enfield rifles which had just been given to them. The British tried to explain to the sepoys that this was not the case but the rumour that the new cartridges were greased with fat of cows and pigs spread like wildfire across the sepoy lines of North India.
Consider the following statements and choose the incorrect statements.
A. Sepoys arrived in Delhi to protest against Bahadur Shah.
B. British officers explained to the sepoys that cartridges were not greased.
C. Sepoys in North India agreed to use greased cartridges.
D. Greased cartridges were used in Enfield rifles.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → A, C only
A. Sepoys arrived in Delhi to protest against Bahadur Shah. Incorrect statement. The sepoys came to Bahadur Shah, not against him. They told him about the bullets coated with the fat of cows and pigs, and asked for his blessings.
B. British officers explained to the sepoys that cartridges were not greased. Correct statement. The British tried to explain to the sepoys that the cartridges were not greased with that fat, but they were not believed.
C. Sepoys in North India agreed to use greased cartridges. Incorrect statement. The sepoys did not agree. Biting such cartridges, they believed, would corrupt their caste and religion, and the rumour about the cartridges spread like wildfire across the sepoy lines of North India.
D. Greased cartridges were used in Enfield rifles. Correct statement. The cartridges the sepoys spoke of were those of the Enfield rifles which had just been given to them.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.4 Rumours and prophecies … Rumours and prophecies played a part in moving people to action. As we saw, the sepoys who had arrived in Delhi from Meerut had told Bahadur Shah about bullets coated with the fat of cows and pigs and that biting those bullets would corrupt their caste and religion. They were referring to the cartridges of the Enfield rifles which had just been given to them. The British tried to explain to the sepoys that this was not the case but the rumour that the new cartridges were greased with the fat of cows and pigs spread like wildfire across the sepoy lines of North India.…” |