Which of the following pairs of decade and the conduct of white offic…

Which of the following pairs of decade and the conduct of white officers or sepoys is correctly matched?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 2

The correct answer is Option (2) → 1820s - White officers wrestled, fenced and went hawking with sepoys

Option (1) 1820s - White officers treated the sepoys as their racial inferiors — Incorrect. Treating sepoys as racial inferiors began in the 1840s. In the 1820s officers were friendly with the sepoys.

Option (2) 1820s - White officers wrestled, fenced and went hawking with sepoys — Correct. In the 1820s white officers took part in the sepoys' leisure activities: they wrestled, fenced and went hawking with them. Many spoke Hindustani and knew local customs.

Option (3) 1840s - White officers kept friendly relations with the sepoys — Incorrect. Friendly relations belong to the 1820s. By the 1840s officers had a sense of superiority and treated sepoys badly.

Option (4) 1850s - Sepoys began to complain of low pay and leave — Incorrect. Sepoys had complained of low pay and leave for decades. By the 1850s they had other reasons too, so these complaints did not begin then.

NCERT (2026-27): “2.3 Firangi raj and the end of a world …
The relationship of the sepoys with their superior white officers underwent a significant change in the years preceding the uprising of 1857. In the 1820s, white officers made it a point to maintain friendly relations with the sepoys. They would take part in their leisure activities – they wrestled with them, fenced with them and went out hawking with them. Many of them were fluent in Hindustani and were familiar with the customs and culture of the country. These officers were disciplinarian and father figure rolled into one.”

“In the 1840s, this began to change. The officers developed a sense of superiority and started treating the sepoys as their racial inferiors, riding roughshod over their sensibilities. …”

Which of the following pairs of decade and the conduct of white officers or sepoys is correctly matched?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 2

The correct answer is Option (2) → 1820s - White officers wrestled, fenced and went hawking with sepoys

“In the 1840s, this began to change. The officers developed a sense of superiority and started treating the sepoys as their racial inferiors, riding roughshod over their sensibilities. …”