A historian studies an 1857 picture in which captured rebels are hanged in a row in the open, with cannons all around them. How is such a scene best described?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → The performance of terror
Option (1) A routine military punishment — Incorrect. The scene is not routine punishment. A routine sentence could be carried out quietly.
Option (2) A record of a battlefield victory — Incorrect. The picture shows captured rebels hanged after the fighting was over. The cannons stand around them to show British power.
Option (3) A celebration of British saviours — Incorrect. Pictures celebrating British saviours showed heroes such as Havelock rescuing the British. This scene shows captured rebels being hanged.
Option (4) The performance of terror — Correct. The hanging is a performance of terror: to spread fear, punishment was theatrically performed in the open, where all could see it.
NCERT (2026-27): “5.4 The performance of terror … |