Some lines have been left out of the passage after the sentence on th…

The rumours in 1857 begin to make sense when seen in the context of the policies the British pursued from the late 1820s. On a variety of pleas, like misgovernment and the refusal to recognise adoption, the British annexed not only Awadh, but many other kingdoms and principalities like Jhansi and Satara. Once these territories were annexed, the British introduced their own system of administration, their own laws and their own methods of land settlement and land revenue collection. The cumulative impact of all this on the people of North India was profound. In such a situation of uncertainty, rumours spread with remarkable swiftness.

Some lines have been left out of the passage after the sentence on the profound impact. According to those lines, the people felt that all they cherished was being replaced by a system that was:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 3

The correct answer is Option (3) → more impersonal, alien and oppressive

Option (1) more rigid, Western and intolerant — Incorrect. Western ideas did spread through schools and laws. People's feeling about the new system was that it was impersonal and alien.

Option (2) more costly, distant and corrupt — Incorrect. These words do not describe how people saw the new system. They felt it was impersonal, alien and oppressive.

Option (3) more impersonal, alien and oppressive — Correct. People felt their kings, customs, landholding and revenue patterns were giving way to a system that was impersonal, alien and oppressive. This feeling made rumours believable.

Option (4) more centralised, unequal and unstable — Incorrect. The new administration did bring its own laws and revenue methods. The feeling recorded is of an alien and oppressive system.

NCERT (2026-27): “1.5 Why did people believe in the rumours? …
On a variety of pleas, like misgovernment and the refusal to recognise adoption, the British annexed not only Awadh, but many other kingdoms and principalities like Jhansi and Satara. Once these territories were annexed, the British introduced their own system of administration, their own laws and their own methods of land settlement and land revenue collection. The cumulative impact of all this on the people of North India was profound.”

“It seemed to the people that all that they cherished and held sacred – from kings and socio-religious customs to patterns of landholding and revenue payment – was being destroyed and replaced by a system that was more impersonal, alien and oppressive. This perception was aggravated by the activities of Christian missionaries. In such a situation of uncertainty, rumours spread with remarkable swiftness.”