Read the passage and answer the questions:
Revolt of 1857: Issues of Rumours
We cannot understand the power of rumours and prophecies in history by checking whether they are factually correct or not. We need to see what they reflect about the minds of people who believed them – their fears and apprehensions, their faiths and convictions. Rumours circulate only when they resonate with the deeper fears and suspicions of people. The rumours in 1857 begin to make sense when seen in the context of the policies the British pursued from the late 1820s. As you know, from that time, under the leadership of Lord William Bentinck, the British adopted policies aimed at “reforming” Indian society by introducing Western education, Western ideas and Western institutions. With the cooperation of sections of Indian society they set up English-medium schools, colleges and universities which taught Western sciences and the liberal arts. The British established laws to abolish customs like sati and to permit the remarriage of Hindu widows. 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.
Match the LIST-I with LIST-II:
| LIST-I | LIST-II | ||
| A. | William Bentinck | I. | Governor-General |
| B. | Abolition of ‘Sati’ | II. | 1829 |
| C. | Satara | III. | Subsidiary Alliance |
| D. | Lord Wellesley | IV. | Princely State |
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → A - I, B - II, C - IV, D - III
(A) William Bentinck — this matches (I) Governor-General. From the late 1820s, under Governor-General Lord William Bentinck, the British began policies to ‘reform’ Indian society through Western education and ideas.
(B) Abolition of ‘Sati’ — this matches (II) 1829. The law abolishing sati was passed in 1829, in Bentinck’s time.
(C) Satara — this matches (IV) Princely State. Satara was one of the kingdoms and principalities, like Jhansi, that the British annexed on pleas such as misgovernment or the refusal to recognise adoption.
(D) Lord Wellesley — this matches (III) Subsidiary Alliance. The Subsidiary Alliance was a system devised by Lord Wellesley in 1798. A ruler who accepted it had to keep British troops in his state and could not deal with other rulers without British permission.
NCERT (2025-26): “1.5 Why did people believe in the rumours? … As you know, from that time, under the leadership of Governor General Lord William Bentinck, the British adopted policies aimed at ‘reforming’ Indian society by introducing Western education, Western ideas and Western institutions. With the cooperation of sections of Indian society they set up English-medium schools, colleges and universities which taught Western sciences and the liberal arts. The British established laws to abolish customs like sati (1829) and to permit the remarriage of Hindu widows. 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.…”
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