Aman, a history student, is reading the diary of a British officer posted in North India in May 1857. One entry records that early on 11 May a band of mounted sepoys reached the gates of a royal palace, gathered under the ruler's window and later rode inside to demand his blessing. Surrounded by armed men, the ruler agreed. In the weeks that follow, the officer notes the date on which the sepoys of each cantonment rose, and writes down what the sepoys did first, and next, in every station he hears about.
Which of the following best describes what the officer would have recorded about North India in the days just after this event?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → After two quiet days, cantonment after cantonment in the Gangetic valley rose in mutiny as the news spread.
Option (1) After two quiet days, cantonment after cantonment in the Bengal delta rose in mutiny as the news spread. — Incorrect. Bengal had seen earlier unrest, but the wave of mutinies after the fall of Delhi swept through the Gangetic valley of North India.
Option (2) After two quiet days, cantonment after cantonment in the Gangetic valley rose in mutiny as the news spread. — Correct. North India stayed quiet through 12 and 13 May. Once word spread that Delhi had fallen and Bahadur Shah had blessed the rebellion, cantonments in the Gangetic valley and some west of Delhi rose one after another.
Option (3) After two quiet days, cantonment after cantonment in the Punjab rose in mutiny as the news spread. — Incorrect. The Punjab lies to the far north-west. The rising after 13 May spread through the Gangetic valley and only some stations just west of Delhi.
Option (4) After two quiet days, cantonment after cantonment in Central India rose in mutiny as the news spread. — Incorrect. On p.259 the cantonments that rose once the news of Delhi spread lay in the Gangetic valley and to the west of Delhi; Central India lies outside that account of the days just after 11 May.
NCERT (2026-27): “Rebels and the Raj The Revolt of 1857 and Its Representations … |