NCERT Solutions For Class 8 History Chapter 5 When People Rebel

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 5 When People Rebel contain solutions to the exercises given in the History book Our Pasts -III. These answers have been explained in a manner that you will easily understand all the concepts and get your doubts cleared without even seeking anyone’s assistance. You can read and download all the questions and answers in PDF format.

Class 8 History Chapter 5 When People Rebel Questions and Answers

Question 1: What was the demand of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi that was refused by the British?

Answer: Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi demanded the company to recognize her adopted son as the heir of the kingdom after the death of her husband. But the British refused to accept her adopted son as the ruler of Jhansi. By ‘Doctrine of Lapse’ introduced by Lord Dalhousie, if an Indian ruler died without a male heir his kingdom would ‘lapse’ and such kingdom would be annexed by the British Empire.

Question 2: What did the British do to protect the interests of those who converted to Christianity?

Answer: After 1830, the Company allowed Christian missionaries to function freely in its domain and even own land and property. In 1850, a new law was passed to make conversion to Christianity easier. This law allowed an Indian who had converted to Christianity to inherit the property of his ancestors. Many Indians began to feel that the British were destroying their religion, their social customs and their traditional way of life.

Question 3: What objections did the sepoys have to the new cartridges that they were asked to use?

Answer: The new cartridges were suspected of being coated with the fat of cows and pigs. Both Hindus and Muslim sepoys were offended by the introduction of these cartridges. Before loading these cartridges in the rifles a sepoy had to bite it to open the wrapper. This affected the religious sentiments of the Hindus and the Muslims as the Hindus consider cows as Holy and the Muslims consider the pigs as the dirty animals. Therefore, the sepoys refused to use these new cartridges. They felt that the British were trying to insult their religions.

Question 4: How did the last Mughal emperor live the last years of his life?

Answer: Bahadur Shah Zafar was the last Mughal emperor. He lived a very pathetic life during the last years of his life. The sepoys proclaimed him as their leader in their fight against the British. He was the symbolic head of the 1857 revolt. However, after the failure of the revolt, he was tried in the court and was sentenced to life imprisonment. His sons and grandson were shot dead by the British. He and his wife were sent to prison in Rangoon where he died in 1862.

Question 5: What could be the reasons for the confidence of the British rulers about their position in India before May 1857?

Answer: The British became confident about their position in India because of the following reasons:

a. The Mughal rulers, after the death of Aurangzeb, were not strong and powerful. Hence, it was easier for the British to annex states.

b. The disunity among nawabs and the Mughal rulers helped the British have a firm stronghold over Indian society, starting from Bengal.

c. The policies, like Subsidiary Alliance, helped British annex territories one after another, without the use of any military power.

d. The revolt of 1857 was crushed by the British leading to their supremacy over Indian society.

Question 6: What impact did Bahadur Shah Zafar’s support to the rebellion have on the people and the ruling families?

Answer: Aurangzeb was considered as the last strong and powerful Mughal ruler of India. After his death, the Mughal rulers only had a symbolic presence. But Mughal rulers still had their influence over small chiefs and rulers across the country. The revolt of 1857 started only when Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last ruler of Mughals, gave his permission. His support for the revolt made leaders from various places become confident about opposing the British. Zafar asked all the leaders to form a confederacy to fight against the British. Many small, large kingdoms, rulers and chieftains supported the revolt after Bahadur Shah Zafar extending his support to the revolt. Hence, his support for the rebellion had a widespread effect on the people and the ruling families.

Question 7: How did the British succeed in securing the submission of the rebel landowners of Awadh?

Answer: The British succeed in securing the submission of the rebel landowners of Awadh by adopting various methods such as:

• They announced reward for loyal landowners.
• They were assured that they would be allowed to continue to enjoy traditional rights over their lands.
• Those who had rebelled were told that if they submitted to the British, and if they had not killed any white people, they would remain safe and their rights and claims to land would not be denied.

Question 8: In what ways did the British change their policies as a result of the rebellion of 1857?

Answer: After the revolt of 1857, the British Crown directly took over the Indian administration. The powers of the East India Company were transferred to the Crown. The following changes were made:

a. Doctrine of Lapse policy was abolished

b. The number of Indian sepoys was reduced in the army, so that in future they can’t rebel against the British

c. Zamindars’ and landowners’ rights were further enhanced

d. The Crown promised that it will not interfere with the religion of the people.

e. A Viceroy and a Secretary of the state were appointed for the administration of Indian society.