60. Which plateau region was the principal centre of the Kol Rebellion of 1831–32?
[RRB JE CBT-II (Civil & Allied Engineering), 2 July 2026]
A. Meghalaya Plateau
B. Deccan Plateau
C. Malwa Plateau
D. Chotanagpur Plateau
Answer: (D) Chotanagpur Plateau
Explanation: The Kol uprising was centred on the Chotanagpur Plateau, including parts of Ranchi, Singhbhum, Hazaribagh and adjoining areas. It challenged colonial land policies, the displacement of traditional chiefs and the growing influence of outsiders over tribal lands.
59. During the Santhal Rebellion, against whom was Santhal resentment primarily directed?
[RRB NTPC Undergraduate CBT-I, 19 June 2026, Shift 3]
A. Missionaries distributing famine relief
B. Traditional Santhal clan heads
C. British officials, zamindars, traders and moneylenders
D. Bengal Army soldiers in remote cantonments
Answer: (C) British officials, zamindars, traders and moneylenders
Explanation: The Santhal Hul of 1855–56 protested colonial rule and the exploitation practised by landlords, traders and moneylenders. Debt, land alienation and coercive revenue demands undermined Santhal livelihoods, turning local grievances into an organised uprising.
58. Who was the leader associated with the Munda Uprising of 1899–1900?
[RRB NTPC Undergraduate CBT-I, 18 June 2026, Shift 3]
A. Tilka Manjhi
B. Jatra Oraon
C. Birsa Munda
D. Budhu Bhagat
Answer: (C) Birsa Munda
Explanation: Birsa Munda led the Ulgulan in the Chotanagpur region around 1899–1900. His followers sought to recover ancestral land rights, resist the intrusion of landlords and outsiders, and defend Munda social and political autonomy.
57. What chiefly triggered the Kol Uprising in Chhotanagpur during 1831–32?
[RRB NTPC Undergraduate CBT-I, 17 June 2026, Shift 3]
A. Transfer of tribal lands and the arrival of moneylenders and merchants
B. Prohibition of traditional local festivals
C. Forced recruitment for overseas military service
D. Famine caused by rice cultivation failures
Answer: (A) Transfer of tribal lands and the arrival of moneylenders and merchants
Explanation: New colonial revenue and property arrangements weakened tribal control of land and empowered non-tribal intermediaries. Kols and allied groups resisted the loss of customary rights, mounting a major uprising against the Company’s local order.
56. Which tribal leader was revered by followers as Dharti Aba, Vishwapita or a divine prophet?
[Army Agniveer GD, 8 June 2026, Shift 2 (memory-based paper)]
A. Birsa Munda
B. Sidhu and Kanhu
C. Chand and Bhairav
D. None of these
Answer: (A) Birsa Munda
Explanation: Birsa Munda acquired spiritual authority alongside his political leadership. His followers regarded him as Dharti Aba, or Father of the Earth. He promoted moral reforms and mobilised resistance to colonial administration and the dispossession of Munda cultivators.
55. By what name is the tribal uprising of 1855 led by Sidhu and Kanhu known?
[DSSSB Court Attendant, 2 June 2026, Shift 2]
A. Bhil Uprising
B. Wahabi Movement
C. Santhal Uprising
D. Moplah Uprising
Answer: (C) Santhal Uprising
Explanation: Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu helped launch the Santhal Hul in June 1855. Santhal communities confronted the East India Company and oppressive zamindari-moneylending networks. The rebellion continued into 1856 before being suppressed by colonial military force.
54. Who was the Jharkhand tribal leader called Dharati Baba who headed the Munda Rebellion?
[SSC GD Constable, 25 May 2026, Shift 3]
A. Birsa Munda
B. Alluri Sitarama Raju
C. Komaram Bheem
D. Peer Ali Khan
Answer: (A) Birsa Munda
Explanation: Birsa Munda became known as Dharti Aba, meaning Father of the Earth. He led a movement combining religious revival with resistance to British rule and the encroachment of landlords on customary Munda holdings in Chotanagpur.
53. Which tribal revolt was sufficiently intense for the British to bring troops from distant areas?
[RRB NTPC Undergraduate CBT-I, 9 May 2026, Shift 3]
A. Kol Rebellion in Singhbhum
B. Localized Bhil resistance in Khandesh
C. A coastal fishing-village revolt in Malabar
D. A minor Santhal disturbance requiring few troops
Answer: (A) Kol Rebellion in Singhbhum
Explanation: The Kol Rebellion spread across sections of Chotanagpur during 1831–32. The scale of the resistance challenged Company authority and required substantial military operations. Land transfers and the entry of exploitative outsiders underlay the confrontation.
52. Around which year did the Santhals begin their major rebellion?
[SSC GD Constable, 30 April 2026, Shift 1]
A. 1821
B. 1855
C. 1885
D. 1903
Answer: (B) 1855
Explanation: The Santhal Hul began in 1855 and continued into 1856. Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu were among its central leaders. Santhals protested dispossession, debt, the zamindari structure and oppressive East India Company authority in the Rajmahal region.
51. Where did the Santhal Hul against East India Company rule take place?
[OSSSC Forester / Forest Guard / Excise Constable, 23 April 2026, Shift 3]
A. Chotanagpur under Birsa Munda
B. Rajmahal Hills under Sido and Kanhu
C. Coastal Odisha under Bakshi Jagabandhu
D. Malabar under the Mappila community
Answer: (B) Rajmahal Hills under Sido and Kanhu
Explanation: The Santhal Hul arose in the Rajmahal Hills and neighbouring Damin-i-Koh region. Sido and Kanhu led resistance against British administrators and local exploiters. It was distinct from the later Munda Ulgulan and the Paika Rebellion in Odisha.