40. After the Revolt of 1857, under which Act was India governed in the name of the British Crown?
[SSC MTS, 1 October 2024, Shift 1]
(A) Government of India Act of 1919
(B) Government of India Act of 1858
(C) Charter Act of 1853
(D) Charter Act of 1833
Answer: (B) Government of India Act of 1858
Explanation: Parliament enacted the Government of India Act 1858 after the revolt. It ended the Company’s political authority and placed Indian territories directly under the Crown. The Governor-General also became the Crown’s representative as viceroy.
39. The Revolt of 1857 began in May 1857 in which cantonment?
[SSC CGL, 26 September 2024, Shift 1]
(A) Kanpur
(B) Jhansi
(C) Lucknow
(D) Meerut
Answer: (D) Meerut
Explanation: The large-scale military uprising began at Meerut cantonment on 10 May 1857. Indian sepoys rebelled after the punishment of cavalrymen involved in the cartridge dispute. Their movement toward Delhi subsequently broadened the revolt’s political significance.
38. On which date did the sepoys who rebelled at Meerut begin their march toward Delhi?
[SSC CGL, 12 September 2024, Shift 1]
(A) 10 May 1857
(B) 19 April 1857
(C) 2 June 1857
(D) 29 March 1857
Answer: (A) 10 May 1857
Explanation: Rebel sepoys rose in Meerut on 10 May 1857 and began moving to Delhi, reaching it the following day. There they sought the authority of Bahadur Shah Zafar. Their advance helped turn local mutiny into a broader uprising.
37. Consider: (1) Kunwar Singh, landlord of Jagdishpur in Bihar, led the rebellion against the British; (2) Lord Dalhousie recognised Rani Lakshmibai’s adopted son as heir. Which statements are correct?
[UPPSC PCS Preliminary Examination 2024]
(A) Neither 1 nor 2
(B) Only 1
(C) Only 2
(D) Both 1 and 2
Answer: (B) Only 1
Explanation: Kunwar Singh of Jagdishpur was indeed a central rebel leader in Bihar. Dalhousie, however, refused recognition to Jhansi’s adopted successor, applying the Doctrine of Lapse. The annexation helped turn Lakshmibai against British rule.
36. Who was Governor-General of India at the time of the Revolt of 1857?
[WBCS Main Examination (2023 cycle), held August 2024]
(A) Lord Canning
(B) Lord Curzon
(C) Lord Cornwallis
(D) Lord Minto
Answer: (A) Lord Canning
Explanation: Lord Canning served as Governor-General from 1856 to 1862 and was in office throughout the Revolt of 1857. Following the Crown takeover in 1858, he also became the first viceroy under the new arrangement.
35. In which year was Queen Victoria’s Proclamation announcing Crown rule in India issued?
[WBCS Main Examination (2023 cycle), held August 2024]
(A) 1855
(B) 1859
(C) 1800
(D) 1858
Answer: (D) 1858
Explanation: Queen Victoria’s Proclamation was issued on 1 November 1858 after the transfer of Company authority to the Crown. It promised respect for treaties with princes, non-interference in religious beliefs and equal protection under the law, subject to colonial practice.
34. Who introduced the Doctrine of Lapse that was applied to Jhansi?
[WBCS Main Examination (2023 cycle), held August 2024]
(A) Lord Cornwallis
(B) Lord Dalhousie
(C) Lord Wellesley
(D) Lord Ripon
Answer: (B) Lord Dalhousie
Explanation: Lord Dalhousie expanded British territories through the Doctrine of Lapse, rejecting succession by adopted heirs in certain princely states. Jhansi was annexed after Gangadhar Rao’s death, providing one of the important political grievances preceding the uprising.
33. Match these women leaders of 1857 with their centres: (I) Rani Lakshmibai, (II) Rani Avantibai Lodhi, (III) Begum Hazrat Mahal; centres (1) Lucknow, (2) Jhansi, (3) Mandla.
[Bombay High Court Peon, 14 February 2024]
(A) I-3, II-2, III-1
(B) I-3, II-1, III-2
(C) I-1, II-2, III-3
(D) I-2, II-3, III-1
Answer: (D) I-2, II-3, III-1
Explanation: Lakshmibai led resistance at Jhansi, Avantibai Lodhi mobilised forces in the Mandla-Ramgarh region and Begum Hazrat Mahal became a leading figure in Lucknow. The matching illustrates the major contribution of women across different regional theatres of 1857.
32. In which year did the First War of Indian Independence, commonly associated with the sepoy revolt, begin?
[SSC CHSL, 2 July 2024, Shift 4]
(A) 1839
(B) 1857
(C) 1887
(D) 1819
Answer: (B) 1857
Explanation: The widespread uprising began in May 1857 at Meerut, although earlier incidents occurred at Barrackpore and elsewhere. Its nationalist description as the First War of Independence became especially popular through subsequent anti-colonial historical writing.
31. Sitaram Kanwar and Raghunath Singh Mandloi, leaders of the Bhilala community, joined an anti-British revolt in which year?
[MPPSC State Service Preliminary Examination, 17 December 2023]
(A) 1842
(B) 1857
(C) 1927
(D) 1942
Answer: (B) 1857
Explanation: The Bhilala leaders participated in resistance associated with the 1857 uprising in central India. Their role shows the reach of anti-colonial mobilisation among local and tribal communities beyond the better-known sepoy centres of north India.
