History Question Answers Chapter 4 The Freedom Struggle of 1857 Class 8 Maharashtra Board

Question Answers For All Chapters – History Class 8

Exercise

1. Rewrite the statements by choosing the appropriate options.

(Options: Umaji Naik, War of Independence, Lord Dalhousie, Secretary of State, Tatya Tope)

(1) V.D. Savarkar named the struggle of 1857 as War of Independence.

(2) Umaji Naik united the Ramoshis to rebel against the British.

(3) After the struggle of 1857, the post of Secretary of State was created in the British Government to look after the affairs of India.

(4) Lord Dalhousie was the Governor General who annexed the princely states.

(5) The British imposed heavy taxes on Indian industries. (No option needed as it’s already correct)

2. Explain the following statements with reasons.

(1) The Paikas made armed rebellion against the British.

• The Paikas were the army of kings in Odisha.
• They got rent-free lands for their service.
• In 1803, the British took away these lands.
• The British also raised salt prices with taxes.
• This made the Paikas angry, so they rebelled in 1817.

(2) There was discontent among the Hindu and Muslim sepoys.

• Indian sepoys were treated badly by British officers.
• They got less pay and fewer allowances than British soldiers.
• In 1856, new rifle cartridges were said to have cow and pig fat.
• This hurt the religious feelings of Hindus and Muslims.
• So, they became unhappy and rebelled.

(3) The Indian sepoys could not keep stand in front of the British army.

• The Indian sepoys were brave but lacked plans.
• They had limited weapons and supplies.
• The British had a strong, disciplined army.
• The British also had better communication and transport.
• This made it hard for the sepoys to win.

3. Answer the following questions in brief.

(1) What were the social causes behind the struggle of 1857?

• Indians felt the British were changing their culture.
• Laws like banning Sati were seen as interference.
• The Widow Remarriage Act also upset some people.
• They thought their traditions were under attack.
• This caused anger against the British.

(2) Why did the Indians fail in the struggle of 1857?

• The revolt did not happen all over India at once.
• There was no single leader for everyone.
• Many princes stayed loyal to the British.
• The Indians lacked military plans and weapons.
• The British had a stronger army and resources.

(3) Write down the consequences of the struggle of 1857.

• The East India Company’s rule ended.
• The British government took direct control of India.
• Queen Victoria promised no discrimination to Indians.
• The army was changed to have more British soldiers.
• The British started the ‘Divide and Rule’ policy.

(4) What were the changes in British policy after the struggle of 1857?

• They stopped interfering in Indian social customs.
• They kept Indians divided by caste and religion.
• They increased British soldiers in the army.
• Artillery was kept only with the British.
• They followed the ‘Divide and Rule’ policy.