This free Revolt of 1857 MCQ test is the fourteenth set in our 72nd BPSC practice series. Its 20 questions cover the causes and course of 1857 from NCERT Class 8 and Class 12: the greased cartridges, Meerut and Delhi, Nana Saheb, Begum Hazrat Mahal, Lakshmibai and Bihar’s Kunwar Singh, and the Act of 1858; then the Paik rebellion, auctions under the Permanent Settlement and the jotedars; and finally the Portuguese, Dutch, French and Danish companies. Each question shows the correct answer and an explanation as soon as you choose an option, and you can work out your score with BPSC-style negative marking at the end. For more practice, see our free BPSC mock test series.
What this test covers: Canning’s decision on the Mughal title, the 1856 overseas-service law, missionaries and conversion laws, Majha Pravaas, From Sepoy to Subedar, the Bareilly rebels, Mangal Pandey, Tytler’s telegram, the ghazis and Ahmadullah Shah, the Khurda uprising, the Burdwan auction of 1797, jotedars, Almeida and Albuquerque, Pulicat, Pondicherry and Tranquebar.
Revolt of 1857, Rural Bengal & European Trading Companies
20 questions · NCERT Class 8 & 12 · BPSC prelims pattern
How this test works
Click the option you think is right. It locks, turns green if correct or red if not, and the explanation opens underneath. Your score updates in the bar at the top as you go, and Calculate final score at the bottom gives the full breakdown. Choose (E) Not attempted when you would only be guessing, exactly as you would bubble E on the BPSC OMR sheet.
+1 mark — Correct answer
−1/3 mark — Wrong answer
0 — no penalty — (E) Not attempted, the fifth bubble on every question
−1/3 mark — Row left completely blank in the real exam
Revolt of 185712 questions
1. What title were the descendants of the Mughal king destined to receive after Bahadur Shah Zafar according to Governor-General Canning’s 1856 decision?
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Answer: (B) Princes
In 1856 Canning decided that after Bahadur Shah Zafar’s death his descendants would be called princes, not kings, and would have to leave the Red Fort.
2. In which year did the East India Company pass a new law requiring all new recruits in its army to agree to serve overseas if required?
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Answer: (C) 1856
A law of 1856 required new recruits to serve overseas if needed, which upset sepoys who believed crossing the sea would cost them caste.
3. Which of the following is not correct regarding why many Indians began to feel the British were destroying their religion and social customs?
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Answer: (A) The British passed laws banning all traditional festivals and religious gatherings
The British promoted English education, allowed missionaries to work and own property after 1830, and passed laws on widow remarriage and inheritance by converts (1850). They did not ban traditional festivals, so A is the incorrect statement.
4. Based on the accounts written by Vishnubhatt Godse in Majha Pravaas, from which specific military location was the secret plan and fixed date for the war of religion circulated to other camps?
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Answer: (D) Meerut
Vishnubhatt Godse’s Majha Pravaas says that the plan and date for the uprising were decided at Meerut and sent to other cantonments.
5. What was the title of the memoirs written by Sitaram Pande, which were later translated into English by Norgate?
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Answer: (A) From Sepoy to Subedar
Sitaram Pande’s memoirs, From Sepoy to Subedar, were translated by Norgate and give a sepoy’s view of the army and 1857.
6. On 3 July 1857, over 3,000 rebels from which location crossed the river Jamuna to enter Delhi and attack British cavalry posts?
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Answer: (A) Bareilly
On 3 July 1857 over 3,000 rebels came from Bareilly, crossed the Jamuna and attacked the British cavalry posts in Delhi.
7. Which of the following statements about the events of April and May 1857 is not correct?
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Answer: (D) The sepoys at Meerut refused the new army drill because the cartridges were officially confirmed by the British to be coated with honey and wax.
Mangal Pandey was hanged on 8 April 1857, and the Meerut sepoys were punished on 9 May and rose on 10 May. Statement D is wrong: the sepoys believed the cartridges were greased with cow and pig fat; the British never confirmed honey and wax.
8. Why did many smaller rulers and chieftains, who previously controlled territories on behalf of the Mughal ruler, feel encouraged to join or support the 1857 rebellion?
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Answer: (A) They felt that if the Mughal emperor could rule again, they too would be able to rule their own territories once more under Mughal authority.
Smaller rulers who had once governed under the Mughals felt that if the emperor ruled again they too could rule their territories once more under his authority.
9. Match the following leaders of the 1857 revolt with their respective regions/centers of uprising:
List I (Leader)
A. Nana Saheb
B. Birjis Qadr & Begum Hazrat Mahal
C. Rani Lakshmibai
D. Rani Avantibai Lodhi
A. Nana Saheb
B. Birjis Qadr & Begum Hazrat Mahal
C. Rani Lakshmibai
D. Rani Avantibai Lodhi
List II (Region / Centre)
- Jhansi
- Mandla region (Ramgarh)
- Kanpur
- Lucknow
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Answer: (D) A – 3, B – 4, C – 1, D – 2
Nana Saheb led at Kanpur, Birjis Qadr and Begum Hazrat Mahal at Lucknow, Rani Lakshmibai at Jhansi and Rani Avantibai Lodhi at Ramgarh in the Mandla region. Code A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2.
10. Which British officer sent a telegram on 6 August 1857 expressing fear that “every village is held against us, the zamindars have risen to oppose us”?
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Answer: (A) Lieutenant Colonel Tytler
Lieutenant Colonel Tytler’s telegram of 6 August 1857 reported that every village was held against the British and the zamindars had risen.
11. Which of the following statements about the new leaders and fighters of the 1857 revolt is not correct?
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Answer: (A) In Delhi, a large number of ghazis or religious warriors came together with the objective of protecting and supporting the British administration.
The ghazis in Delhi came to fight the British, not to protect them, so statement A is wrong. Ahmadullah Shah, Bakht Khan and Kunwar Singh are correctly described.
12. Read the Assertion (A) and Reason (R) statements carefully.
Assertion (A): The British Crown took over direct governance of India through the Government of India Act of 1858.
Reason (R): The uprising of 1857 demonstrated that the East India Company was no longer capable of managing the administration of India securely, prompting the British Parliament to transfer power directly to the Crown.
Mark the correct choice as per the standard codes given below:
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Answer: (A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
The Government of India Act 1858 transferred power from the Company to the Crown because 1857 showed the Company could not govern India securely. Both are true and R explains A.
Rural Bengal under the Company3 questions
13. What was the primary immediate cause of the Khurda Uprising in 1817?
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Answer: (B) The imposition of heavy taxes on salt and the resumption of service tenures of the Paiks by the British
The Paik rebellion of 1817 in Khurda was triggered by the resumption of the paiks’ service tenures and high salt prices under British rule.
14. In 1797, a major public auction was held in Burdwan (present-day Bardhaman) where a number of mahals (estates) held by the Raja of Burdwan were put up for sale. What was the primary reason behind this auction?
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Answer: (A) The Permanent Settlement auction of mahals due to accumulated revenue
Under the Permanent Settlement, estates whose revenue fell into arrears were auctioned, which is why the Raja of Burdwan’s mahals were put up for sale in 1797.
15. Who were the jotedars in rural Bengal?
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Answer: (B) Rich peasants and landowners
Jotedars were rich peasants who held large tracts of land in villages, lent money and controlled local trade, often stronger than the zamindars.
European trading companies5 questions
16. Consider the following statements regarding the Portuguese presence in India:
(1) Francisco de Almeida followed what is known as the ‘Blue Water Policy’, which emphasised naval power over territorial expansion on land.
(2) Albuquerque is considered the real founder of the Portuguese empire in India, as he captured Goa in 1510.
(2) Albuquerque is considered the real founder of the Portuguese empire in India, as he captured Goa in 1510.
Which of the above statement(s) is/are correct?
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Answer: (C) Both 1 and 2
Almeida’s blue water policy stressed naval control, and Albuquerque, who took Goa in 1510, is regarded as the real founder of Portuguese power in India. Both are correct.
17. Consider the following statements about Portuguese expansion and cultural presence:
(1) Father Henriques introduced printing in Tamil and is called the father of the printing press in Tamil.
(2) Nino da Cunha occupied Bassein in 1534 and Daman in 1559, with the port of Daman wrested from Imad-ul-Mulk.
(3) The Portuguese built the Fort of Colombo to establish complete control over Sri Lanka in the middle of the sixteenth century.
(4) Philip II, King of Spain, defeated Portugal and annexed it in 1580, prompting the Portuguese to shift their attention to Brazil.
(2) Nino da Cunha occupied Bassein in 1534 and Daman in 1559, with the port of Daman wrested from Imad-ul-Mulk.
(3) The Portuguese built the Fort of Colombo to establish complete control over Sri Lanka in the middle of the sixteenth century.
(4) Philip II, King of Spain, defeated Portugal and annexed it in 1580, prompting the Portuguese to shift their attention to Brazil.
Which of the following statement(s) is/are not correct?
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Answer: (C) None of the above
Henriques printed in Tamil, Nino da Cunha acquired Bassein and the Portuguese later held Daman, Colombo fort was built in the sixteenth century, and Philip II annexed Portugal in 1580. None of the statements is incorrect.
18. What major military and logistical facility was established by the Dutch at Pulicat to augment their military power?
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Answer: (B) A gunpowder factory
The Dutch set up a gunpowder factory at Pulicat, their first settlement on the Coromandel coast.
19. From which local ruler did the French acquire the site of Pondicherry in 1673 with the aid of Sher Khan Lodi?
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Answer: (C) The Sultan of Bijapur
The French got Pondicherry in 1673 from Sher Khan Lodi, the governor under the Sultan of Bijapur.
20. In which year did Denmark peacefully sell its Indian settlements, including Tranquebar and Serampore, to the British?
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Answer: (C) 1845
Denmark sold its Indian settlements of Tranquebar and Serampore to the British in 1845.
Your result
Automatic scoring needs JavaScript. Until it runs, tally by hand: score = correct − (wrong ÷ 3).
Finished, or stopping here? This counts every question you have answered so far.
Show the full answer key
1 B · 2 C · 3 A · 4 D · 5 A · 6 A · 7 D · 8 A · 9 D · 10 A · 11 A · 12 A · 13 B · 14 A · 15 B · 16 C · 17 C · 18 B · 19 C · 20 C
Scoring: +1 correct, −1/3 wrong, 0 for (E) Not attempted, −1/3 for a row left blank in the real exam.
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