Passage Based Questions: Rebels and the Raj | History Class 12 - Humanities/Arts PDF Download

Passage  - 1

Direction: Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was dethroned and exiled to Calcutta on the plea that the region was being misgoverned. The British Government also wrongly assumed that Wajid Ali Shah was an unpopular ruler. On the contrary, he was widely loved, and when he left his beloved Lucknow, many followed him all the way to Kanpur, singing songs of lament. The widespread sense of grief and loss at the Nawab’s exile was recorded by many contemporary observers. One of them wrote, “The life was gone out of the body, and the body of this town had been left lifeless… there was no street or market and house which did not wail out the cry of agony in separation of Jan-i-Alam.” One folk song bemoaned that “the honourable English came and took the country.”

Q1: Why was Nawab Wajid Ali Shah dethroned and exiled to Calcutta?
Ans: Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was dethroned and exiled to Calcutta on the grounds that the region was being misgoverned.

Q2: Why did the people express grief and emotional turmoil? Explain.
Ans: The British dethroned and exiled Nawab Wajid Ali Shah to Calcutta, claiming that the kingdom of Awadh was being misgoverned. Lord Dalhousie’s annexation of Awadh shocked and bewildered the people of the region. The Nawab was deeply loved and respected by his subjects, and the widespread grief and loss felt at his exile were recorded by many contemporary observers. The entire city mourned, and it became lifeless without their king. Folk songs also lamented the separation from their beloved ruler.

Q3: What human values are highlighted in the passage?
Ans: The passage reveals a deep emotional bond between the ruler and his subjects, reflecting their immense love for the Nawab. When the Nawab was dethroned and exiled by the British, the people of Awadh felt as though their feelings had been mercilessly crushed. This event hurt their emotions, and the sentimental connection between the ruler and his subjects was destroyed by the British.

Passage - 2

Direction: Read the following excerpt carefully and answer the questions that follow:

Villagers as Rebels
An officer reporting from rural Awadh (spelled as Oude in the following account) noted: The Oude people are gradually pressing down on the line of communication from the North... the Oude people are villagers... these villagers are nearly intangible to Europeans, melting away before them and collecting again. The Civil Authorities report these villagers to amount to a very large number of men, with a number of guns.

Q1: What challenges did the British face in dealing with these villagers?
Ans: The British faced the problem of these villagers being nearly intangible, as they would disperse when approached by the British and then regroup later. This made it difficult for the British to effectively confront or control them.

Q2: Why were the people of Awadh hostile towards the British?
Ans: The people of Awadh were hostile towards the British due to the annexation of their region and the dethronement of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, who was loved by the people. The annexation led to widespread resentment and resistance against British rule.

Q3: How did the British suppress the rebels?
Ans: The British suppressed the rebels through military force and punitive measures, targeting the villages and local leaders involved in the rebellion to quell the resistance.