Skip to content
GK24
Prime
Indian HistoryMediumAsked in: NDA · NDA-I 2017, GAT

Which one of the following was NOT a cause of the Revolt of 1857 ?

  1. A.The rumour that the British had mixed the bone dust of cows and pigs into the flour being sold in the market
  2. B.The prophecy that British rule would come to an end on the centenary of the Battle of Plassey on 23rd June, 1857
  3. C.Popular discontent with British rule
  4. D.The prophecy that the end of British rule would lead to the end of the Kali Yuga and the return of Ram Rajya

Correct answer

D. The prophecy that the end of British rule would lead to the end of the Kali Yuga and the return of Ram Rajya

Explanation

The correct answer is D, the prophecy that the end of British rule would lead to the end of the Kali Yuga and the return of Ram Rajya. No such prophecy is recorded among the causes of the revolt.

Rumours and prophecies spread fast in the months before May 1857 and stirred fear and anger. Besides the greased cartridges, people believed that the British had mixed the bone dust of cows and pigs into flour sold in the markets, to destroy the caste and religion of Hindus and Muslims alike. A prophecy also said that British rule would end on the centenary of the Battle of Plassey, 23 June 1857. Beneath these lay wide discontent with annexations, heavy land revenue and interference in social customs.

A is wrong: the bone-dust rumour was a real cause of alarm. B is wrong: the Plassey centenary prophecy was widely believed. C is wrong: popular discontent with British rule was the root cause of the revolt.

Exam tip: 1857 rumours to remember are greased cartridges, bone dust in flour and the end of British rule a hundred years after Plassey (1757).

Practice Questions

View all
Q1.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2016, GKHard

Which one of the following sources tells us about women protesting against the infidelity of their husbands or the neglect of the wife and children by the male head of the household?

  1. A.The Kitab-ul-Hind
  2. B.Documents belonging to the Village Panchayats of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra
  3. C.Sculptures from Mandor
  4. D.The Ain-i-Akbari of Abul Fazl
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Documents belonging to the Village Panchayats of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra

These records preserve petitions that women sent to the panchayat seeking redress. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries village panchayats settled disputes and punished misconduct.

Q2.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2024, GKEasy

Who among the following was the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army of independent India?

  1. A.S. M. Srinagesh
  2. B.K. M. Cariappa
  3. C.K. S. Thimayya
  4. D.K. S. Rajendrasinhji
Show answer
Correct answer: B. K. M. Cariappa

General K. M. Cariappa took over as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army on 15 January 1949. He succeeded General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British chief, and the day he took charge is celebrated every year as Army Day on 15 January.

Q3.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2017, GKHard

Which of the following statements with regard to the speech of Mahatma Gandhi at the opening of the Banaras Hindu University are correct? 1. He charged the Indian elite with a lack of concern for the labouring poor. 2. He asserted that our salvation can come only through the farmers. 3. He highlighted the plight of the untouchables. 4. He promised to take up the cause of the mill owners of Ahmedabad. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. A.1, 2, 3 and 4
  2. B.1 and 2 only
  3. C.1, 2 and 3 only
  4. D.3 and 4 only
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 1 and 2 only

At the opening of Banaras Hindu University in February 1916, Gandhi criticised the elite for ignoring the poor and said India's salvation lay with its farmers.