Worksheet 1

Subject: Social Science- History Topic: The Great Uprising of 1857 Std.: VIII

1. Complete the following newspaper article review.

Relevant responses accepted

2. Colour Code: Identify and colour the facts that created resentment among peasants and
artisans against the British rule.

The British emphasis The production of

on cultivation of Indian hand-made
commercial crops such goods became
as indigo destroyed uneconomical due to
the self-sufficient the large flow of the
village economy in British machine made
India. goods.

The corrupt and

The peasants and
unresponsive
zamindars resented
administration and the
the high revenue
new economic policies
demands and the
reduced artisans and
various methods of
peasants to abject
revenue settlement.
poverty.

3. Draw appropriate smiley by identifying Indian response towards the reforms

introduced by the British.

 Happy  Sad

a) The British passed several laws to remove socio-religious abuses such as 

Sati, and encouraged widow remarriages.
b) Many educational institutions were set up by Christian missionaries to 
spread the knowledge of Christian religion.
c) The Charter Act of 1813 permitted Christian missionaries to come to India 
under the license to carry out proselytising activities.

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 Worksheet 1

d) Police protection was given to the missionaries. 

e) English education was widely promoted. 
4. Write any four grivenses experienced by the sepoy of the East India Company to add
them in the following complaint box.
 unsatisfactory conditions of service were another reason for the discontent.
 fed and lodged in a worse manner than their British counterparts.
 treated with great contempt and even addressed as pigs.
 a strong sense of resentment as they were paid much less than their British
counterparts.
 no prospect of promotion to higher posts.
 non-payment of full bhatta , that is, additional or special allowance paid for fi ghting
wars in distant places or outside India; for example, while serving in Sind or Punjab.
 The replacement the old fashioned musket by the new ‘Enfield Rifle’. As it needed a
special type of cartridge which was covered with greased paper. The paper had to be
bitten off before loading the cartridge into the rifle. The grease used in the paper
contained beef and pig fat. Therefore, Hindu and Muslim sepoys declined to use the
greased cartridges as this would violate the religious injunctions of both the
communities. They believed that the government was purposely trying to obliterate
their religion.
5. Arrange the following events chronologically.

 Mangal Pandey at Barrackpur refused to use the new Enfi eld rifl e and fi red at
Lieutenant Baugh.
 Eighty five sepoys of the Cavalry Regiment were court martialled for refusing to use the
greased cartridge and sentenced to ten years imprisonment.
 The sepoys broke out in open rebellion.
 The regiments stationed in Delhi began indiscriminate massacre of Europeans and
destruction of their houses.
 Bahadur Shah Zafar was proclaimed as the Emperor of India.

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