Revolt of 1857 MCQs for UPSC Prelims

30 practice questions on Revolt of 1857 from the Modern History section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus. 30 come with a written explanation and 1 are actual previous year questions. Try the sample set below - the answer stays hidden until you ask for it.

4 Easy 15 Medium 11 Hard 1 from past papers

Sample questions

Q1
Previous year question medium

What was/were the object/objects of Queen Victoria’s Proclamation (1858)? 1. To disclaim any intention to annex Indian States 2. To place the Indian administration under the British Crown 3. To regulate East India Company’s trade with India Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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

Correct answer: A - 1 and 2 only

Queen Victoria's Proclamation of 1858 announced that the administration of India was being taken over by the British Crown from the East India Company and promised that there would be no further annexation of Indian states, honouring existing treaties, so statements 1 and 2 are correct. By 1858 the Company's commercial functions in India had already ended, so it was not about regulating Company trade, making statement 3 wrong. The answer is 1 and 2 only.

Q2
medium

Consider the following pairs of revolts and their principal leaders during the Revolt of 1857: 1. Assigarh / Aligarh region : Begum Hazrat Mahal 2. Bareilly : Khan Bahadur Khan 3. Faizabad : Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah Which of the pairs are correctly matched?

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

Correct answer: B - 2 and 3 only

Begum Hazrat Mahal led the revolt at Lucknow (proclaiming her son Birjis Qadr), not Aligarh, so pair 1 is wrong. Khan Bahadur Khan, a grandson of Hafiz Rahmat Khan, led the rising at Bareilly (pair 2 correct). Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah of Faizabad was a major rebel leader in Awadh (pair 3 correct). Hence only 2 and 3 are correctly matched.

Q3
medium

Which of the following is the correct chronological order of these events of the revolt of 1857? 1. Outbreak of mutiny at Meerut 2. Proclamation of Bahadur Shah II as the symbolic emperor at Delhi 3. British recapture of Delhi 4. Final suppression and the proclamation of Crown rule

  1. A 1 - 2 - 3 - 4
  2. B 2 - 1 - 3 - 4
  3. C 1 - 2 - 4 - 3
  4. D 2 - 1 - 4 - 3
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4

The mutiny broke out at Meerut in May 1857 (1); the rebels then marched to Delhi where Bahadur Shah II was proclaimed the symbolic emperor (2); the British recaptured Delhi in September 1857 (3); and the revolt was finally suppressed by 1858, followed by the Government of India Act 1858 transferring power to the Crown (4). Thus the correct order is 1-2-3-4. The other sequences misplace the Meerut outbreak or invert the recapture of Delhi and the establishment of Crown rule.

Q4
hard

During the Revolt of 1857, the leader who proclaimed himself 'Governor' and led the rebellion in the Faizabad region, later becoming a prominent rebel in Awadh, was:

  1. A Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah
  2. B Kunwar Singh
  3. C Khan Bahadur Khan
  4. D Devi Singh
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah

Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah of Faizabad was a leading figure of the 1857 revolt in Awadh, famed for his organisational ability and for fighting the British at Chinhat and Lucknow. Kunwar Singh led the revolt in Bihar (Jagdishpur), Khan Bahadur Khan in Bareilly (Rohilkhand), and Devi Singh was a peasant leader near Mathura. Ahmadullah Shah is a comparatively less-tested 1857 leader.

Q5
medium

With reference to the Revolt of 1857, consider the following pairs of leaders and the centres associated with them: 1. Begum Hazrat Mahal : Lucknow 2. Kunwar Singh : Arrah (Jagdishpur) 3. Tatya Tope : Bareilly How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

  1. A Only one
  2. B Only two
  3. C All three
  4. D None
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - Only two

Pairs 1 and 2 are correctly matched. Begum Hazrat Mahal led the revolt at Lucknow (Awadh), and Kunwar Singh, the aged zamindar, led the revolt in the Arrah/Jagdishpur region of Bihar. Pair 3 is incorrect: Tatya Tope was associated with Kanpur (and later Gwalior, where he operated alongside Rani Lakshmibai), not Bareilly. The revolt at Bareilly was led by Khan Bahadur Khan. Hence exactly two pairs are correctly matched.

Q6
hard

Assertion (A): The 'doctrine of lapse' is often cited as a cause of the Revolt of 1857, with Jhansi, Satara and Nagpur among the affected states. Reason (R): Lord Dalhousie's annexation of Awadh in 1856 was carried out under the doctrine of lapse on the death of its ruler without a natural heir. Select the correct answer using the code below.

  1. A Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
  2. B Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
  3. C A is true, but R is false
  4. D A is false, but R is true
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - A is true, but R is false

A is true: Satara (1848), Jhansi and Nagpur (1854) were annexed under the doctrine of lapse, contributing to discontent. R is false: Awadh was NOT annexed under the doctrine of lapse. It was annexed in 1856 on the pretext of misgovernment (alleged maladministration by Wajid Ali Shah), not on grounds of a failure of heirs. Hence A is true but R is false.

Q7
medium

Consider the following pairs of leaders and centres of the Revolt of 1857: 1. Kunwar Singh : Jagdishpur (Bihar) 2. Khan Bahadur Khan : Bareilly 3. Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah : Faizabad How many pairs are correctly matched?

  1. A Only one
  2. B Only two
  3. C All three
  4. D None
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - All three

All three pairs are correct. Kunwar Singh, an aged zamindar, led the revolt in Jagdishpur, Bihar. Khan Bahadur Khan, grandson of Hafiz Rahmat Khan, headed the rising at Bareilly in Rohilkhand. Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah, the 'Maulvi of Faizabad', was a prominent rebel leader active around Faizabad and Lucknow. Hence all three are correctly matched.

Q8
medium

During the Revolt of 1857, the leadership at the small kingdom of Jagdishpur was provided by which of the following octogenarian zamindar leaders?

  1. A Kunwar Singh
  2. B Devi Singh
  3. C Bakht Khan
  4. D Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - Kunwar Singh

Kunwar Singh, the aged zamindar of Jagdishpur in Bihar (Shahabad district), was a prominent leader of the 1857 revolt despite being around eighty years old. He led campaigns across Bihar and the United Provinces. Bakht Khan led at Delhi, Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah at Faizabad/Awadh, and Devi Singh was a local rebel leader in the Mathura region.

Practice all 30 Revolt of 1857 questions free

Timed practice, instant scoring, and explanations for every question. Free forever - no card, no catch.

Start practicing I am a teacher - create a test

More Modern History topics

Economic Impact of Colonial Rule 64 Gandhian Mass Movements 57 Peasant & Tribal Movements 52 Socio-Religious Reform Movements 51 Press, Education & Institutions 48 Constitutional Developments & Acts 47 Rise of Nationalism & Early Congress 39 Revolutionary Movements 38 Working Class & Left Movements 34 British Expansion & Conquests 33 Moderates & Extremists 31 Advent of Europeans 29