It was a well-known saying current in those days that Delhi changed its rulers every hundred years.* For this reason a rumour had spread that the British power would come to an end a hundred years after the Battle of Plassey.* Several mischievous people were on the look-out for an opportunity that there should be some disturbance. These people had been inciting the public, especially the soldiers to rebellion.
At this time new rifles called the Enfield rifles, had been supplied to the sepoys in which greased cartridges were to be used. In order to fit them to the rifles the soldiers had to bite the end of these cartridges with their teeth. A rumour spread that these cartridges were greased with the fat of the cow and the pig and the sepoys believed that this was intentionally done to defile their religion. This was a signal for outbreaks in several cantonments.
First of all there were some outbreaks at Barrackpore, Barhampur etc., but the mutiny is believed to have begun on Sunday, the 10th May, 1857 at Meerut. There on 9th May, 85 sepoys refused to use these greased cartridges and were sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment. On the 10th their comrades shot down their English officers, stormed the jail, released the prisoners and came to Delhi. Thus the mutiny began.*
* A reference, perhaps, to the accession of two of India’s most revered Mughal Emperors, Akbar the Great in 1556, and Aurangzeb in 1658. A century later, the British cemented their power over the weakened Mughal Emperors at the Battle of Plassey on June 23rd, 1757, when the East India Company under the command of Robert Clive defeated a combined army of French forces and forces under the Nawal of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah. Maybe the old soothsayers had a point: the Indian Mutiny brought direct rule from London in 1858, and India achieved independence in August 1947.
* See The Battle of Plassey.
* For what happened next, see Jawaharlal Nehru’s account of The Indian Mutiny.
Précis
Some also quoted an old saw that rulers in India changed every hundred years, and prophesied that the next change was due. When the Company’s militia was issued with rifle bullets greased with pork and beef fat, anger at the Company’s mismanagement was compounded with outraged religious feelings, sparking a revolt at Meerut on May 10th, 1857. (57 / 60 words)
Some also quoted an old saw that rulers in India changed every hundred years, and prophesied that the next change was due. When the Company’s militia was issued with rifle bullets greased with pork and beef fat, anger at the Company’s mismanagement was compounded with outraged religious feelings, sparking a revolt at Meerut on May 10th, 1857.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, although, may, or, since, unless, whereas, whether.
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Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Deal. Last. Mind.
2 Annexation. Believe. Fat.
3 Defile. Lead. Their.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Confusables Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that are similar to one another, but not exactly the same. Compose your own sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between them, whether in meaning, grammar or use.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Prepositions Find in Think and Speak
Each of the words below may be followed by one or more prepositions. Compose your own sentences to show which they might be. Some prepositions are given underneath.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1. Offended. 2. Deal. 3. Consist. 4. Use.
Selected Prepositions
About. Against. Among. At. By. For. From. In. Into. Of. On. Out. Over. Through. To. Towards. Upon. With.
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
b (5+2)
be. beau. bee. boo. oboe.
baa. boa.
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