Revolt of 1857

The first incident of the revolt of 1857 was noticed in the 19th Native Infantry at Behrampur on 2^nd February, 1857.

Cause 1 is correct: Nana Sahib was refused pension as he was the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II.
Cause II is incorrect: Lucknow was annexed in 1856 on the charges of maladministration, not owing to Doctrine of Lapse.

Centres of revolt and their leaders:

Delhi - Bahadur Shah II and General Bakht Khan
Kanpur - Nana Sahib, Tantiya Tope and Azimullah Khan
Jhansi - Rani Laxmi Bai
Lucknow - Begum Hazrat Mahal and Maulvi Ahmadullah
Bareilly - Khan Bahadur Khan
Arrah - Kunwar Singh

Fate of the leaders of the revolt:
Bahadur Shah II was deported to Rangoon.
Nana Sahib and Begum Hazrat Mahal both escaped to Nepal.
Rani Laxmi Bai died in the battle field.
Tantia Tope was captured and executed.

The then people of India were unhappy with the British social reforms like widow remarriage, abolition of Sati, school for girls, etc. They took these efforts as interference into their traditions, customs and beliefs.

R.C. Majumdar, the prominent historian, argued that the 1857 movement was neither the first war of independence, nor a truly national movement, nor a war of independence in the modern sense. He emphasized its limitations in terms of participation, leadership, and national consciousness. This critical perspective contrasts with nationalist interpretations of the revolt.

It should be noted that at the time of the revolt of 1857, there was complete harmony among the people of India, and there were no incidences of Hindu-Muslim conflicts.
Though, Bahadur Shah II was unanimously taken as the leader of the revolt, however, the revolt lacked central leadership due to many reasons.

The revolt of 1857 saw participation from peasants, many zamindars (though some sided with British), and agricultural laborers. However, moneylenders (class IV) generally did NOT participate and often sided with the British, as they were seen as exploiters by the rebelling masses. Option C correctly identifies that only moneylenders (IV) did not participate.

All the statements, except statement 2, are correct. It should be noted that after the war, the British Governor-General of India was now given the title of 'Viceroy of India', who was also the representative of the monarch.
Besides, a minister of the British government, called the Secretary of State, was made responsible for the government of India.

The spread of the revolt of 1857 went like this:

Laxmi Bai (a) was killed in battle at Gwalior (4), Tantiya Tope (b) was captured and executed (3), Nana Saheb (c) fled to Nepal and disappeared (2), and Bahadur Shah Zafar (d) was deported to Rangoon where he died in exile (1). Option A matches these correctly: (a)-4, (b)-3, (c)-2, (d)-1.

Suppression of the revolt at different centres:
Delhi - John Nicholson
Kanpur and Lucknow - Colin Campbell
Jhansi - Hugh Rose
Arrah - William Taylor

L. E. R. Reese gave the revolt of 1857 the name of - ‘A war of fanatic religionists against Christians’.
V. D. Savarkar called the war 'First war of national independence'.

Lord Aitchison made this observation about the 1857 revolt, noting that both Hindus and Muslims had united against British rule and could not be easily divided during this uprising. His statement highlighted the rare communal unity during the revolt, which was unusual for the British who typically employed divide-and-rule policies. V.A. Smith, Cunningham, and Reese were historians who wrote about the revolt but didn't make this specific observation.