Question

major rebellion. the revolt was known to the british as the sepoy rebellion or the sepoy mutiny. indians call it the first war of independence.
the immediate cause of the revolt was a rumor that the british were issuing their indian troops new bullets that were greased with cow and pig fat. the cow was sacred to hindus. the pig was taboo off limits to muslims. a group of sepoys refused to load their rifles with the new bullets. when the british arrested them, the sepoy army went on a rampage. they killed 50 europeans. the revolt quickly spread. the indian troops fought bravely but were not well organized. rivalries between hindus and muslims kept indians from working together. within a year, the revolt was crushed. as a result of the revolt, the british parliament transferred the powers of the east india company directly to the british government. in 1876, queen victoria was given the title of empress of india. the term raj refers to british rule over india from 1757 to 1947.
terms and names
sepoy mutiny: uprising of indian soldiers against the british
raj: british rule over india from 1757 to 1947.
viceroy: a governor who ruled as a representative of a monarch

1. what was the immediate cause of the sepoy mutiny?
2. why did the rebellion of the sepoy army fail?

Explanation:

1. For question 3: The text explicitly states the immediate trigger for the mutiny was a rumor about new rifle bullets.
2. For question 4: The text outlines two key reasons the rebellion failed, related to organization and internal divisions.

Answer:

1. The immediate cause was a rumor that the British were issuing new rifle bullets greased with cow and pig fat, which violated the religious beliefs of Hindu (cows are sacred) and Muslim (pigs are taboo) sepoys.
2. The rebellion failed because the Indian troops were not well organized, and rivalries between Hindus and Muslims prevented them from working together, allowing the British to crush the revolt within a year.