CBSE-Class-10-Social-Science-Question-bank-History-Chapter-7-Print-Culture-and-Modern-World

Class 10^th Social Science- Print Culture and Modern World

PRINT CULTURE AND THE MODERN WORLD

NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS

Q.1. Why did woodblock print come to Europe only after 1295?

Ans. Marco Polo, a great Itatian explorer, visited China in 1295. He brought the technology of

woodblock printing from China to Italy. From Italy, it spread to other parts of Europe.

Q.2. Why did Gandhiji say that the ‘fight for Swaraj’ is a fight for liberty of speech, liberty of the press, and freedom of association?

Ans. Various Acts passed by the British Government like the Defence of India Act, the Vernacular

Press Act and suppression of about 42 newspapers during the First World War, deportation of

Balgangadhar Tilak made Gandhiji make this remark in 1922.

Q.3. Give reasons for the following :

(a) Martin Luther was in favour of print and spoke out in praise of it.

(b) The Roman Catholic Church began keeping an index of prohibited books from the mid-sixteenth century.

Ans. (a) Martin Luther was a religious reformer of Germany. He wrote ‘Ninety Five Theses’,

criticising many of the practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church. A printed copy

of this was posted on a church door in Wittenberg. Luther’s writings were reproduced and

circulated widely. They were read by a large number of people and his reformative ideas

ultimately led to a division of the Roman Catholic Church. Luther was full of praise for

the print media. He said, “Printing is a gift of God and the greatest one.”

(b) People wanted to know more and more about their religion and about their church. This

made the clergy afraid of the new awakening. They saw it as a threat to their privileges,

to their monopoly of interpreting religious texts and thus to their incomes. They felt that

free print material can make the people rebel against the established religion. With this

fear in mind, the Roman Catholic Church imposed several controls over publishers and

booksellers. They began to maintain an Index of Prohibited Books from 1558 onwards.

Q.4. Write short notes to show what you know about

(a) Erasmus’ idea of the printed books.

(b) What was the new type of literature that appeared in the 16th and 17th centuries?

Ans. (a) Erasmus (1466–1533) was a great Catholic reformer of Holland. He was the pioneer of

Reformation in Holland. He criticised the excesses of catholicism but kept his distance

from Martin Luther. In some of his famous works, he criticised the corrupt and immoral

life of the Pope and the clergymen. He was afraid of the influence of printed books. He

wrote in 1508 in Adages, “Swarms of new books ...... create a glut and even in good things

satiety is most harmful. ..... [Printers] fill the world with books, not just trifling things

....... [such as I write] ....... but with stupid ignorant, slanderous, irreligious and seditious

books. ........ and the number of them make the valuable books lose their value.”

(b) The literacy rate went up from 16th to 18th century and by the end of 18th century the

rate was as high as 60-80 per cent. This brought up new forms of literature in print meant

for new audiences. There were almanacs, calendars, along with ballads and folktales. In

England cheap penny chap books appeared and in France low-priced small books, printed

on poor quality paper, appeared. They were known as Biliotheque Bleue. There were

‘romances’ and ‘histories’. The periodical press developed and gave information on every

kind of subjects — wars, trade and new developments in other places.

Q.5. Write a short note on the Vernacular Press Act.

Ans. The Vernacular Press Act was passed in 1878, based on the Irish Press Laws.

(i) It gave the government extensive rights to censor reports and editorials in the vernacular press.

(ii) The government started keeping regular track of all newspapers published in the provinces.

(iii) Any article, deemed seditious, led to a warning, and then followed a seizure of the press and confiscation of the publishing machinery.

Q.6. How was the freedom of press regulated?

Ans. The Calcutta Supreme Court passed certain regulations in 1820 to control press freedom. The

company encouraged newspapers loyal to the British rule. In 1835, the Governor-General Lord

William Bentinck agreed to revise newspaper laws on the request of editors of English and

vernacular newspapers. Thomas Macauley helped him to formulate these rules.

Q.7. What did the spread of print culture in the 19th century India mean to : (a) women (b) the poor (c) the reformers?

Ans. (a) Women : (i) Women’s reading increased due to education at home and later, in women’s schools.

(ii) Many journals were written for women by women. They contained everything that would interest a woman — household hints, fashions, rituals. Novels in vernacular languages (Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Tamil and Marathi) highlighted the miserable conditions of women in society. They spoke against denial of education to women, supported widow remarriage and national movement. They serialised stories and provided entertainment to

women. Many families were not liberal but conservative. Hindus and Muslims feared that educated women would by corrupted. There were many rebellious women who defied all prohibitions against learning.

(b) The Poor : The spread of education in the 19th century made everyone — rich or poor,

man or woman, old or young — crazy about reading. Public libraries were opened in big

towns, cities and big villages, which made reading accessible to the general public. Some

millworkers of Kanpur wrote books about the desperate conditions of the poor. Chief

among them were Kashibaba, who wrote Chhote Aur Bade Ka Sawal in 1938 against the

caste and class distinctions. Poems of another mill-worker, named Sudarshan Chakra,

between 1935 and 1955 were published as Sachchi Kavitayen. By the 1930s, Bangalore

cotton workers also set up libraries to educate themselves. Social reformers sponsored

these libraries to restrict drinking among the workers and to bring literacy to them.

(c) The Reformers : Social reformers like Jyotiba Phule, the Maratha pioneer of ‘low caste’,

wrote about injustices of the caste system in his Gulamgiri in 1871.

Issues of caste distinction began to be written about in many printed tracts and essays.

Later in the 20th century, B.R. Ambedkar of Maharashtra and E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker

in Madras, better known as Periyar, wrote powerfully on caste and their writings were read

all over India. Local protest movements and sects also created a lot of popular journals

criticising ancient scriptures and looking forward to a new and just future.

Q.8. Why did some people in the 18th century Europe think that the print culture would bring enlightenment and end despotism?

Ans. In the 18th century, many believed that books were means of spreading progress and

enlightenment. They believed that books could change the world. They would end tyranny and

free society from despotism. The world would begin a new era of reason and intellect. One

famous novelist of the 18th century, Louise Sebastian Mercier of France, declared that printing

press was the most powerful engine of progress and public opinion was the force that would

sweep away despotism. In his books, heroes were changed and affected by reading. They

became better, more knowledgeable by reading books. Mercier proclaimed : “Tremble,

therefore, tyrants of the world! Tremble before the virtual writer!”

Another reason was the ideas of scientists and philosophers were now available to the common

people. The ideas of Thomas Paine, Voltaire, Rousseau were widely read and understood by

the common people. They saw the world through new eyes.

Q.9. Why did some people fear the effect of easily available printed books? Choose one example from Europe and one from India.

Ans. Europe : Many people were afraid of the effect of the printed word on people’s minds. They

thought easy access to printed matter would make them rebellious and irreligious. That would

lead to “valuable” literature to be destroyed. Religious authorities and monarchs were the ones

most afraid.

One example is of Martin Luther’s Ninety Five Theses, which criticised the many practices and

rituals of the Roman Catholic Church. His writings led to the beginning of the Protestant

Reformation. Print and popular religious literature stimulated many interpretations of the faith

even among not so educated working class. The Roman Church was so disturbed that it began

inquisition to repress heretical ideas and impose severe controls over publishers and

book-sellers to stop the spread of “heretical ideas.”

India : In India, easily available books led to new interpretations of the beliefs and conflict

between reformers and conservatives. Religious ideas reached a wider public and encouraged

debates and controversies within and among different religions. Conservative Hindus believed

that books would influence women and they would be widowed early. Muslims thought their

women would be corrupted by easy access to reading. The Ulema were deeply afraid that new

ideas would lead to the collapse of Muslim personal laws. The Deoband Seminary, founded

in 1867, published thousands upon thousands of fatwas telling Muslims how to conduct

themselves. Hindu Orthodoxy started a journal Samachar Chandrika to oppose the views of

the reformer, Raja Rammohun Roy published in Sambad Kaumudi.

Q.10. Write short notes on “The Vernacular Press Act” to show what you know about it.

Ans. The Vernacular Press Act of 1878 was implemented for stricter control over the vernacular

press and to allow the government to have more authority over publishing. It also helped the

government to repress seditious writing and hence was nicknamed the Gagging Act. This act

clearly discriminated between the English and vernacular press. According to this Act,

(i) A District Magistrate could (with prior permission of the local government) ask a

publisher of any vernacular newspaper to enter into a bond, whereby he had to undertake

not to publish any material which could excite the feeling of disaffection among people

of different castes, class or religion against the government. The publisher could be asked

in certain circumstances to deposit a certain amount of money as security. If an offence

was committed then the security could be forfeited or equipment seized.

(ii) No appeal could be made to any court of law.

(iii) If proofs of the paper were submitted to a government censor, then the newspaper was

exempt from the Act. The Act made the vernacular press submissive. They began to echo

the ideas of the British Press rather than voice their own views. The Vernacular Press Act

was repealed in 1872 by Lord Ripon.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Q.1. The earliest kind of print technology was developed in :

(a) Japan and Korea (b) India, Japan and Korea

Ans. (c)

Q.2. The uses of print diversified in urban China by the 17th century. Which of the following statements support the above statement?

(a) Print was no longer used by scholar-officials only

(b) Merchants used print in their everyday life and trade information

(d) All the above

Ans. (d)

Q.3. When and by whom was handprinting technology brought to Japan?

(a) The Arab travellers to Japan in the 8th century

(b) Buddhist missionaries from China around AD 768-770

(d) The Egyptians in the 8th century

Ans. (b)

Q.4. Which statement given below is not an explanation of the art form called ‘Ukiyo’?

(a) ‘Ukiyo’ means pictures of the floating world or depiction

(b) Artists first draw the themes on paper, then a skilled wood-carver pastes the drawing on a wooden block

(d) The original drawing is then preserved in the libraries

Ans. (d)

Q.5. When and how did the Chinese start handprinting?

(a) From the 6th century onwards, the Chinese printed by rubbing paper

(b) From AD 594 onwards, books in China were printed by rubbing paper against the inked surface of wooden blocks

(d) All the above

Ans. (b)

Q.6. China was, for a long time, the major producer of printed material, because :

(a) Civil service examinations were held regularly in China to recruit people to civil services

(b) Under the sponsorship of the imperial state, textbooks for these examinations were printed in vast numbers

(d) All the above

Ans. (d)

Q.7. The term ‘Calligraph’ means :

(a) The art of beautiful printing (b) The art of beautiful and stylised writing

Ans. (b)

Q.8. Who was Kitagawa Utamaro and why is he famous?

(a) A famous Japanese artist, famous for his prints

(b) A Japanese artist, famous for his art form ‘Ukiyo’

(d) A Japanese artist born in Edo in 1753, famous for his contribution to an art form called ‘Ukiyo’ which influenced European artists like Manet, Monet and Van Gogh

Ans. (d)

Q.9. The production of manuscripts became possible in Europe because :

(a) The Europeans discovered paper

(b) Just like silk and spices, paper reached Europe via the Arab world

(d) All the above

Ans. (c)

Q.10. The first to use wood-block printing in Europe were :

(a) The French (b) The Spaniards (c) The Italians (d) The Germans

Ans. (b)

Q.11. The term ‘Compositor’ means :

(a) A person who composes poems

(b) A person who composes lyrics and songs for a play

(d) A person who composes the text for printing

Ans. (d)

Q.12. The term ‘Galley’ refers to

(a) A corridor or long passage where family portraits are hung

(b) A metal frame in which types are laid and the text composed

(d) A scarecrow

Ans. (b)

Q.13. The Print Revolution transformed the lives of people by :

(a) Changing their relationship to information and knowledge; with institutions and

authorities

(b) By producing cheaper books and producing them at a fast rate

(d) Both (b) and (c)

Ans. (d)

Q.14. Taverns were :

(a) Restaurants, where people could eat, drink and be merry

(b) Cheap hotels in towns

exchange views

(d) Small buildings in a village for a public meeting

Ans. (c)

Q.15. Protestant Reformation was :

(a) A 16th century movement to reform the Catholic Church dominated by Rome

(b) A challenge to the authority of Rome

(d) A movement which started anti-Catholic Christianity

Ans. (a)

Q.16. ‘Tremble, therefore, tyrants of the world! Tremble before the virtual writer.’ Whose words are these and what warning is given through them?

(a) Mercier, a French novelist of 18th century, who believed that printing press is so powerful

that it would sweep despotism away

(b) Louise Sebastien Mercier, a novelist of the 18th century England, who gave this warning

to despots

warned against despotism

(d) A French novelist Mercier (19th century), who believed in the power of print

Ans. (a)

Q.17. Print culture, according to many historians, made people critical and rational because :

(a) Enlightened thinkers argued for the rule of reason rather than custom, judging everything with reasons

(b) The thinkers attacked sacred authority of the Church and despotism of the State

(d) All of these

Ans. (d)

Q.18. There was a virtual reading mania in European countries at the end of the 18th century because :

(a) People wanted to read books and printers produced them in increasing numbers

(b) Churches set up schools in villages carrying literacy to peasants and artisans

(d) There was a variety in reading material, so reading became popular

Ans. (b)

Q.19. New forms of popular literature, targeting new audience at the end of the 18th century, were :

(a) Romances, histories, almanacs, ballads and folktales for entertainment

(b) Newspapers and journals combining current affairs (wars and trade) with entertainment

(d) All the above

Ans. (d)

Q.20. Which of the following statements does not support the view of some historians that Print Culture was the basis for the French Revolution?

(a) Print culture led to the spread of ideas of enlightened thinkers and encouraged questioning,

critical reasoning and rule of reason rather than tradition

(b) It led to a public culture of debate, discussion, new ideas of social revolution

differently

(d) It aroused hostility against monarchy, its mentality and mocked it

Ans. (c)

Q.21. Children became an important category of readers in the 19th century, mainly because :

(a) Primary education became compulsory and production of school textbooks became essential for publishing industry

(b) A children’s press devoted to literature for children was set up in France in 1857

(d) Anything vulgar was not published in children’s books

Ans. (a)

Q.22. The contribution of Grimm Brothers of Germany to children’s literature was :

(a) Publishing stories for them

(b) Spending years on compiling traditional folktales gathered from peasants, editing and publishing them as a collection in 1812

(d) All the above

Ans. (b)

Q.23. The role of lending libraries in England in the 19th century was :

(a) Promoting reading among the working-class people

(b) Educating white collar workers, artisans and lower middle-class people

(d) Both (b) and (c)

Ans. (d)

Q.24. Printers and publishers developed new strategies to sell their products. Which of the following is not an innovation of the 20th century?

(a) Cheap paperback editions were printed

(b) The dust cover or the book jacket was an innovation

(d) Popular works were sold in England in cheap series called the shilling series

Ans. (c)

Q.25. Through the 19th century, series of innovations in printing technology were :

(a) Richard M. Hoe of New York perfected power-driven cylindrical press capable of printing 8,000 sheets per hour

(b) Six colours at a time could be printed by the offset press

(c) Methods of feeding paper improved, quality of plates became better, automatic paper reels and photoelectric controls of colour register were introduced

(d) Both (a) and (b)

Ans. (d)

Q.26. In which year, printing in Hindi began and what was its main concern?

(a) Hindi printing began from the 1870s, a large segment was devoted to women’s education,

widow remarriage and the national movement

(b) Hindi printing began from the 1870s and their main concern was women-related issues

(d) Printing in Hindi began in the early 20th century and its main concern was religious reform

Ans. (a)

Q.27. By the end of the 19th century, the new culture taking shape in India was :

(a) A visual culture with cheap prints and calendars, so that even the poor could decorate the

walls of their homes with them

(b) Visible images reproduced in multiple copies which shaped popular ideas about

modernity, tradition, religion, politics, society and culture

(d) Ravi Varma starting a new visual culture

Ans. (b)

Q.28. The Bengal Gazette was :

(a) A weekly magazine, first to be edited by an Indian

(b) A weekly English magazine edited by James Hickey from 1780, described as a commercial

paper open to all, influenced by none

(d) A weekly magazine, edited by James Hickey from 1780 in English

Ans. (b)

Q.29. The book, ‘Chote Aur Bade Ka Sawal’ talked about

(a) the link between caste and class exploitation

(b) the injustices of the caste system

(d) ill treatment of widows

Ans. (a)

Q.30. Which one among the following is an ancient name of Tokyo?

(a) Osaka (b) Nagano (c) Edo (d) Gifu

Ans. (c)

Q.31. Who wrote about the injustices of the caste system in ‘Gulamgiri’?

(a) Raja Rammohan Roy (b) Jyotiba Phule

Ans. (b)

Q.32. Who among following invented the first printing press in Europe?

(a) Macro Polo (b) Kitagawa Utamaro

Ans. (c)

Q.33. Which of the following was the first book printed by Gutenberg?

(a) The Diamond Sutra (b) Chapbook (c) Grimms’ fairytales (d) The Bible

Ans. (d)

Q.34. Which of the following is the correct meaning of ‘Biliotheque Bleue’?

(a) An author (b) Low price small books

Ans. (b)

Q.35. The printing press was first introduced in India by which one of the following?

(a) East India Company officials (b) Indian reformers

Ans. (c)

Q.36. Which religious reformer was responsible for the Protestant Reformation?

(a) Martin Luther (b) George Elliot (c) Maxim Gorky (d) Martin Luther King

Ans. (a)

Q.37. Which of the following is an Enlightened thinker whose writings are said to have created

conditions for a revolution in France?

(a) Louise Sebastian Mercier (b) Rousseau

Ans. (b)

Q.38. Which of the following was a book showing links between caste and class exploitation?

(a) Ghulamgiri (b) Amar Jiban

Ans. (d)

Q.39. What were low priced small books printed on poor quality paper and bound in cheap

blue covers called in France?

(a) Chapbooks (b) Almanacs (c) Bibliotheque Bleue (d) Ballads

Ans. (c)

Q.40. Paperback editions of books were introducted during

(a) the First World War (b) the Second World War

Ans. (d)

Q.41. The circulation of handwritten manuscripts remained limited because :

[2010, 2011 (T-1)]

(a) they were fragile and awkward to handle (b) they could not be carried around

Ans. (d)

Q.42. In England books carried by petty pedlars and sold for a penny were known as :

(a) Shilling series (b) Almanacs (c) Chapbooks (d) Novels

Ans. (c)

Q.43. Which of the following books reflects the plight of the ‘lower castes’ and poor in India?

(a) Gulamagiri (b) Chhote Aur Bade Ka Sawal

Ans. (d)

Q.44. The Vernacular Press Act of 1878 was modelled on :

(a) Irish Press Laws (b) American Press Laws

Ans. (a)

Q.45. Which of the following reading material were especially for women?

(a) Chap books (b) Penny magazines

Ans. (b)

Q.46. “Printing is the ultimate gift of God and the greatest one.” Who spoke these words?

(a) Johann Gutenberg (b) New Comen

Ans. (d)

Q.47. Who developed the first printing press in the 1430s?

(a) Marcopolo (b) Johann Gutenberg

Ans. (b)

Q.48. Choose the name of the oldest printed book of Japan.

(a) Diamond Sutra (b) Bible (c) Ukiyo (d) Koran

Ans. (a)

Q.49. In which among the following countries was the earliest kind of print technology developed?

(a) India (b) England (c) France (d) China

Ans. (d)

Q.50. Which of the following statement is true in the light of Vernacular Press Act 1878?

(a) It gave freedom to Vernacular press

(b) It gave financial assistance to Vernacular press

(d) None of the above

Ans. (c)

Q.51. Who among following introduced hand printing technology in Japan?

(a) Buddhist Missionaries from India (b) Buddhist Missionaries from Japan

Ans. (c)

Q.52. Which one of the following statements is true?

(a) A children press, devoted to literature for children alone, was set up in France in 1757

(b) Penny magazines were especially meant for men

(d) None of the above

Ans. (c)

Q.53. When did the printing press first came to Goa with Portuguese missionaries?

(a) Mid-eighteenth century (b) Mid-seventeenth century

Ans. (c)

Q.54. Who started to edit the Bengal Gazette weekly in 1780.

(a) James Augustus Hickey (b) Richard M Hoe

Ans. (a)

Q.55. Who among the following was not a women novelist?

(a) Jane Austen (b) Bront’e Sisters (c) George Eliot (d) None of the above

Ans. (d)

Q.56. Who among the following did not write about the caste system?

(a) E. V.. Ramaswamy Naicker (b) Ram Chaddha

Ans. (b)

Q.57. Who among the following brought the technology of wood block printing to Europe?

(a) Johann Gutenberg (b) Marco Polo (c) Richard M Hoe (d) None of the above

Ans. (b)

Q.58. Who among the following agreed to revise Press Laws?

(a) Lord Cornwallis (b) Lord Dalhousie

Ans. (c)

Q.59. Who wrote her autobiography ‘Amar Jiban’ published in 1876?

(a) Tara Bai Shinde (b) Rash Sundari Devi

Ans. (b)

Q.60. Which one among the following is an autobiography of Rashsundari Devi?

(a) Amar Jiban (b) Amar Jyoti (c) Amar Jawan (d) Amar Zindagi

Ans. (a)

Q.61. Lending libraries came into existence in the :

(a) 17th Century (b) 18th Century (c) 19th Century (d) 20th Century

Ans. (c)

Q.62. Who among the following perfected the power drivers cylindrical press?

(a) James Watt (b) Newcomen (c) George Eliot (d) Richard M Hoe

Ans. (d)

Q.63. Who was against the Catholic Church?

(a) Martin Luther (b) Gutenberg (c) Jaidev (d) John Augustine

Ans. (a)

Q.64. The first weekly paper published in India was

(a) Bombay Samachar (b) Bengal Gazette

Ans. (b)

Q.65. Who was Martin Luther?

(a) Religious reformer of Germany (b) Religious reformer of France

Ans. (a)

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q.1. Why was China a major producer of printed material for a long time?

Ans. China had a huge bureaucratic system. The personnel for this system was chosen on the basis

of a Civil Service Examination. To help the candidates, textbooks for this examination were

printed in enormous numbers. In the 16th century, when more candidates were recruited, more

printed material appeared in public.

Q.2. Who were the people who employed scribes to write in the 14th century ?

Ans. As handwritten books were expensive, only the rich, the aristocrats and the Church could

employ scribes. The scribes wrote only for aristocratic circles and rich monastic libraries. With

the coming of the woodblock printing, merchants and traders started buying books in large

numbers, with the result that booksellers could afford to hire scribes. One bookseller could

employ 50 scribes due to the new technology in printing. It was no longer the monopoly of

the rich and the influential.

Q.3. State the limitations of handwritten books.

Why were Manuscripts not used widely in everyday life before the age of print in India?

Ans. Handwritten books were expensive and took a long time to produce. Copying was expensive

and it was hard and laborious work. The manuscripts were very fragile and could easily be

spoilt. They were awkward in size and difficult to carry. The result was that their circulation

was limited. Middle-class people could not afford them.

Q.4. Write a short note on the developments or innovations in the printing technology in the

19th century.

Give three methods by which printed books became more accessible to people.

Describeth develop one of printing press after Gutenberg.

Ans. There were a series of innovations in the printing technology in the 19th century.

(i) Richard M. Hoe of New York perfected the power-driven cylindrical press. He could print

8000 sheets per hour. His press was very useful for printing newspapers.

(ii) The late 19th century saw the development of offset press capable of printing six colours

at a time.

(iii) Electrically-operated press in the early 20th century increased the rate of printing

operations.

(iv) Methods of feeding paper improved, quality of plates became better, machines were fed

automatic paper reels and photoelectric controls of colour register were introduced.

Q.5. Write a short note on how printing press came to India.

Ans. The printing press was brought to India by the Jesuit missionaries. They came to Goa in the

19th century, who learnt Konkani and printed many tracts. But in 1674, about 50 books were

printed in Konkani and Kanarese languages. The Catholic priests published the first book in

Tamil in 1579, at Cochin and in 1713 the first book in Malyalam was printed by them. The

Dutch Protestant missionaries had already printed 72 Tamil books by 1710, most of them

translations of earlier texts. By the end of the 18th century, newspapers began to appear in

various Indian languages.

Q.6. What were the difficulties faced by manuscripts in India?

Ans. The handwritten books were very expensive and very fragile. They were difficult to carry and

had to be handled carefully. They were also not easy to read as the script was written in many

styles. Because of this difficulty they were not widely read. Teachers dictated them from

memory and the students wrote them down. Students learnt not to read the manuscripts but

only wrote them. Though in pre-colonial period Bengal had many village primary schools, the

manuscripts were not used in everyday life. Thus, students became literate without ever

actually reading the texts.

Q.7. Explain the terms Ulema and Fatwas.

Ans. (i) Ulema were scholars of Islam and the Sharia (a body of Islamic laws). Ulema were learned

men and the term became associated with experts on religious affairs.

(ii) Fatwa : It was a religious edict issued by a competent religious authority, called the Mufti,

to clarify a point about Islam, or to tell the Muslims what to do in a specific situation.

Q.8. Who were the supporters of women’s education in India and why?

Ans. The print culture affected the lives of women. Not only women readers but also many women

writers came forward to write about women’s experiences. They were supported by liberal

fathers and husbands who started educating their womenfolk at home. Some even sent them

to schools. Many schools for women were set up by social workers and rich people in town

and cities. Many reformers also supported education among women.

Q.9. Who were the dissenters? Why did they object to women being educated?

Ans. There were dissenters among Hindus as well as Muslims. Hindus had the superstitious belief

that women would be widowed if they were educated. Muslims believed that a woman would

be corrupted by reading Urdu romances.

Q.10. What was the role of cartoons and caricatures in new forms of publications? (2010)

Ans. By the 1870s cartoons and caricatures appeared in many journals and newspapers. They

commented on social and political issues. By making fun of certain beliefs, they aroused the

public and made them think about certain rules of society and the role of imperial rulers. Some

caricatures made fun of the educated Indian’s fascination for everything western in tastes,

clothes etc. Some, on the other hand, expressed fear of change of any kind. In the field of

politics they lampooned the behaviour and attitude of imperial rulers. The imperial rulers

returned the compliment by making fun of and caricaturing the nationalists.

PREVIOUS YEARS’ QUESTIONS

Q.11. Explain how print culture had assisted the growth of nationalism in India in the 19^th century.

Ans. (i) Print culture led to publication of most papers in Vernacular languages. Many more

journals were published after 1870.

(ii) These journals and newspapers published cartoons and caricatures criticising imperial rule

and commented on social and political issues. The vernacular newspapers like Tilak’s

Kesari and Maratha became assertively nationalist and reported on colonial misrule and

encouraged nationalism.

(iii) The repressive measures passed by the British government provoked militant protest. Tilak

was imprisoned for writing about them in his Kesari, in 1908. It led to widespread

protests. Print helped the leaders to carry their ideas to people across India, brought them

closer and helped the growth of nationalism.

Q.12. How did print culture affect women in the 19th century India? Explain.

Ans. Women became important as readers as well as writers. Lives and feelings of women began

to be written in vivid and intense ways. The number of women readers increased enormously

in middle-class homes. Liberal fathers and husbands began educating their womenfolk at home

and sent them to schools when schools for women were set up in cities and towns. Many

journals carried a syllabus and attached suitable reading matter which could be used at home.

From the 1860s, a few Bengali women like Kailashbashini Debi wrote books highlighting the

experience of women – how they were imprisoned, kept in ignorance and forced to do hard

domestic work and treated unjustly. Tarabai Shinde and Pandita Ramabai of Maharashtra in 1880,

wrote with anger about the miserable lives of upper-caste Hindu women – specially widows.

In Central Calcutta, an entire area called Battala was devoted to printing popular books,

profusely illustrated. They were carried by pedlars to homes enabling women to read them

in their leisure time.

But everyone was not so liberal. Hindus (conservative) believed that a literate girl would

become a widow. Muslims believed that an educated woman would be corrupted by reading.

Some women had to learn to read and write in secret, like Rashsundari Debi of East Bengal.

She learnt to read secretly in her kitchen and later wrote her autobiography Amar Jiban in 1876.

Q.13. “The print culture created the conditions within which the French Revolution occurred.” Support the statement giving three arguments.

Ans. (i) Print popularised the ideas of enlightened thinkers, the writings of Voltaire and Rousseau

were read widely. They made a critical commentary on tradition, superstition and

despotism. It opened the eyes of the readers, made them question, be critical and rational.

(ii) Print created a new culture of dialogue and debate. All values, norms and institutions were

revalued and discussed by a public that had become aware of the power of reason. New

ideas of social revolution came into being.

(iii) By the 1780s, there was an outpouring of literature, that mocked royalty and criticised

their morality. In the process, it raised questions about the existing social order. It led to

hostile sentiments against the monarchy. Thus, the print culture created the conditions in

which the French Revolution occurred.

Q.14. Explain any three features of handwritten manuscripts before the age of print in India

Describe the salient features of Indian manuscripts before the age of print.

Ans. (i) India had a very rich and old tradition of handwritten manuscripts in Sanskrit, Arabic,

Persian as well as many vernacular languages.

(ii) Manuscripts were copied on palm leaves or hand-made paper. Pages were sometimes

beautifully illustrated. They would be pressed between wooden covers or sewn together

for preservation. Manuscripts continued to be produced till the late 19th century inspite

of the introduction of print.

(iii) Manuscripts were highly expensive, fragile, could not be read easily as script was written

in different styles. They were, thus not widely used in everyday life.

Q.15. Explain the main features of the first printed Bible.

Ans. Main features of the first printed Bible were :

(i) About 180 copies of the Bible were printed and it took three years to produce them.

(ii) The text was printed in the New Gutenberg press with metal type, but the borders were

carefully designed, painted and illuminated by hand by artists.

(iii) No two copies were the same. Every page of each copy was different. This made everyone

posses a copy which they could claim was unique.

(iv) Colour was used within the letters in various places. This had two functions it added colour

to the page and highlighted all the holy words to emphasise their significance colour on

every page was added by hand.

(v) Gutenberg printed the text in black leaving spaces where the colour could be filled later.

Q.16. Examine the role of missionaries in the growth of press in India?

Ans. The printing press first came to India with Portuguese missionaries to Goa in the mid-sixteenth

century.

Jesuit priests learnt Konkani and printed several tracts. By 1674, about 50 books had been

printed in Konkani and Kanara languages. Catholic priests published the first Tamil book

in 1579 at Cochin and in 1713, the first Malayam book was published by them. By 1710,

Dutch Protestant missionaries had published 32 Tamil Texts, many of them translation of

olderr works.

Q.17. What role was played by the print culture in bringing the French Revolution?

Many Historians argued that print culture created conditions within which French

revolution occurred. Explain with three arguments.

Ans. Role of print culture in French Revolution

(i) Print popularised the ideas of Enlightenment thinkers. Collectively, their writing provided a

critical commentary on tradition, superstition and disposition. They argued for the rule of

reason than custom.

(ii) They attacked the sacred authority of the Church and despotic power of the state. This

eroded the authority of a social order based on tradition. The writings of Voltaire and

Rousseau made readers see the world through new eyes, eyes that questioned and were

rational and critical.

(iii) Secondly, print created a new culture of dialogue and debate. Now all values, norms and

institutions were re-evaluated and discussed by the public, now aware of their power to

question existing beliefs and ideas. It led to new ideas of social revolution.

Thirdly, by the 1780s there was an output of literature that mocked reoyalty and questioned

their morality. Cartoons and caricatures presented monarchy interested only in their own

pleasures, while the ordinary people suffered immense hardships. Literature spread hostile

sentiments against the monarchy, though it was circulated underground.

But we must remember that to combat the above ideas was the influence of the Church. If

people read Voltaire and Rousseau, they were also exposed to monarchical and Church

propoganda. So print did not directly shape their minds, but it made it possible for people

to think differently.

Q.18. How did the ideas of scientists and philosophers become more accessible to common people after the beginning of print revolution in Europe?

Ans. Ideas of scientists and philosophers on printing of books, became accessible to common people.

Ancient and medieval scientific texts were compiled and published, maps and scientific

diagrams were widely printed. Ideas of Issac Newton were published and they could influence

a much wider circle. The writings of thinkers like Thomas Pasore, Voltaire and Rousseau were

printed and read by a vast majority. Their ideas also were found in the literature of the time.

Q.19. How did the printing press bring forth changes in reading culture?

What was the impact of Print Revolution?

How did printing press create a new reading public? Explain.

Ans. With the printing press, a new reading public emerged.

(i) Printing reduced the cost of books.

(ii) The time and labour to produce each book came down. Multiple copies could be produced

easily.

(iii) Books flooded the market, reaching out to an ever growing readership.

(iv) It created a new culture of reading.

(v) Common people could not read books earlier, only the elite could. Common people heard

a story or saw a performance collectively.

(vi) Instead of a hearing public now there was a reading public.

(vii) The rate of literacy in European countries was also low till the 20th century. Publishers

reached out to people by making them listen to books being read out.

(vii) Printers published popular ballads and folktales, profusely illustrated. These were then

sung and recited at village gatherings in taverns in towns. Oral culture thus entered print

and printed material was orally transmitted, Hearing and reading public, thus became one.

Q.20. Why were the printed books popular even among illiterate people?

Ans. (i) First, very cheap small books brought to markets in 19th century towns allowed poor

people travelling, to buy them. Public libraries set up in early 20th century expanded the

access to books.

(ii) From the late 19th century, many social reformers like Iyoliba Phule (a Maratha reform

pioneer) wrote about injustices of the caste system in their books (Gulamgiri, 1871). In

20th century B.R. Ambedkar and E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker wrote powerfully on caste

and their books were read by people all over India.

Workers in factories were too overworked and lacked education to write much about their

experiences. A Kanpur mill worker wrote and published Chhote aur Bade ka Sawal in 1938

to show links between 1935-1955 were published as “Sacchi Kavitayen”. Libraries were set

up in Bangalore cotton mills and in Bombay. It was done to bring literacy and to propagate

the message of nationalism.

The printed books made the poor crazy about reading.

Q.21. Describe the progress of Print in Japan.

Ans. Buddhist Missionaries from China introduced hand-printing technology into Japan around AD

768-770. The oldest Japanese book, printed in AD 868, is the Buddhist Diamond Sutra,

containing six sheets of text and woodcut illustrations. Pictures were printed on textiles,

playing cards and paper money. In medieval Japan, poets and prose writers were regularly

published, books were cheap and in plenty.

In the late 18th century, flourishing urban circles at Edo (modern Tokyo) published illustrated

collections printings artists, courts and book stores were packed with hand-printed material of

various types – books on women, musical instruments, calculations, tea ceremony flower

arrangements, proper etiquette cooking and famous places.

Famous examples : Kitagawa Utamoro’s contribution to art form called Ukiyo (pictures of the

floating world).

Q.22. What is a manuscript? Give four shortcomings of manuscripts.

Ans. A manuscript are hand written books written on palm leaves or on hand made paper. Pages

were sometimes beautifully illustrated. They would be either pressed between wooden covers

or sewn together to ensure preservation.

The four drawbacks were :

(i) They were highly expensive and fragile.

(ii) They had to be handled carefully.

(iii) They could not read easily as the script was written in different styles.

(iv) So they were not widely used.

Students very often did not read the texts. They only learnt to write. Teachers dictated portions

from memory and students wrote them down. Many became literate without ever actually

reading any kind of texts.

Q.23. What was the attitude of people in India in the nineteenth century towards women

reading? How did women respond to this?

Ans. There was not a universal favourable attitude conservative Hindus believed that a literate girl

would be widowed and Muslims feared educated women would be corrupted by reading Urdu

romances. Rebel women defied such prohibition. A Muslim girl in north India defied her

family and secretly learnt to read and write Urdu. Rashsundari Debi, a young married girl in

a very orthodox family, learnt to read in the secrecy of her kitchen. Later she published her

autobiography in Bengali language.

A few Bengali women like Kailash Bashini Debi wrote books highlighting the experiences of

women. In the 1860s, Tarabai Shinde and Pandita Ramabai of Maharashtra wrote about the

miserable lives of upper caste women. Women writing in Tamil expressed their gratitute to

books. The attitude in general was to keep women imprismed at home, ignorant, forced to do

hard domestic work and subject to unfair treatment.

In Punjab, folk literature exorted women to be obedient wives (Ram Chaddha’s Istri Dharm

Vichar.) The Khalsa Tract Society published cheap booklets with the same message. In Bengal,

– an entire are in Central Calcutta – the Battala – was devoted to printing popular books. They

were cheap editions of religions texts, scriptures as well as scandalous literature.

Women’s education was not encouraged by the majority as Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain

reported in her address to Bengal Women’s Educated Conference.

Q.24. Explain the role played by print in bringing about a division in the Roman Catholic

Church.

Ans. In 1517, a religious reformer, Martin Luther, wrote 95 theses criticising many practices and

rituals of the Roman Catholic Church.

A printed copy of this was posted on a Church door in Wittenberg. It challenged the Church

to debate his ideas. Luther’s writing were reproduced in vast members and read widely. This

led to a division within the Church and to the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.

Luther’s translation of the Bible sold 5,000 copies in the first week and soon the second edition

began. The print of his theses, according to scholars, brought about a new intellectual

atmosphere and spread rapidly the ideas of Reformation.

Q.25. Give three ways in which early printed books closely resembled manuscripts.

Ans.(i) The metal letters imitated the ornamental handwritten styles.

(ii) Borders were illuminated by hand with foliage and other patterns.

(iii) Illustrations were printed. In the books meant for the rich, space for decoration was kept

blank on the printed page. Each purchaser could choose the design and decide on the

painting school that would do the illustrations.

Q.26. How did print help connect communities and people in different parts of India? Explain

with examples.

Ans. Print connected communities and people in different parts of India through newspapers, by

encouraging public debates on important issues. New ideas emerged in Sambad Kaumadi

published by Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s from 1821, which provoked debate on widow

immolation, Brahmanical priesthood, idolatary, by printing ideas in every language spoken by

ordinary people. In retalitation, Hindu orthrodoxy started Samachar Chandrika to oppose his

opinions.

In north India, ulamas fearing colonial rulers will change Muslim personal laws, published

Persian and Urdu translations of holy scriptures and printed religious newspapers and tracts.

The Deoband Seminary published thousands of fatwas telling Muslim readers how to conduct

themsleves in their everyday life and explaning Islamic doctrines.

Hindus also published religious texts in Vernacular languages. Ramcharit Manas of Tulsidas

came out in Calcutta in 1810. Naval Kishore Press at Lucknow and Shri Venkateshwar Press

in Bombay published numerous religious texts in Vernacular languages.

The religious texts reached a very wide circle of people encouraging discussions, debates and

controversies within and among different religions.

Newspapers conveyed news from one place to another, creating pan-Indian identities.

Thus, print not only stimulated publication of conflicting opinions, it also connected

communities and people in different parts of India.

Q.27. ‘Liberty of speech.. liberty of the press... freedom of association. The Government of

India is now seeking to crush the three powerful vehicles of expressing and cultivating

public opinion. The fight for Swaraj, for Khailafat... means a fight for this threatened

freedom before all else..’

(i) Who made the above statement?

(ii) Why was the Government trying to crush the three vehicles of expression?

Ans. (i) Gandhi made the above statement in 1922.

(ii) Government was trying to repress the national movement in India. They did not want

colonial misrule to be reported and wanted to throttle nationalist criticism. They resorted

to persecution (Tilak imprisoned in 1908, Punjab revolutionaries disported in 1907), to

suppress widespread protests in India by passing Acts like the Vernacular Press Act in

1878.

Q.28. Why did the new technology not entirely displace the existing art of producing books by

hand?

Ans. First, the printed books closely resembled the written manuscripts in appearance and layout.

Second, the metal letters imitated the ornamental hand styles.

Third, borders in printed books were illuminated by hand with foliage and other patterns and

illustration were painted. In the books for the rich, space for decoration was kept blank on the

printed page. After each purchaser had chosen the design then the painting school would do

the illustrators so new technology did not entirely displace the existing art of producing books

by hand.

Q.29. By the end of the 19th century a new visual culture was taking shape. Explain.

Ans. The setting up of increasing number of printing posses made it easy to reproduce visual images

in multiple copies painters like Raja Ram Varma produced images for mass circulation. Cheap

prints and calendars could be bought by the poor to decorate the walls of their homes or places

of work. The prints began shaping popular ideas about modernity and tradition, religion and

politics, society and culture.

In the 1870s, caricatures and cartoons were published in journals and newspapers. Imperial

cartoons lampooned nationalists and nationalist cartoons criticised imperial rule.

Q.30. How did ideas about science, reason and rationality find their way into popular literature

in the 18th century Europe?

Explain the significance of newspapers, and journals developed in the early 18th century.

Ans. In the 18th century the periodical press combined information about current affairs with

entertainment. Newspapers and journals carried information about wars and trade as well as

the news of development in other places.

Similarly, ideas of philosophers now became accessible to common people. Ancient and

medieval scientific texts were compiled and published, maps and scientific diagrams were

widely printed. When scientists like Issac Newton began to publish their discoveries, they

could influence a much wider circle of scientifically minded readers. The writings of thinkers

such as Thomas Paime, Voltaire and Rousseau were also widely printed and read. Thus their

ideas of about science, reason and rationality found their way into popular literature.

Q.31. How did the uses of print diversify in China by the 17th century? Explain.

Ans. By 17th century, urban culture bloomed in China and use of print diversified.

(i) Print was no longer used just by scholars and officials.

(ii) Merchants used print in their everyday life, as they collected trade information.

(iii) Reading increasingly became a leisure activity. New readers preferred narratives, poetry,

autobiographies, authologies of literary masterpieces and romantic plays.

Rich women began to read, many women began publishing their poetry and plays. Lives of

scholar officials published their works and courtesans wrote about their lives.

Q.32. Write the name of any two women writers of India in 19th century and highlight the

contribution of any one who wrote about the different experiences of the women.

Ans. The two women writers of India in the 19th century were :

(i) Kailashbashini Devi (ii) Tarabai Shinde.

(i) Kailashbashini Devi was a Bengali who wrote books from 1860s, highlighting the

experiences of women. She write about how women were imprisoned at home, kept in

ingnorance, forced to do hard domestic work and treated unjustify by the new people served.

Q.33. How did print come to Europe from China? Explain.

Ans. In 1295, Marco Polo a great explorery returned to Italy after years of exploration in China.

Marco Polo brought the knowledge of woodbook printing from China and soon Italians began

producing books with woodblocks. The technology spread rapidly to the rest of Europe.

Merchants and students in the university started buying cheaper printed copies.

Q.34. State any three points of importance of penny chapbooks.

Ans. Importance of chapbooks

(i) Meant largely for entertainment. Chapbooks began to reach a large number of people.

(ii) Penny chapbooks in England were carried by petty pedlars called chapmen and sold for a

penny, so that even the poor could buy them.

(iii) They were of various sizes, serving many different purposes and interests.

Q.35. How did the publishers persuade the common people to welcome the printed books in

Europe?

Ans. The publishers persuaded the common people to welcome printed books in Europe by :

(i) Trying to reach those who did not read but could certainly enjoy listening to books being

read out.

(ii) Publishing popular ballads and folktales and such books were profusely illustrated with

pictures. These were sung and recited at gatherings in villages and in taverns in towns.

(iii) They blurred the line that separated the oral and reading cultures. Hearing and reading

public became intermingled.

Q.36. Explain any three factors responsible for the invention of ‘New Printing Technology’.

Ans. Three factors responsible for the invention of “New Printing Technology” are :

(i) There was need for quicker and cheaper reproduction of texts.

(ii) Production of hand written manuscripts could not satisfy the ever increasing demand for

books.

(iii) Manuscripts were fragile, awl wand to handle and could not be carried around easily.

All these demanded a “new print technology” and the break through came, when gotann

Gutenberg of Germany developed the first-known printing press in the 1430s.

Q.37. How did the Indians copy and preserve their manuscripts?

Ans. Indian copies their manuscripts on palm leaves or on hand made paper.

They would be either possed between wooden covers or sewn together to ensure preservation.

Q.38. How was the increased demand for books fulfilled by the booksellers? Mention any 3

points.

Ans. Booksellers met the increased demand of books by :

(i) Exporting books to different countries.

(ii) By holding book fairs at different places.

(iii) Scribes or skilled handwriters were now no longer solely employed by wealthy or influential

patrons but by booksellers also. Morethan 50 scribes worked for one book-seller.

(iv) New methods of producing hand written books were invented to meet public demand.

Q.39. What restrictions were imposed by the Vernacular Press Act on the Indian Press?

Explain.

Ans. In 1878, the Vernacular Press Act was passed. It provided the government with intensive rights

to censor reports and editorials in the vernacular press. The government kept regular track of

the vernacular newspapers published in different provinces. When a report was judged as

seditious the newspaper was warned, and if the warning was ignored, the press was liable to

be seized and the printing machinery confiscated.

Q.40. How did print introduce debate and discussion? Explain any three points.

Ans. Print created the possibility of wide circulation of ideas and introduced a new world of debate

and discussion. Even those who disagreed with established authorities could now print and

circulate their ideas. Through the printed message, they could pursuade people to think

differently, and move them to action. For instance, Martin Luther wrote 95 theses criticising

many of the practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church. This led to the Protestant

Reformation.

Q.41. What was the impact of print culture on the poor people of India during the 19th

century? Explain.

Ans. Very cheap small books were brought to markets in 19th century Madras towns and sold at

crossroads, allowing poor people to buy them. Issues of caste discrimination began to be

written and discussed. Kashibaba, a Kanpur mill worker wrote on caste and class exploitation.

Bangalore cotton mill workers set up libraries to educate themselves. Local social workers

used books and journals to eradicate superstition and social evils. This was also used to

propagate message of nationalism.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q.1. How was printing culture influenced by the spread of cities and urban culture in China?

Ans. With the spread of urban culture, the uses of print became diversified. Now only officials did

not need print. Print was used in trade to help the merchants to collect trade information.

People started reading a lot in their leisure time. The new readership now preferred reading

novels, poetry, autobiographies, romantic plays and anthologies of literary masterpieces.

Women became involved not only in reading but also in writing. They started writing poetry,

plays, autobiographies. Rich women read a lot and their work was published also. Wives of

scholar-officials published their works and so did the courtesans who wrote autobiographies.

Q.2. Mention some new interesting practices used in Japan.

Ans. The urban culture affected Japan also in the late 18th century. It flourished in Edo (later known

as Tokyo) and it depicted the elegant culture. It had an interesting collection of paintings

depicting lives of artists, courtesans and teahouse gatherings. Women, musical instruments,

calculations, tea ceremony, flower arrangements, proper social behaviour (etiquette), cooking

and famous people were the subjects of print material. Libraries and book stores were packed

with hand-printed materials of various kinds.

Q.3. What did the spread of print culture in the 19th century do to : (a) children (b) women

and (c) workers in Europe?

Ans. (a) As primary education became compulsory in late 19th century, children became an

important category of readers. Therefore,

l Production of textbooks became important for publishing industry.

l A children’s press, for producing only children’s books, was set up in France in 1857.

l The press published fairytales and folktales. Grimm Brothers of Germany collected

many stories from villages and edited them, before publishing them in 1812. Anything

unsuitable for children was not published.

(b) Women became not only important readers but writers also. Special magazines were

printed for women which catered to their tastes. Penny magazines of England taught

etiquette and house-keeping. Women became voracious readers of novels when they

appeared and some of the best novelists of this period were women — Jane Austen, the

Bronte sisters and George Eliot. They portrayed a different woman — strong, independent,

determined, and able to think.

Workers, artisans and lower middle-class people educated themselves with the help of

these libraries. In the mid-19th century, the working day was shortened and workers had

more time for self-improvement. They not only read but started writing also — mostly

political pamphlets and autobiographies.

Q.4. Why did the Ulema oppose English culture? What step did they take to counter

the impact?

Ans. The Muslim dynasties had collapsed in India by the end of the 19th century. The Ulema were

scared of the impact of colonial culture on Muslims. They were afraid that the British would

change Muslim Personal Law and encourage conversion from Islam to Christianity. To counter

this, they used cheap lithographic presses, to publish Persian and Urdu translation of the holy

scriptures. They printed religious newspapers and tracts. The Deoband Seminary was founded

in 1867 to safeguard the interests of the Muslims. They published thousands and thousands of

fatwas for the Muslims. These fatwas directed the Muslims to conduct their life according to

the strict Muslim laws. In the 19th century, many Muslim sects appeared for the cause of

Muslim religion. Urdu printing also helped them to fight against English influence. Urdu print

helped them to fight these battles in public.

Q.5. How did Hindu religious texts benefit from printing?

Ans. Printing brought a remarkable change in the religious texts of the Hindus. In 1810, the first

printed edition of Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas (a 16th century text) came out from Calcutta.

Cheap lithographic editions flooded the North Indian markets by mid-nineteenth century. The

Naval Kishore Press of Lucknow and Shri Venkateshwara Press in Bombay published

numerous religious books in vernacular. Printed and portable forms of such books helped the

religious people to read them anywhere any time. Women benefitted the most as religious text

reached a very wide circle of people. Discussions, debates and controversies within and among

different religious sects also started.

Q.6. Give a short sketch of Johann Gutenberg.

Ans. Johann Gutenberg was born in the town of Strassburg in Germany. He was the son of a

merchant and brought up in a large agricultural estate. As an adolescent, he learnt how to

polish precious stones, and became a skilled goldsmith as he grew up. He also became an

expert at making lead moulds which ultimately led to his invention of the printing press. He

used the lead moulds to cast the letters of the alphabets into metal types. His invention of the

printing press brought about a revolution in the spread of books and book reading all over

Europe. The first book he printed was the Bible and it took three years to print 180 copies.

His invention brought about a revolution in print culture as there was a shift from hand printing

to mechanical printing.

Q.7. Discuss the growth of printing presses in Europe from the 15th to the 16th century.

Ans. In 100 years (1450-1550), the print culture had spread from Germany to all over Europe.

Printers from Germany travelled all over Europe looking for jobs. They set up presses in most

European countries. By 1470, Rome, France and Holland had printing presses. In the second

half of the 15th century, 20 million books were printed. By the end of the 16th century, there

were 200 million printed copies flooding Europe.

PREVIOUS YEARS’ QUESTIONS

Q.8. Describe three shortcomings of manuscripts that were overcome by the printing press.

Ans. (i) Copying manuscripts by expert handwriters was very time-consuming and cumbersome.

The printing press took much less time to produce many copies of books.

(ii) Copying manuscripts was an expensive affair which only the aristocrats could afford.

Printing press reduced the cost of books significantly and made them available to common people.

(iii) Carrying handwritten books was cumbersome and involved the risk of getting spoiled or

damaged. Printed books could be easily handled, carried and circulated.

Q.9. Read the following passage and answer the questions given below it.

'Dear children, don't read these novels, don't even touch them. Your life will be ruined. You

will suffer disease and ailments. Why did the good Lord make you – to wither away at a tender

age? To suffer in disease? To be despised by your brothers, relatives and those around you?

No. No. You must become mothers; you must lead happy lives; this is the divine purpose. You,

who were born to fulfil this sublime goal, should you ruin your life by going crazy after

despicable novels?’

Q.10.(i) Mention the source of the above given paragraph.

Ans. The source is a Tamil essay, written in 1927 by Thiru. Vi. Ka and translated by A.R. Venkatachalapathy.

(ii) Analyse the message given by the writer to children.

Ans. The message is that children should avoid the novels like the plague. The writer warns that

even touching the novels would lead to diseases and ailments, and their lives would be ruined.

The message is for the girls, whose role as mothers in society would be jeopardised. They

would be despised by their near and dear ones, their happiness would be destroyed and their

role, assigned to them by divine powers, would suffer. Novels are despicable and will drive

the girl readers crazy.

Q.11. How did the oral culture enter print and how was the printed material transmitted

orally? Explain with suitable examples. [Outside India 2008]

Ans. Before print culture came, common people lived in the world of oral culture. They heard sacred

texts read out, ballads recited and folktales narrated. Knowledge was transferred orally, people

collectively heard a story or saw a performance.

As books could be read only by the literate, the printers began publishing popular ballads and

folk tales, and small books would be profusely illustrated with pictures. They were then sung

and recited at gatherings in the villages and in taverns in towns. Those who could not read,

enjoyed listening to books being read out. Oral culture thus entered print and printed material

was orally transmitted. The hearing public and the reading public became intermingled.

Q.12. How were ideas and information written before the age of print in India? How did the

printing technique begin in India. [2008]

Ans. In the ancient period, India had a very rich and old tradition of handwritten manuscripts in

Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian and other regional languages. Manuscripts were copied on palm

leaves or on handmade paper. Pages were beautifully illustrated. Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda was

written on a palm leaf in accordian format. Some works had beautiful calligraphy like the 14th

century poet Hafiz’s work known as the Diwan. These manuscripts were preserved by sewing

them together or pressing between wooden covers. They had to be handled carefully and they

were highly expensive and fragile. Even in schools, students became literate without reading

any kinds of texts as scripts were written in different styles and not easy to read. Teachers

dictated portions and students wrote them down.

The printing press first came to Goa with Portuguese missionaries in the mid-16th century.

They printed several tracts in Konkani. In 1674, 50 books had been printed in Konkani. The

first Tamil book was printed in 1579 at Cochin, first Malayalam book appeared in 1713. By

1710, Dutch missionaries had printed 32 Tamil Texts. English printing was started by James

Hickey from 1780. He began to edit Bengal Gazette, a weekly magazine. So it was private

English enterprise that began English printing in India. By the close of the 18th century, a

number of journals appeared, Indians too began publishing. Gangadhar Bhattacharya, who was

close to Raja Rammohun Roy, brought out the Bengal Gazette.

Q.13. “Print did not only stimulate the publications of conflicting opinions among different

communities but also connected them in the 19th century in India.” Support the

statement with examples. [2009]

Ans. In the 19th century, there were intense debates around religious issues. Different groups had

different opinions about changes taking place in colonial society. Some criticised existing

practices and championed the cause of reforms, while others opposed reforms vehemently.

Print not only spread the new ideas, but along with newspapers, it shaped the nature of debate.

This was a time of controversies between social and religious reformers and Hindu Orthodoxy

over matters like widow immolation (Sati), monotheism, Brahmanical priesthood and idolatry.

The ideas were printed everyday in spoken language of ordinary people. Rammohun Roy

published Sambad Kaumudi from 1821 and the Hindu Orthodoxy commissioned the Samachar

Chandrika to oppose his opinions. From 1822, two Persian newspapers were published —

Jam-i-Jahannuma and Shamsul Akhbar. In the same year, a Gujarati newspaper, the Bombay

Samachar, was published.

In north India, the Ulema were deeply worried about the collapse of Muslim dynasties, and the

colonial rulers changing the Muslim Personal Law. The Deoband Seminary, founded in 1867,

published thousands of fatwas telling Muslim readers how to conduct themselves in their

everyday life, and explaining the meanings of Islamic doctrines.

Among Hindus, print helped in reading of religious texts. The first printed edition of

Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas, a 16th century text, came out from Calcutta in 1810. From

the 1880s the Nawal Kishore Press at Lucknow and Shri Venkateshwar Press of Bombay

published numerous religious texts in vernaculars. Not only they could be read easily by

faithful at any place and time, but they could also be read to a large audience of illiterate

people. Religious texts reached a very wide circle of people, encouraging discussions,

debates and controversies within and among different religions.

Print Culture and Modern World

Class 10th Social Science- Print Culture and Modern World

Class 10^th Social Science- Print Culture and Modern World