Class 10 SST History Chapter 5 Print Culture and the

Modern World Question and Answers

1. Give reasons for the following:
a) Woodblock print only came to Europe after 1295.
b) Martin Luther was in favour of print and spoke out in praise of it.
c) The Roman Catholic Church began keeping an Index of Prohibited books
from the mid-sixteenth century.
d) Gandhi said the fight for Swaraj is a fight for liberty of speech, liberty of the
press, and freedom of association.
Answer:
1. Around the sixth century, woodblock printing was developed in China. When
Italian adventurer Marco Polo returned to Italy in 1295 after spending several
years exploring China, it arrived in Europe. He took woodblock printing
technology with him.
2. The religious reformer Martin Luther wrote 95 theses in 1517 that criticized the
corrupt actions of the Roman Catholic Church. Soon, thousands of copies of
Luther’s books were produced and extensively read, which had the effect of
disseminating his beliefs. Realizing the potential of printing, which sparked the
reformation movement and eventually gave rise to Protestantism, profoundly
touched Martin Luther.
3. Beginning in the middle of the 16th century, the Roman Catholic Church had to
deal with numerous dissenters. Popular literature and print media supported a
wide variety of unique interpretations of religious beliefs. Italian miller
Manocchio started reading the Bible and developed a theology of God and the
universe that infuriated the Roman Catholic Church. As a result, the Roman
Catholic Church encountered numerous dissenters starting in the middle of the
16th century. As a result, the church resolved to establish an index of the books
that were forbidden and to ban such publications.
4. These statements were made by Mahatma Gandhi in 1922 during the Non-
cooperation Movement(1920-22).mahatma Gandhi believed that the three most
effective tools for expressing and shaping public opinion were freedom of
speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of association. These liberties were
crucial if the nation was to be liberated from foreign rule.
2. Write short notes to show what you know about:
a) The Gutenberg Press
b) Erasmus’s idea of the printed book
c) The Vernacular Press Act
Answer:
1. Johan Gutenberg was the inventor of the first printing press. He had grown up
on a sizable agricultural estate and was skilled at running wine and olive
presses. He created a modified design of olive and wine presses around 1448.
The first book printed was the Bible. The screw of this press was connected to a
long handle. The handle was used to turn the screw, which in turn caused the
platen to be pressed down over the printing block that was positioned on top of
a sheet of wet paper. The metal types for the letters of the alphabet were
produced using lead  moulds
2. The printing of books alarmed the Latin scholar Erasmus, who feared that it
would encourage the spread of books with rebellious ideas. He believed that
while certain books can provide important information, the majority of
literature would only be irrelevant or nonsensical, which would propagate
scandalous or irreligious views and eventually provoke insurrection. He
believed that as these books proliferated, the value of classic literature would
be reduced.
3. The British administration in India passed the Vernacular Press Act in 1878.
The government now has the totalitarian authority to censor articles and
commentaries published in the Vernacular Press as a result of this statute.
According to this law, the government has the totalitarian authority to restrict
opinions and news articles in the local press. A Vernacular Paper was
prohibited from publication and had its printing equipment seized and
destroyed if it included any seditious content. Freedom of expression was
wholly violated by this.
3. What did the spread of print culture in nineteenth-century India mean to:
a) Women
b) The poor
c) Reformers
Answer:
1. Women: Indian women gained equal importance as readers and authors in the
nineteenth century as print culture spread throughout India. Women became
more literate as a result. The significance of women’s education began to be
highlighted in numerous journals. A few educated women began writing novels
and autobiographies. Beginning in the 1860s, numerous Bengali women
authors, including Kailashbashini Debi, published writings that emphasized the
miserable state of the majority of Indian women. Women who had been
restricted to the home for decades now have access to new sources of
entertainment.
2. Poor: Many publishers began creating cheap books in the 19th century, which
were then sold at crossroads. Printed materials, particularly for pleasure, started
 to reach even the poor as literacy rates rose in Europe and India. Folktales and
stories could be heard by people who couldn’t read. Others could read these
tales and folklore to them. Some of them published books that focused on the
problem of class differentiation. A mill worker from Kanpur named Kashibaba
composed and published Chote Aur Bade Ka Sawal in 1938 to illustrate the
connections between caste and class exploitation.
3. Reformers: Indian reformers used newspapers, journals, and books to draw
attention to unethical issues and the social evils that were prevalent throughout
society. To draw attention to the condition of widows, Raja Ram Mohan Roy
released the Sambad Kaumudi. Some Bengali women authors, such as
Kailashbashini Debi, have written novels detailing the experiences of women
on how they were mistreated by the men in the family, kept in the dark, and
made to perform arduous domestic labour. The dismal lives of upper-caste
Hindu women, particularly widows, were the subject of writings by Tarabai
Shinde and Pandita Ramabai in the 1880s. Jyotiba Phule wrote on the
deplorable conditions of the low caste population in 1871. BR Ambedkar wrote
vehemently against the caste system in the 20th century.
4. Why did some people in eighteenth-century Europe think that print culture
would bring enlightenment and end despotism?
Answer: Many people in 18th-century Europe believed that print culture possessed
the ability to spread enlightenment and put an end to despotism. This would promote
literacy and knowledge among all social classes. The general public could now more
easily understand the concepts of scientists and philosophers. The works of
philosophers like Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Thomas Paine were widely
printed and had the potential to become popular. As a result, their concepts of science,
logic, and reason were incorporated into popular literature. Consequently,
enlightenment and the end of despotism would come about.
5. Why did some people fear the effect of easily available printed books? Choose
one example from Europe and one from India.
Answer: Printed books were not welcomed by everyone, and even those who did had
fears about them. from the upper class in particular fear the impact of widely
accessible printed books
 Many believed that the spread of books and printed words would have a
negative impact on people’s minds.
 Due to the widespread adoption of literacy among the population, some people
are afraid of printed books, especially upper-class educated people.
 They were concerned that they may lose their authority or position. Some
people feared that it might encourage the rise of rebellions and irrational ideas.
For example.
(I)The Index of Prohibited Books was an attempt by the Roman Catholic Church to
control printed books in Europe.
(ii) The Vernacular Press Act in India placed limits on local publications and the
Indian press.
6. What were the effects of the spread of print culture for poor people in
nineteenth-century India?
Answer: In India in the nineteenth century, the growth of print culture had the
following effects on the country’s poor:
1. The availability of inexpensive books and public libraries contributed to the
expansion of print culture in India, which helped the country’s underprivileged
citizens.
2. Beginning in the early 20th century, public libraries were established,
increasing access to books. The majority of these libraries were found in urban
areas, while several were also found in affluent villages.
3. Many social reformers educated readers about the country’s caste prejudice in
books and articles. All around the nation, people read these.
4. Poor People now become more aware of their rights and their position in
society.
5. Jyotiba Phule wrote on the deplorable conditions of the low caste population in
1871.
6. BR Ambedkar wrote vehemently against the caste system in the 20th century.
7. The caste structure that existed in Madras was written about by EV
Ramaswamy Naicker, commonly known as Periyar.
7. Explain how print culture assisted the growth of nationalism in India.
Answer: The print culture assisted the growth of nationalism in India as follows:
1. The government’s mismanagement and attempt to restrict press freedom fueled
the rise of nationalist ideologies that called for such freedom.
2. Through the publication of a significant number of newspapers in Indian
vernacular languages, it became simpler to overcome linguistic barriers
between the country’s many ethnic groups.
3. Print culture not only promoted nationalist activities but also created links
between communities and individuals residing in various regions of India.
4. The Bazar Patrika, The Indian Mirror, Kesri, The Hindu, Bombay Samachar,
and other daily publications insinuated nationalist sentiments and revolutionary
notions.
5. National leaders have consistently attempted to sway the Indian masses’
opinions and unite them behind nationalism through the employment of these
newspapers
6. The print culture aided in educating the masses, which later began to be
gradually impacted by the nationalist and reformist ideologies of several Indian
leaders, like Raja Ram Mohun Roy Tilak, Subhas Bose, Gandhiji, etc.