Print Culture and the Modern World Class 10 Important

Questions & Answers

1. What is meant by the print revolution? Explain its significance.
Answer The printing of books started at a large scale after the invention of new printing technology. This was called
the Print Revolution. Significance: (i) With the printing press, a new reading public emerged. (ii) Printing reduced the
cost of books. (iii) Books flooded the market, reaching out to an ever growing readership. (Para – 1 and 3, Page No.
159)
2. How had the earliest printing technology developed in the world? Explain with examples.
Answer (i) The earliest kind of print technology was developed in China, Japan and Korea which was a system of
hand printing. (ii) Buddhist missionaries from China introduced hand-printing technology into Japan. (iii) It was
Marco Polo, a great explorer brought printing knowledge of woodblock from China to Italy. (Para – 1 and 5, Page No.
154, Para – 1, Page No. 156)
3. What was an “Accordion Book”? Describe any two features of hand printing in China.
Answer 'Accordion Book' is a traditional Chinese book, folded and stitched at the side. (i) Chinese Accordion Books
were hand printed. They were printed by rubbing paper against the inked surface of wooden blocks. (ii) As both sides
of the thin, porous sheet would not be printed, the traditional Chinese ‘Accordion Book’ was folded and stitched at
the side. (iii) These Accordion Books could be duplicated by superbly-skilled craftsmen with remarkable accuracy, the
beauty of calligraphy. (Para – 1, Page No. 154)
4. Where was the earliest kind of print technology developed? Explain that technology.
Answer (i) The earliest kind of print technology was developed in China. This was a system of hand printing. (ii) From
594 A.D. onwards, books in China were printed by rubbing paper against the inked surface. (iii) As both sides of the
thin and porous sheet could not be printed, the traditional Chinese ‘Accordion book’ was folded and stitched at the
side. (iv) Superbly skilled craftsmen could duplicate it with remarkable accuracy, the beauty of calligraphy. (Para – 1,
Page No. 154)
5. Explain the reasons favouring shift from hand printing to mechanical printing in China.
Answer The reasons favouring shift from hand printing to mechanical printing in China are: (i) Textbooks of Civil
Service Examination were printed in vast numbers under the sponsorship of the imperial state. (ii) From the
sixteenth century, the number of examination candidates went up and that increased the volume of print. (iii) By the
seventeenth century, as urban culture bloomed in China, the uses of print diversified. Print was no longer used just
by scholar-officials but also by merchants used print in their everyday life. (Para – 2 and 3, Page No. 154)
6. Highlight any three innovations which have improved the printing technology from 19th century onwards.
Answer (i) By the mid-19th century, Richard M. Hoe of New York had perfected the power driven cylindrical press.
This was capable of printing 8,000 sheets per hour. This press was particularly useful for printing newspaper. (ii) In
the late 19th century, the offset press was developed which would print up to six colours at a time. (iii) From the turn
of the 20th century, electrically operated presses accelerated the printing operations. (iv) Methods of feeding paper
improved, the quality of plates became better, automatic paper reels and photoelectric controls of the colour
register were introduced. (v) The dust cover or the book jackets were introduced. (Topic - Further Innovations, Page
No. 166)
7. ‘With the printing press a new public emerged in Europe’. Justify the statement.
Answer (i) Printing reduced the cost of books. (ii) The time and labour required to produce each book came down,
and multiple copies could be produced with greater ease. (iii) Books flooded the market, reaching out to an ever-
growing readership. (Para – 3, Page No. 159)
8. How did Johann Gutenberg develop the first printing press?
Answer (i) From his childhood, Gutenberg had seen wine and olive presses. Subsequently, he learnt the art of
polishing stones, became a master goldsmith, and also acquired the expertise to create lead moulds used for making
trinkets. (ii) Drawing on this knowledge, Gutenberg adapted existing technology to design his innovation. The olive
press provided the model for the printing press, and moulds were used for casting the metal types for the letters of
the alphabet. (iii) By 1448, Gutenberg perfected the system. The first book printed by him was the Bible. (Para – 1,
Page No. 157)
1. Describe the impact of the print revolution in Europe during 15th and 16th century.
Answer Impact of the print revolution in Europe during the 15th and 16th century: (i) Printing reduced the cost of
books. Also, time and labour required to produce each book came down, thus, multiple copies could be produced
with greater ease. (ii) Books flooded the market, reaching out to an ever growing readership. (iii) Publishers started
publishing popular ballads folk tales with beautiful pictures and illustrations. (iv) Print created the possibility of wide
circulation of ideas and introduced a new world of debate and discussion. (v) Even those who disagreed with
established authorities, could now print and circulate their ideas. For example, Martin Luther was a German monk,
priest, professor and church reformer. He challenged the Church to debate his ideas which led to division within the
Church and the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. (Para – 3 and 5, Page No. 159| Para – 1 and 4, Page No.
160)
2. How did Martin Luther’s writing bring reforms in the religious field? Explain.
Answer (i) Martin Luther wrote Ninety Five Theses criticising the malpractices in the Roman Catholic Church. He
posted a printed copy of it on the door of a church in Wittenberg. (ii) Luther’s writings immediately became popular
through printed copies and was read widely. (iii) 5000 printed copies of Luther’s translation of the New Testament
were sold in a week. (iv) All these led to a religious debate and marked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
(v) Printing technology played a key role in bringing religious reforms in the 16th century. Hence Martin Luther's
remarks were apt, effective and practical. (Para – 4, Page No. 160)
3. What difference did printing technology make in the lives of women and children in the 19th century? Explain.
Answer Impact on Women: (i) Women became important readers and writers. Penny magazines, especially meant
for women, contained guidelines on proper behaviour and housekeeping. (ii) Novel began to be written in the 19th
century and some of the best novelists were women like Jane Austen, Bronte sisters, George Eliot, etc. (iii) Their
writing created a new image of women with will, strength of personality, determination and power to think. Impact
on Children: (i) Primary education became compulsory from the late 19th century. (ii) School textbooks, rural folk
tales in edited versions, fairy tales and new stories were published for children. (iii) Grimm brothers of Germany
spent years to collect traditional folk tales from peasants and France and set up a children’s press in 1857. (Topic -
Children, Women and Workers, Page No. 165)
4. Explain with examples how print culture catered to the requirement of Children.
Answer (i) Primary education became compulsory from the late nineteenth century, children became an important
category of readers. Production of school textbooks became critical for the publishing industry. (ii) A children’s press
devoted to literature for children alone, was set up in France in 1857. (iii) This press published new works as well as
old fairy tales and folk tales. (iv) The Grimm brothers in Germany spent years in compiling traditional folk tales
gathered from peasants. What they collected was edited before the stories were published in a collection in 1812.
(v) Anything that was considered unsuitable for children or would appear vulgar to the elites, was not included in the
published version. Rural folk tales thus acquired a new form. In this way, print recorded old tales but also changed
them. (Topic - Children, Women and Workers, Page No. 165)
5. Describe any five uses of print culture in the 17th century China.
Answer (i) By the 17th century, as urban culture bloomed in China, the uses of print diversified. (ii) Print was no
longer used just by scholar-officials but also merchants started used print in their everyday life, as they collected
trade information. (iii) The new readership preferred fictional narratives, poetry, autobiographies, anthologies of
literary masterpieces and romantic plays. (iv) Rich women began to read and many women began publishing their
poetry and plays. (v) Wives of scholar-officials published their works and courtsmen wrote about their lives.
Question-5 Why did the demand for hand written books diminish?
Solution:
The demand for hand-written books slowly diminished. Copying by hand was expensive, laborious and time-consuming. These
hand written manuscripts were fragile, awkward to handle, and could not be carried around or read easily. Woodblock printing
gradually became more and more popular as the demand for books increased.
Question-6 How did the print revolution influence the reading habit of the people of Europe?
Solution:
Due to the print revolution the reading habit of the public increased, as books were now less costly. This was because the time and
labour required to produce a book came down, and multiple copies could be produced with greater ease.
Books flooded the market, and were easily available for the public. Before printed books flooded the markets the common people
used to gather in Public places and books were read out to them. They heard sacred texts read out, ballads recited, and folk tales
narrated.
This listening culture turned to reading culture when books became cheaper.
Question-7
Write a brief note on Martin Luther.
Solution:
Martin Luther was a religious reformer. In 1517 he wrote the ‘Ninety Five Theses’ criticising many of the practices and rituals of the
Roman Catholic Church. A printed copy of this was pasted on a church door in Wittenberg. The Church was prompted to discuss
his ideas.
Soon Martin Luther’s Ninety Five Theses’ was printed in vast numbers and read widely. This lead to a division within the Church
and was the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
Martin Luther’s translation of the New Testament sold 5,000 copies within a few weeks and a second edition appeared within three
months.
Several scholars felt print brought about a new intellectual atmosphere and helped spread the new ideas that led to the
Reformation.
Question-8
Write a short note on Indian manuscripts.
Solution:
India had a very rich and old tradition of handwritten manuscripts – in Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, and other vernacular languages.
Manuscripts were copied on palm leaves or on handmade paper. Pages were beautifully illustrated. These manuscripts were
bound between wooden covers or sewn together for preservation. Manuscripts were produced in India even after print technology
was introduced.
Manuscripts were expensive and fragile and had to be handled carefully. It was difficult to read manuscripts as they were written in
different styles.
Mass literacy increased many fold in the nineteenth century, in Europe. Women children and workers started reading
books. Discuss.
Solution:
Primary education was compulsory in the late nineteenth century. Children became an important category of readers. The printing
industry now had its hands full by printing school books. A Children’s press was set up in France in 1857 which catered solely to
books for children. This press published new stories as well as old fairy tales and folk tales.
The Grimm Brothers in Germany compiled traditional folk tales gathered from peasants and the book was published in a collection
in 1812. Rural folk tales now had a new form.
Women became important as readers as well as writers. Penny magazines were published exclusively for women. They contained
articles on proper behaviour and housekeeping. Novels became popular as women started reading them.
Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, and George Eliot were well known authors. Their writings became important in defining a new type
of woman, who had will –power, strength of personality, determination and the power to think.
Lending libraries became popular in the seventeenth century as the literacy rate increased and many took to reading. Books
became instruments for educating white-collar workers, artisans and lower-middle-class people.
Books themselves in a way increased literacy. Working class people wrote for themselves and used books for self education.
After the working day was gradually shortened from the mid-nineteenth century, workers had time for self-improvement and self-
expression. They wrote political tracts and autobiographies in large numbers.
How did the print media affect the women in India?
Solution:
Lives and feelings of women were written with intensity. This increased the number of women who took to reading. Liberal
husbands and fathers started educating their womenfolk at home and some sent them to schools. Many journals began carrying
writings by women, and explained why women should be educated. They also carried a syllabus and attached suitable reading
matter which could be used for home-based schooling.
Superstition was a reason for illiteracy among a large population of women.
• Conservative Hindus believed that a literate girl would be widowed.
• Muslims feared that educated women would be corrupted by reading Urdu romances.
Social reforms and novels created a great interest in women’s lives and emotions. Women’s opinions and views were slowly
considered and respected. Stories were written about how about how women were imprisoned at home, kept in ignorance, forced
to do hard domestic labour and treated unjustly by the very people they served. Stories about the miserable lives of upper-caste
Hindu women, especially widows also appeared in print. These stories paved the way for the liberation of the suppressed Indian
woman.
Other kinds of literature solely for women soon flooded the markets.
• Article on household and fashion lessons for women.
• Articles on issues like women’s education, widowhood, widow remarriage and the national movement.
• Short stories and serialised novels.
• Folk literature.
In Bengal, an entire area in central Calcutta – the Battala – was devoted to the printing of popular books. These books were being
profusely illustrated with woodcuts and coloured lithographs. Peddlers took the Battala publications to homes, enabling women to
read them in their leisure time.
Give a brief description of the first form of print technology.
Solution:
The first form of print technology used wooden blocks which were carved with words or designs. The carvings were in relief. These
wooden blocks were inked. Then paper was rubbed against it. The markings now made an impression on the paper. The paper
was thin and so printing was done only on one side. The papers were folded and stitched.
How did the print revolution influence the reading habit of the people of Europe?
Solution:
Due to the print revolution the reading habit of the public increased, as books were now less costly. This was because the time and
labour required to produce a book came down, and multiple copies could be produced with greater ease.
Books flooded the market, and were easily available for the public. Before printed books flooded the markets the common people
used to gather in Public places and books were read out to them. They heard sacred texts read out, ballads recited, and folk tales
narrated.
This listening culture turned to reading culture when books became cheaper.
Write a short note on Indian manuscripts
Solution:
India had a very rich and old tradition of handwritten manuscripts – in Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, and other vernacular languages.
Manuscripts were copied on palm leaves or on handmade paper. Pages were beautifully illustrated. These manuscripts were
bound between wooden covers or sewn together for preservation. Manuscripts were produced in India even after print technology
was introduced.
Manuscripts were expensive and fragile and had to be handled carefully. It was difficult to read manuscripts as they were written in
different styles.
Give a brief description of the first form of print technology.
Solution:
The first form of print technology used wooden blocks which were carved with words or designs. The carvings were in relief. These
wooden blocks were inked. Then paper was rubbed against it. The markings now made an impression on the paper. The paper
was thin and so printing was done only on one side. The papers were folded and stitched.
How did the print revolution influence the reading habit of the people of Europe?
Solution:
Due to the print revolution the reading habit of the public increased, as books were now less costly. This was because the time and
labour required to produce a book came down, and multiple copies could be produced with greater ease.
Books flooded the market, and were easily available for the public. Before printed books flooded the markets the common people
used to gather in Public places and books were read out to them. They heard sacred texts read out, ballads recited, and folk tales
narrated.
This listening culture turned to reading culture when books became cheaper.
Write a short note on Indian manuscripts
Solution:
India had a very rich and old tradition of handwritten manuscripts – in Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, and other vernacular languages.
Manuscripts were copied on palm leaves or on handmade paper. Pages were beautifully illustrated. These manuscripts were
bound between wooden covers or sewn together for preservation. Manuscripts were produced in India even after print technology
was introduced.
Manuscripts were expensive and fragile and had to be handled carefully. It was difficult to read manuscripts as they were written in
different styles.

1. How were earlier books printed (before 15th century) Explain.

Answer: (i) The earlier kind of print technology was a system of hand printing.
(ii) From AD 594 onwards, books in China were printed by rubbing paper also invented there against the inked
surface of woodblocks. As both sides of the thin, porous sheet could not be printed, the traditional Chinese
‘accordion book’ was folded and stitched at the side.
(iii) Superbly skilled craftsmen could duplicate, with remarkable accuracy, the beauty of calligraphy.

2. How did China remain a major producer of printed materials for a long time [CBSE 2013]
Or
“The imperial state in China, was the major producer of printed material.” Support this statement with
examples. [CBSE 2013. 2012. 2014]

Answer: Textbooks for the civil service examination were printed in vast numbers under the sponsorship of the
imperial state
(ii) Merchants used print in their everyday life as they collected trade information.
(iii)The new readership preferred fictional narratives, poetry, romantic plays
(iv) Rich women began to read and many women began publishing their poetry and plays.

3. ‘By the 17th century, as urban culture bloomed in China, the uses of print diversified.’ Explain by giving
examples. [CBSE Sept. 2010]
Or
How did a new reading culture bloom in China Explain.

Answer: (i) With the blooming of urban culture, the uses of print diversified. Print was no longer used just by
scholar-officials.
(ii) Merchants also started using print in their everyday life, to collect trade information Reading increasingly
became a leisure activity.
(iii) The readers preferred fictional narratives, poetry, autobiographies, anthologies of literary masterpieces and
romantic plays.
(iv) Rich women began to read a great variety of books and many women began to publish their poetry and
plays. Wives of scholar-officials published their works, and courtesans started writing about their lives.

4. Describe the progress of print in Japan. [CBSE Sept. 2010. 2011. 2013]

Answer: (i) 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. Pictures were printed on
textiles, playing cards and paper money.
(ii) In medieval Japan, poets and prose writers were regularly published, and books were cheap and abundant.
(iii) Printing of visual material led to interesting publishing practices. In the late eighteenth century, in the
flourishing urban circles at Edo (later to be known os Tokyo), illustrated collections of paintings depicted an
elegant urban culture, involving artists, courtesans, and tea house gatherings.

5. How had the earliest printing technology developed in the world Explain. [CBSE 2012]
Answer: (i) The earnest kind of print technology was developed in China, Japan, and Korea.
(ii) Up to 6th century, the print was used only by scholar officials.
(iii) Then the Buddhist missionaries introduced hand printing technology,
(iv) Marco Polo brought woodblock printing from China to Italy.
(v) The invention of the printing press proved great miracle in spreading knowledge.

6. Who was Marco Polo What was his contribution to print culture [CBSE 2013]

Answer: Marco Polo was a great Italian explorer.

Contribution :
(i) in 1295. Marco polo returned to Italy after many years of exploration in China.
(ii) He brought the knowledge of woodblock printing with him.
(iii) Now in Italy, books started to be produced with woodblocks and soon the technology spread to other parts
of Europe.

7. How did Gutenberg personalise the printed hooks suiting to the tastes and requirement of
others [CBSE 2012]

Answer: (i)Borders were illuminated by hand with foliage and other patterns.
(ii) Illustrations were painted in the painting school of the buyer’s choice,
(iii) In the books printed for the rich blank spares were left for decoration.
(iv) Each buyer could choose the design, verses were highlighted by hand with colours,
(v) The overall outlook of the book was properly taken care of.

8. Explain the main features of the first printed Bible. [CBSE Sept. 2010]
Or
Describe any three main features of the first printed Bible. [CBSE 2014]

Answer: (i) About 18O copies were printed ar.d 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) Every page of each copy was different.
(iv) Different colours were used within the letters in various places.

9. ‘The shift from handprinting to mechanical printing led to the print revolution.’ Explain.

Answer: (i) In the hundred years between 1450 and 1550. the printing presses were set up in most of the
countries of Europe.
(ii) Printers from Germany travelled to other countries, seeking work and helping to start new presses. As the
number of printing presses grew, book production boomed
(iii) The second half of the fifteenth century saw around 20 million copies of printed books flooding the markets
in Europe. The number went up in the sixteenth century to about 200 million copies.
(iv) It influenced popular perceptions and opened up new ways of looking at things

10. How did printing press create a new- reading public Explain. [CBSF. Sept. 2013]
Or
“There was a virtual reading mania in European countries in the 18th century”. Explain the factors
responsible for this virtual reading mania.

Answer: (i) Low cost of production : With the printing press, a new reading public emerged. Printing reduced the
cost of books. The time mid labour required to produce each book came down, and multiple copies could be
produced with greater ease. Books flooded the market, reaching out to an ever-growing readership.
(ii) Accessibility of books : Access to books created a new culture of reading. Earlier, reading was restricted to the
elites. Common people lived in a world of oral culture They heard sacred texts read out ,ballads recited, and folk
tales narrated Knowledge was transferred orally. People collectively heard a story, or saw a performance. Before
the age of print, books were not only expensive but they could not be produced in sufficient numbers. Now
books could reach out to wider sections of people.

(iii) Increase in literacy rate : Through the. seventeenth and eighteenth centuries literacy rates went up in most
parts of Europe. Churches of different denominations set up schools in Villages, carrying literacy to peasants and
artisans. By the end of the eighteenth century, in some parts of Europe literacy rates were as high as 60 to 80 per
cent. As literacy and schools spread in European countries, there was a virtual reading mania.

11. Explain the common conviction of people in the mid-18th century about the books and print
culture, [CBSE 2013]

Answer: (i) By the mid-eighteenth century, there was a common conviction that books were a means of
spreading progress and enlightenment.
(ii) Many believed that books could change the world, liberate society from despotism and tyranny, and herald a
time when reason and intellect would rule.
(iii) Louise-sebastian Mercier, a novelist in Prance declared. “The printing press is most powerful engine of
progress and public- opinion is the force that will sweep despotism away.”

12. State any three points of importance of penny chapbooks. [CBSE Sept. 2010.2011]
Or
Describe some of the new printed books which were sold by the pedlars in villages in the eighteenth
century Europe. [CBSE-2012, 2014]

Answer: (i) Pocket sue books that were sold by travelling pedlars called chapmen
(ii) These became popular from the time of the sixteenth-century print revolution.
(iii) It includes many kinds of printed material such as pamphlets, political and religious tracts, nursery rhymes,
poetry, folk tales, children’s literature and almanacs. Where there were illustrations, they would be popular prints.

13. ‘Print popularised the ideas of the Enlightenment thinkers.’ Explain. [CBSE 2014]
Or
How did ideas about science, reason and rationality find their way into popular literature in the 18th
century Europe [CBSE Sept. 2010]

Answer: (i) Collectively, the writings of thinkers provided a critical commentary on tradition, superstition and
despotism.
(ii)Scholars and thinkers argued for the rule of reason rather than custom, and demanded that everything be
judged through the application of reason and rationality,
(iii) They attacked the sacred authority of the Church and the despotic power of the state, thus eroding the
legitimacy of a social order based on tradition.
(iv) The Writings of Voltaire and Rousseau were read Widely: and those who read these books saw the world
through new eyes, eyes that were questioning, critical and rational

14. How did the ideas of scientists and philosophers become more accessible to common people after the
beginning of print revolution in Europe [CBSE Sept. 2010. 2012]

Answer: (i) The ideas of scientists and philosophers now became more accessible to the common people.
(ii) Ancient and medieval scientific texts were compiled and published, and maps and scientific diagrams were
widely printed.
(iii) When scientists like Isaac Newton began to publish their discoveries, they could influence n much wider circle
of scientifically minded readers
(iv) The writings of thinkers such as Thomas Paine. Voltaire and Jean Jacques Rousseau were also widely printed
and read. Thus their ideas about science, reasoning and nationality found their way into popular literature.

15. Who was Louise-Sebastien Mercier What were his Ideas about print
Or
‘Tremble, therefore, tyrants of the world ! Tremble before the virtual writer ! Explain this
statement. [CBSE 2014]

Answer: Louise-Sebastien Mercier was a French dramatist and a novelist in the eighteenth century. He declared
“The printing press a the most powerful engine of progress and public opinion is the force that will sweep
despotism away.’ In most of his novels, he had shown his love for reading. In most of his novels, the heroes are
transformed by the acts of reading Convinced of the power of print in bringing enlightenment, and destroying
the basis of despotism, Mercier proclaimed : “Tremble, therefore, tyrants of the world ! Tremble before the virtual
writer !”

16 Explain any three features of handwritten manuscripts before the age of print in India. [CBSE Sept.
2010. 2011. 2012. 2013]

Answer: (i) Handwritten were copied on palm leaves or on handmade papers.

(ii) Pages were beautifully illustrated.
(iii)They were pressed between wooden covers or sewn together to ensure preservation,
(iv) Manuscripts were available in vernacular languages.
(v) Manuscripts Highly expensive and fragile,
(vi) They could no: he read easily as script was written in different styles.

17 “The Bengal Gazette was a commercial paper open to all. but influenced by none.” Justify the claim of
James Augustus Hickey. [CBSE 2012]

Answer: From 1780. James Augustus Hickey began to edit the Bengal Gazette, a weekly magazine that described
Itself as a commercial paper open to all. but influenced by none’ So it was private English enterprise, proud of its
independence from colonial influence, chat began English printing in India. Hickey published a lot of
advertisements, including those that related to the import and sale of slaves. But he also published a lot of
gossip about the Company’s senior officials in India. Enraged by this, Governor-General Warren Hastings
persecuted Hickey, and encouraged the publication of officially sanctioned newspapers that could counter the
flow of information that damaged the image of the colonial government.

18. Why did the woodblock method become popular in Europe [CBSE 2015]
Or
What were the drawbacks of the handwritten manuscripts
Or
Mention the shortcomings of manuscripts. [CBSE Sept. 2011, 2012, 2014]

Answer: (i) The production of handwritten manuscripts could not meet the ever-increasing demand for books.
(ii) Copying was an expensive, laborious and time-consuming business.
(iii) The manuscripts were fragile, awkward to handle and could not be carried around or read easily. By the early
fifteenth century, woodblocks started being widely used in Europe to print textiles, playing cards and religious
pictures with simple, brief texts.

19. From the early 19th century, there were intense debates around the religious issues. Printed tracts and
newspapers not only spread the new ideas, but they shaped the nature of debate also. Explain by giving
examples.
Answer: (i) Different groups confronted the changes happening within colonial society in different ways, and
offered a variety of new interpretations of the beliefs of different religions. A wider public could now participate
in these public discussions and express their views. New ideas emerged through these clashes of opinions.
(ii) This was a time of intense controversies between social and religious reformers and the Hindu orthodoxy over
matters like widow immolation, monotheism, Brahmanical priesthood and idolatry. In Bengal, as the debate
developed, tracts and newspapers proliferated, circulating a variety of arguments. To reach a wider audience, the
ideas were printed in the everyday, spoken language of ordinary people.
(iii) Raja Ram Mohan Roy published the 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-
Jahan Nama and Shamsul Akhbar.

20. Explain the steps which were taken by the British government or the colonial government to control
the freedom of press.

Answer: (i) Earlier measures : Before 1798, the colonial state under the East India Company was not too
concerned with censorship. Strangely, its early measures to control printed matter were directed against
Englishmen in India who were critical of Company misrule and hated the actions of particular Company officers.
The Company was worried that such criticisms might be used by its critics in England to attack its trade
monopoly in India.

(ii) Regulations of Calcutta Supreme Court: By the 1820s, the Calcutta Supreme Court passed certain regulations
to control press freedom and the Company began encouraging publication of newspapers that would celebrate
Brtish rule. In 1835, faced with urgent petitions by editors of English and vernacular newspapers, Governor-
General Bentinck agreed to revise press laws. Thomas Macaulay, a liberal colonial official, formulated new rules
that restored the earlier freedoms.

(iii) Vernacular Press Act : After the revolt of 1857, the attitude to freedom of the press changed. Enraged
Englishmen demanded a clamp down on the ‘native’ press. In 1878, the Vernacular Press Act was passed,
modelled on the Irish Press Laws. It provided the government with extensive rights to censor reports and
editorials in the vernacular press. From now on 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.

1. Trace the history of print in China.

Or
How did China remain a major producer of printed materials for a long time
Or
‘The imperial state in China, was the major producer of printed material.’ Support this statement. [CBSE
2014]

Answer: (i) Hand Printing : The earliest kind of print technology was developed in China, Japan and Korea. This
was a system of hand printing. From AD 594 onwards, books in China were printed by rubbing paper – also
invented there- against the inked surface of woodblocks. As both sides of the thin, porous sheet could not be
printed, the traditional Chinese ‘accordion book’ was folded and stitched at the side. Superbly skilled craftsmen
could duplicate, with remarkable accuracy, the beauty of calligraphy.

(ii) Major producer : The imperial state in China was, for a very long time, the major producer of printed material.
China possessed a huge bureaucratic system which recruited its personnel through civil service examinations.
Textbooks for this examination were printed in vast numbers under the sponsorship of the imperial state. From
the sixteenth century, the number of examination candidates went up and that increased the volume of print.

(iii) Printing in the 17th century : By the seventeenth century, as urban culture bloomed in China, the uses of print
diversified. Print was no longer used just by scholar officials. Merchants used print in their everyday life, as they
collected trade information. Reading increasingly became a leisure activity. The new readership preferred
fictional narratives, poetry, autobiographies, anthologies of literary masterpieces, and romantic plays. Rich
women began to read, and many women began publishing their poetry and plays. Wives of scholar-officials
published their works and courtesans wrote about their lives.

(iv) Printing in the 19th century : This new reading culture was accompanied by a new technology. Western
printing techniques and mechanical presses were imported in the fate nineteenth century as Western powers
established their outposts in China. Shanghai became the hub of the new print culture, catering to the Western-
style schools. From hand printing there was now a gradual shift to mechanical printing.

2. Mention some of the important characteristics of print culture of Japan.

Answer: (i) Introduced by the Buddhist missionaries : The Buddhist missionaries from China introduced the
handprinting technology into Japan around AD 768-770.
(ii) Old book : The oldest Japanese book, printed in AD 868, is the Buddhist Diamond Sutra, containing six sheets
of text and woodcut illustrations.
(iii) Material: Playing cards, paper money and textile products were used for printing pictures.
(iv) Cheap books : In the medieval Japan, the works of poets and prose writers were regularly published, and
books were cheap and abundant.
(v) Print in Edo (Tokyo) : In the late 18th century, in the flourishing urban circles at Edo (later to be known as
Tokyo), illustrated collections of paintings depicting an elegant urban culture, involving artists, courtesans and
teahouse gatherings.

3. Trace the history of print in Europe.

Or
How did print culture develop in Europe Explain. [CBSE 2010, 2012 (D)]
Or
How did print come to Europe from China Explain. [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011]

Answer: (i) Paper from China : Paper reached Europe from China through the Silk route in the 11th century. With
this, the production of manuscripts written by scribes became a regular feature.
(ii) Role of travellers and explorers : Marco Polo, a great explorer reached Italy after several years of exploration
in China in the year 1295. Marco Polo brought back with him the technology of woodblock printing. Now Italians
started publishing books with woodblocks. The technology became popular in other parts of Europe, as well.
(iii) Woodblock printing : By the early fifteenth century, woodblocks started being widely used in Europe to print
textiles, playing cards and religious pictures with simple, brief texts.
(iv) Johann Gutenberg and the printing press : A major revolution in the print technology was brought by Johann
Gutenberg. He developed the first known printing press in the 1430’s. The first book he printed was the Bible.
(v) Spread of printing presses : In the next hundred years i.e. between 1450 and 1550, printing presses were set
up in most countries of Europe.

4. Who was Johann Gutenberg Explain his role in the history of printing. [CBSE Sept. 2010]
Or
Who invented the printing press How did he develop the print technology [CBSE 2009 (F)]

Answer: Johann Gutenberg was a German goldsmith and inventor, credited with the inventing of the movable
type printing in Europe. Gutenberg was the son of a merchant, and his childhood was spent on a large
agricultural estate. From his childhood, he had seen wine and olive presses. By and by, he learnt the art of
polishing stones, became a master goldsmith, and also acquired the expertise to create lead moulds used for
making trinkets. (Trinket-A small item of jewellery that is cheap or of low quality). Using this knowledge,
Gutenberg adapted the existing technology to design his innovation. The olive press became the base model for
the printing press and moulds were used for casting the metal types for the letters of the alphabet. By 1448,
Gutenberg perfected the system. In 1455, Gutenberg published his 42-lines Bible, commonly known as the
Gutenberg Bible. About 180 copies were printed most on paper and some on vellum.

5. In which way did the early printed books closely resemble the manuscripts? Explain.
[CBSE 2013]
Or
Give three ways in which early printed books closely resembled manuscripts. [CBSE 2011]

Answer: (i) Early printed books were technically printed but those were not very different from manuscripts.
(ii) There were many kinds of same features available in similar books which made printed books closely
resembling with manuscripts.
(iii) Both printed books and manuscripts looked similar because metal letters imitated the ornamental
handwritten style.
(iv) Like handwritten manuscripts, borders of printed books were also illuminated by hand with foliage and other
patterns and illustrations were painted.
(v) In the books printed for rich people, space for decoration was kept blank on the printed pages.
(vi) Each buyer could choose the design and decide on the painting school that would do the illustrations.

6. What were the features of the new books which were produced in Europe after the invention of the
Gutenberg’s press [CBSE Sept. 2010]

Answer: (i) Cheap : The books produced were very cheap as compared to earlier books.
(ii) Resemblance with manuscript : Printed books resembled greatly the written manuscripts in appearance and
layout. The metal letters imitated the ornamental handwritten styles.
(iii) Handwork : Borders of the books were illuminated by hand, with foliage and other patterns.
(iv) Role of painting : Illustrations were painted. The books printed for the elites had space for decoration.
(v) Different painting schools : Different painting schools prevailed and a person could choose the design and
decide on the painting school that would do the illustrations exclusively for him.

7. Mention some of the innovations which have improved the printing technology after the 17th century.
[CBSE Sept. 2010]
Or
Highlight any three innovations which have improved the printing technology from 19th century
onwards.[CBSE 2014]

Answer: Invention which improved the printing technology after 17th century are listed below :
(i) Metal Press : In the 19th century, there were a series of innovations in the printing technology. Now the press
was made out of metal.
(ii) Rotary Printing Press : Richard March Hoe, an American inventor designed and improved the printing press.
He invented the Rotary Printing Press, a design much faster than the old flat-bed printing press. The new press
could print* about 8,000 sheets per hour. The new press was very useful for printing newspapers.
(iii) Offset Press : In the late nineteenth century, the offset press was developed which could print up to six
colours at the same time.
(iv) Electrically Operated Presses : From the turn of the twentieth century, electrically operated presses
accelerated printing operations. A series of many other developments followed. Methods of feeding paper
improved, the quality of plates became better, automatic paper reels and photoelectric control of the colour
register were introduced.
The accumulation of several individual mechanical improvements transformed the appearance of the printed
texts.

8. “Oral culture and print culture were complimentary to each other”. Justify the statement with any
three suitable arguments. [CBSE 2013]
Answer: (i) Earlier, reading was restricted to the elites. Common people lived in a world of oral culture.
(ii) With the printing press, books could reach out to wider sections of society. If earlier, there was a hearing
public, now a reading public came into being.
(iii) Publishers had to keep in mind the wider reach of the printed books. Even those who did not read, could
enjoy listening to the books being read out.
(iv) So, printers began publishing popular ballads and folk tales and such books would be profusely illustrated
with pictures. These were then sung and recited at gatherings in villages and in taverns in towns.

9. How did the oral culture enter print and how was the printed material transmitted orally Explain with
suitable examples. [CBSE 2008 (F), Sept. 2012]
Or
How did the printers manage to attract the people, largely illiterate, towards, printed books [CBSE Sept.
2012]

Answer: Oral culture entered print in the following ways:

(i) Printers published popular ballads and folk tales.
(ii) Books were profusely illustrated with pictures.
Printed material was transmitted orally in the following ways :
(i) These were sung at gatherings in villages, taverns and in towns.
(ii) They were recited in public gatherings. For example, Indian novelist Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay used to
read out his novels to a gathering.

10. Explain the role of print in the religious reforms in India. [CBSE 2011]

Answer: (i) Debate over social issues: Print initiated an intense controversies between social and religious
reformers and the Hindu orthodoxy over matters like widow immolation, monotheism, Brahmanical priesthood
and idolatry. In Bengal, as the debate developed, tracts and newspapers proliferated, circulating a variety of
arguments. To reach a wider audience, the ideas were printed in the everyday, spoken language of ordinary
people.

(ii) Ideas of Reformers: Print carried the ideas of social reformers to the common people. For example Sambad
Kaumudl carried the ideas and philosophy of Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

(iii) Reforms in Muslims: In north India, the ulama were deeply anxious about the collapse of Muslim dynasties.
They feared that colonial rulers would encourage conversion, change the Muslim personal laws. To counter this,
they used cheap lithographic presses, published Persian and Urdu translations of holy scriptures, and printed
religious newspapers and tracts. The Deoband Seminary, founded in 1867, published thousands upon thousands
of fatwas telling Muslim readers how to conduct themselves in their everyday lives, and explaining the meanings
of Islamic doctrines.

(iv) Reforms in Hindus: Among Hindus, too, print encouraged the reading of religious texts, especially in the
vernacular languages. The first printed edition of the Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas, a sixteenth- century text, came
out from Calcutta in 1810.

11. ‘Print not only stimulate the publication of conflicting opinions amongst communities, but it also
connected communities and people in different parts of India.’ Explain.
[CBSE 2008 (O), 2009 (D), Sept. 2011]
Or
How did print help connect communities and people in different parts of India Explain with examples.
[CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011]
Answer: (i) Debate on religious, social and economic issues : From the early nineteenth century, there were
serious debates on religious, social and economic issues. Different people had different opinions regarding the
colonial society. Reformers offered a variety of new interpretations of the beliefs of different religions. There
were many who criticised the existing practices and campaigned for reforms while others countered.
(ii) Impact on debates : These debates were carried out openly in public and in print. Printed tracts and
newspapers not only spread the new ideas, but they also shaped the nature of the debates.
(iii) New ideas and clashes : A wider range of people could now participate in these public discussions and
express their views. New ideas emerged through these clashes of opinions.
(iv) Pan-Indian identities : Newspapers conveyed news from one place to another, creating pan-Indian identities.
Newspapers reported on colonial misrule and encouraged nationalist activities.
(v) Print and depressed classes : From the 19th century, issue of caste discrimination began to be written. Jyotiba
Phule, Dr B.R. Ambedkar, E. V. Ramaswamy wrote extensively on the depressed classes and provided the
depressed classes a common platform.

12. “By the end of the 19th century a new visual culture was taking shape.” Write any three features of
this new visual culture. [CBSE Comp. (O) 2008, Sept. 2010, 2011]

Answer: (i) Printing Press and visual culture : The Printing press had a deep impact on the visual images also.
Now, visual images could be easily reproduced in multiple copies.
(ii) Images for mass circulation : Painters like Raja Ravi Verrna produced images for mass circulation. Wood
engravers, who , made woodblocks were employed by the print shops. Cheap prints and calendars could be
bought even by the poor.
(iii) Caricatures and cartoons : By the 1870s, caricatures and cartoons were being published in journals and
newspapers. Some of these made fun of the educated Indian’s fascination to copy Western tastes and clothes.
Some openly criticised the imperial rule.
(iv) Reduction of cost and visual culture :
Mass production of visual images reduced the cost of production. So cheap prints and calendars were available
in the market even for the poor to decorate the walls of their homes.
(v) Indian form : The new visual culture acquired distinctively Indian forms and style. Artists like Raja Ravi Verma
depicted the scenes from Hindu epics.

13. ‘Not everyone welcomed the printed books, and those who did also had fears about it.’ Explain by
giving examples.

Answer: (i) Fear of negative thoughts : Many were of the opinion that printed words and the wider circulation of
books, would have a negative impact on people’s minds.
(ii) Rebellious and irreligious thoughts : They feared that if there was no control over what was printed and read,
then rebellious and irreligious thoughts might gain importance.
(iii) Destruction of valuable literature :
There was also a fear in the minds of scholars that the authority of ‘valuable’ literature would be destroyed.

(iv) Criticism of Roman Catholic Church : Martin Luther was a German monk, priest, professor and a Church
reformer. In 1517, he wrote Ninety Five Theses and openly criticized many of the practices and rituals of the
Roman Catholic Church. This led to a division within the Church, and led to the beginning of the Protestant
Reformation,

(v) Compilation of ancient and medieval scientific text : The ideas of scientists and philosophers now became
more accessible to the common people. Ancient and Medieval scientific texts were compiled and published, and
maps and scientific diagrams were widely printed. When scientists like Issac Newton began to public their
discoveries, they could influence a much wider circle of scientifically minded readers. The writings of thinkers
such as Thomas Paine, Voltaire and Jean Jacques Rousseau were also widely printed and read. Thus their ideas
about science, reason and rationality found their way into popular literature.
14. Why did people in the eighteenth century Europe think that print culture would bring enlightenment
and end despotism? [CBSE 2011]

Answer: (i) Increase in literacy rate: Through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries literacy rates went up in
most parts of Europe. By the end of the eighteenth century, in some parts of Europe literacy rates were as high as
60 to 80 per cent. As literacy and schools spread in European countries, there was a virtual reading mania.

(ii) Role of periodicals: The periodical press developed from the early eighteenth century, Newspapers and
journals carried information about wars and trade, as well as news of developments in other places.

(iii) Ideas of scientists and philosophers: Similarly, the ideas of scientists and philosophers now became more
accessible to the common people. Ancient and medieval scientific texts were compiled and published, and maps
and scientific diagrams were widely printed. The writings of thinkers such as Thomas Paine, Voltaire and Jean
Jacques Rousseau were also widely printed and read. Thus their ideas about science, reason and rationality found
their way into popular literature

(iv) Print a powerful engine of progress:

Louise-Sebastien Mercier, a novelist in eighteenth-century France, declared: ‘The printing press is the most
powerful engine of progress and public opinion is the force that will sweep despotism away.’ In many of
Mercier’s novels, the heroes are transformed by acts of reading.

15. Explain the factors which were responsible for creating a virtual reading mania in Europe. [CBSE 2014]
Or
How did a new reading public emerged with the printing press Explain. [CBSE 2010 (D)]
Or
Explain any three reasons for an increase in reading mania in Europe in the 18th Century.
[CBSE Sept. 2011]

Answer: (i) Johann Gutenberg’s printing press : The

revolution in printing was brought by Johann Gutenberg’s printing press. With the invention of printing press,
the cost of producing a book came down. So now even the common people could afford the books.

(ii) Increase in literacy rate : The seventeenth and the eighteenth centuries saw the rapid rise of literacy rate in
most parts of Europe. Churches of different denominations set up schools in villages. By the end of the
eighteenth century, in some parts of Europe, the literacy rate was as high as 60 to 80 per cent.

(iii) New forms of literature : New forms of popular literature were printed, which targeted new audiences. There
were almanacs or ritual calendars, along with ballads and folk tales.

(iv) Periodicals : The next phase was the development of periodicals. The periodicals combined information about
current affairs with entertainment. Newspapers and journals carried information about wars and trade, as well as
news of developments in other places.

16. ‘Many historians have argued that print culture created the conditions within which the French
Revolution occurred.’ Explain. [CBSE 2009 (O)]
Or
“Print culture created the conditions within which French revolution occurred.” Give any three suitable
arguments to support the statement. [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011]

Answer: (i) Ideas of the enlightened : The print popularised the ideas of the enlightened thinkers, who attacked
the authority of the Church and the despotic power of the state, e.g., Voltaire and Rousseau.
(ii) New culture : The print created a new culture of dialogue and debate and the public became aware of
reasoning. They recognised the need to question the existing ideas and beliefs.
(iii) Criticism of the noble class : The literature of 1780s mocked the royalty and criticised their morality and the
existing social order. This literature led to the growth of hostile sentiments against the monarchy.
(iv) New thinking : Print did not directly shape the minds of the people, but it did open up the possibility of
thinking differently.
(v) Role of means of mass communication : Means of mass communication like newspaper, journals, chapbooks
carried information about wars, trade as well as news of development in other places. All this had a impact on
the minds of the people.

17. What did the spread of print culture in the 19th century Europe mean to :
(a) Children (b) Women (c) Workers.
Or
Explain, how had the print culture changed the way of life of women in late nineteenth century in India.
[CBSE 2010 (D)]

Answer: (a) Children :

(i) As primary education became compulsory from the late nineteenth century, children became an important
category of readers.
(ii) Production of school textbooks became critical for the publishing industry.
(iii) A children’s press, devoted to literature for children alone, was set up in France in 1857. This press published
new works as well as old fairy tales, and folk tales.
(iv) The Grimm Brothers in Germany spent years compiling traditional folk tales gathered from peasants.
(v) Anything that was considered unsuitable for children or would appear vulgar to the elites, was not included in
the published version. Rural folk tales thus acquired a new form. In this way, print recorded old tales, but also
changed them.

(b) Women :
(i) Women as readers : Lives and feelings of women began to be written in intense ways. So women became
important as readers. Penny magazines were especially meant for women, as were manuals teaching proper
behaviour and housekeeping.
(ii) Women as writers : Many women novelists like Jane Austin, Bronte Sisters, George Eliot wrote about women.
Novels and other journals began exploring the world of women – their emotions, identities, their experiences
and problems. The writings of woman became important in defining a new type of woman – a person with will,
strength of personality, determination and the power to think.
(iii) Novels and books on women : As the readership of women was increasing publishers started producing
novels and journals for women. Many journals began carrying writings by women, and explained why women
should be educated.

(c) Workers :
(i) Lending Libraries : Lending libraries had been in existence from the seventeenth century onwards. In the
nineteenth century, lending libraries in England became instruments for educating the white-collar workers,
artisans and lower-middle-class people.
(ii) Autobiographies : Sometimes, self- educated working class people wrote for themselves. After the working
day was gradually shortened from the mid nineteenth century, workers had some time for self-improvement and
self expression. They wrote political tracts and autobiographies in large numbers.
(iii) Novels on the lives of the workers : In the 19th century, Europe entered the industrial age. Factories came up,
profits increased and the economy grew. But at the same time, workers faced problems of unemployment, low
wages, poor working conditions. Many novelists such as Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy wrote about the
adverse impact of industrialisation on the lives of workers.

18. Trace the growth of print technology in India.

Answer: (i) Handwritten manuscripts : India had a very rich and old tradition of handwritten manuscripts in
Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, as well as in various vernacular languages. Manuscripts were copied on palm leaves or
on handmade paper.
(ii) Print came to India : The printing press first came to Goa with Portuguese missionaries in the mid 16th
century.
(iii) James Hicky and print : From 1780, James Augustus Hicky began to edit the Bengal Gazette, a weekly
magazine.
(iv) Print in the 18th century : By the close of the 18th century, a number of newspapers and journals appeared in
print. The first Indian weekly i.e. Bengal Gazette also came into picture in the late 18th century
(v) Print in the 19th century : By the end of the 19th century, a visual culture started taking place. By 1870’s
caricatures and cartoons were being published in journals and newspapers.

19. How did the women writers use the print to express their opinions regarding the status of women in
India Explain.
Or
“Printing technology gave women a chance to share their feelings with the world outside.” Support the
statement with any five suitable examples. [CBSE 2013]

Answer: (i) Rashsundari Debi, a young married girl in a very orthodox household, learnt to read in the secrecy of
her kitchen. Later, she wrote her autobiography Amar Jiban which was published in 1876. It was the first full-
length autobiography published in the Bengali language. .
(ii) From the 1860s, many Bengali women writers like Kailashbashini Debi wrote books highlighting the
experiences of women- about how women were imprisoned at home, kept in ignorance, forced to do hard
domestic labour and treated unjustly by the menfolk, they generally, served.
(iii) In the 1880s, in present-day Maharashtra, Tarabai Shinde and Pandita Ramabai wrote with passionate anger
about the miserable lives of the upper-caste Hindu women, especially the widows. The poor status of women
was also expressed by the Tamil writers.
(iv) In the early 20th century, the journals written by women became very popular in which women’s education,
widowhood, widow remarriage, etc., were discussed. Some of them offered fashion lessons for women too.

20. ‘Printing press played a major role in shaping the Indian society of the 19th century.’ Explain by
giving examples. [CBSE Sept. 2012, 2013]
Or
Explain the role of press in shaping the Indian society in the 19th century.
Or
How did print introduce debate and discussion Write three points. [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011, 2012]
Or
“Print led to intense controversies between social and religious reformers and Hindu orthodoxy.” Support
this statement with examples. [CBSE 2013]

Answer: (i) Variety of opinions : From the early nineteenth century, there were serious debates on religious,
social and economic issues. Different people had different opinions regarding the colonial society. People and
social reformers offered a variety of new interpretations of the beliefs of different religions.

(ii) Shaping the opinion : Printed tracts and newspapers not only spread the new ideas, but they also shaped the
nature of the debate. A wider section of public could now participate in these public discussions, and express
their views. New ideas emerged through these clashes of opinions.

(iii) Social reforms This was a time period of intense controversies between social and religious reformers, and
the Hindu orthodoxy over the social evils like widow immolation, child marriage, sati system, pardah system, etc.
In Bengal, as the discussions and debates developed, tracts and newspapers proliferated circulating a variety of
arguments.
For example : Raja Ram Mohan Roy published the Sambad Kaumudi from 1821, and the Hindu orthodoxy
commissioned the Samachar Chandrika to oppose Roy’s opinions.

(iv) Pan Indian : Newspapers, magazines, visual images helped in creating pan Indian identity.

(v) National newspapers : Despite repressive measures, national newspapers grew in numbers in all parts of India.
They reported on colonial misrule and encouraged nationalist activities. These national newspapers provided a
base to the freedom struggle.

21. How were ideas and information written before the age of print in India How did the printing
technique begin in India Explain. [CBSE 2008, Sept. 2010]
Or
Explain the role of missionaries in the growth of press in India. [CBSE Sept. 2010]

Answer: (i) India had a very rich and old tradition of handwritten manuscripts – in Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, as
well as in various vernacular languages. Manuscripts were copied on palm leaves or on handmade paper. Pages
were sometimes beautifully illustrated. They would be either pressed between wooden covers or sewn together
to ensure preservation.
(ii) Manuscripts continued to be produced till well after the introduction of print, down to the late nineteenth
century.
Beginning (coming) of print technology in India.
(i) The printing press first came to Goa with Portuguese missionaries in the mid-sixteenth century. Jesuit priests
learnt Konkani and printed several tracts. By 1674, about 50 books had been printed in the Konkani and in
Kanara languages.
(ii)The Catholic priests printed the first Tamil book in 1579 at Cochin, and in 1713, the first Malayalam book was
printed by them.
(iii) By 1710, Dutch Protestant missionaries had printed 32 Tamil texts, many of them were translations of older
works.

22. How was die print used to spread the religious texts by various communities Explain by giving
examples. [CBSE 2010 (F)]
Or
What was the main fear of the ‘Ulamas’ State any two steps taken by the ‘Ulamas’ to defend their
religion [CBSE 2013]
Or
How did religious communities in India make use of printing technology to spread their ideas Explain.
[CBSE-2012]

Answer: (A) Print and the Muslims :

(i) Ulemas and the print : In North India, the Ulemas, i.e., the religious heads of Muslims were deeply worried
about the collapse of the Muslim dynasties. They feared that the colonial rulers would encourage conversion,
and would change the Muslim personal laws. To counter this, they used cheap lithographic presses which
published Persian and Urdu translations of the holy scriptures, and printed religious newspapers and tracts.
(ii) Deoband Schools : The Deoband Seminary which was founded in 1867, published many fatwas making
Muslim readers aware of the code of conduct to be followed in their everyday lives, and explained the meanings
of Islamic doctrines.
(iii) Various Muslim Sects : All through the nineteenth century, a number of Muslim sects and seminaries
appeared, each with a different interpretation of faith. Each was keen on enlarging its followers and countering
the influence of its opponents. The Urdu print helped them conduct these battles in public.

(B) Print and the Hindus :

Among Hindus, too, print encouraged the readings of religious texts, especially in the vernacular languages.
(i) The first printed edition of the Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas came out from Calcutta (Kolkata) in 1810.
(ii) In the mid-nineteenth century, cheap lithographic editions flooded the North Indian markets.
(iii) From the 1880s, the Naval Kishore Press at Lucknow and the Shri Venkateshwar Press in Bombay published
many religious texts in vernacular languages,
(iv) The printed text was cheap, land portable. These could be easily carried by the people at any place and time.
They could also be read out to large groups of illiterate men and women.
(v) Religious texts and books started reaching a very wide circle of people, encouraging debates and
controversies within and among different religions.

23. Explain the impact of print culture on Indian women. [CBSE 2009 (O), Sept. 2012]
Or
Explain any three impact of printed books on women in India in the nineteenth century.
[CBSE Sept. 2010]

Answer: (i) Women education : Writers started writing about the lives and feelings of women, and this increased
the number of women readers. Women got interested in education, and many women schools and colleges were
set up. Many journals started emphasising the importance of women education.

(ii) Women writers : In East Bengal, in the early nineteenth century, Rashsundari Debi, a young married girl wrote
her autobiography, Amar Jiban (means ‘my life’) which was published in 1876.
From the 1860s, many Bengali women writers like Kailashbashini Debi wrote books highlighting the experiences
of women, about how women were imprisoned at home, kept in ignorance, forced to do hard domestic labour,
and treated unjustly by the menfolk, they served. In the 1880s, in the present-day Maharashtra, Tarabai Shinde
and Pandita Ramabai wrote with passionate anger about the miserable lives of the upper-caste Hindu women,
especially the widows. The poor status of women was also expressed by the Tamil writers.

(iii) Hindu writing and women : While Urdu, Tamil, Bengali and Marathi print culture had developed earlier, Hindu
printing began seriously only from the 1870s. Soon, a large section of it was devoted to the education of women.

(iv) New journals : In the early 20th century, the journals written by women, became very popular in which
women’s education, widowhood, widow remarriage, etc., were discussed. Some of them offered fashion lessons
for women.

(v) Teachings for women : Ram Chaddha published Istri Dharam Vi char to teach women how to be obedient
wives. The Khalsa Tract Society published cheap booklets with a similar message. Many of these were in the form
of dialogues about the qualities of a good woman.

24. Describe the issue of caste as taken by the novelists in India. [CBSE 2013]

Answer: (i) Jyotiba Phule, the Maratha pioneer of low caste protest movements, wrote about the injustices of the
caste system in his Gulamgiri.
(ii) In the twentieth century, B.R. Ambedkar in Maharashtra and E.V. Ramaswamy Naiker in Madras wrote on caste
and their writings were read by people all over India.
(iii) Local protest movements and sects also created a lot of popular journals and tracts criticising ancient
scriptures and envisioning a new and just future.
(iv) Kashibaba, a Kanpur mill worker wrote Chhote Aur Bade Ka Sawal in 1938 to show the links between caste
and class exploitation.
(v) The poems of Sudarshan Chakr were brought together and published in a collection called Sacchi Kavitayan.

1. What was an ‘accordion book” Describe any two features of hand printing in China

Answer: Accordion book was the traditional book of China.

Features :
(i) These were printed by rubbing paper against the inked surface of woodblocks.
(ii) The beauty of calligraphy was duplicated by skilled craftsmen.

2. Study the given paragraph and answer the following questions that follow :
‘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
Khilafat …. means a fight for this threatened freedom before all else ….’

(i) Who said these words

Answer: Mahatma Gandhi.

(ii) Name the freedoms he is talking about.

Answer: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Press and the Freedom of Association.

3. ‘The printing press is the most powerful engine of progress and public opinion and a force that will
sweep despotism away.’

Answer: Louise Sebastien Mercier.

4. Why were the printed books popular even among illiterate people [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2012]

Answer: (i) Those who could not read enjoyed listening to books being read out. So printers began publishing
popular ballads and folk tales illustrated with pictures.
(ii) These books were then sung and recited at gathering in villages and in taverns in towns.
(iii) Indian writers like Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay himself used to read his novels for illiterate gathering.

5. “Woodblock print came to Europe after 1295”. Give any three reasons to explain the above
statement. [CBSE Sept. 2010]

Answer: (i) Paper reached Europe through the Silk Route in the 11th century.
(ii) In 1295, Marco Polo, a great explorer, returned to Italy after many years of exploration in China. He brought
with him the knowledge of woodblock printing.
(iii) Italy began producing with woodblocks, and soon the technology spread to other parts of Europe.

6. Trace the growth and development of print technology.

Or
How had the earliest print technology developed in the world Explain.

Answer: (i) Print technology in the 6th and 7th century : From AD 594 onwards, books in China were printed by
rubbing paper against the inked surface of woodblocks.

(ii) Role of travellers and explorers: Marco Polo, a great explorer reached Italy after several years of exploration in
China in the year 1295. Marco Polo brought back with him the technology of woodblock printing. Now Italians
started publishing books with woodblocks. The technology became popular in other parts of Europe, as well.

(iii) Gutenberg and the printing press : The major turning point in the growth of print technology came in 1448
when Johann Gutenberg invented the first printing press. The shift from hand printing to mechanical printing led
to the print revolution.
(iv) Print in the 19th century and 20th century : By the late eighteenth century, the press came to be made out of
metal. Through the nineteenth century, there were a series of further innovations in printing technology. By the
mid-nineteenth century, Richard M. Hoe of New York had perfected the power- driven cylindrical press.

7. What did the spread of print culture in 19th century mean to the Reformers

Answer: (i) In 1517, the religious reformer Martin Luther 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. It challenged the Church to debate his ideas. Luther’s writings were immediately reproduced in vast
numbers and read widely. This lead to a division within the Church and to the beginning of the Protestant
Reformation.

(ii) In India the print started intense controversies between social and religious reformers and the Hindu
orthodoxy over matters like widow immolation, monotheism, Brah- manical priesthood and idolatry.

(iii) Jyotiba Phule, the Maratha pioneer of ‘low caste’ protest movements, wrote about the injustices of the caste
system in his Gulamgiri (1871).

(iv) In the twentieth century, B.R. Ambedkar in Maharashtra and E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker in Madras, wrote
powerfully on caste and their writings were read by people all over India.

8. What restrictions were imposed by the Vernacular Press Act on the Indian Press Explain. [CBSE-2011]
Or
In what ways the Vernacular Press Act of 1878 was a repressive step by the Government Explain. [CBSE-
2011]

Answer: (i) The British government began to perceive vernacular newspapers as a threat to its rule. This led to
the enactment of Vernacular Press Act in 1878.
(ii) It provided the government with extensive right to censor reports and editorials in the vernacular newspapers.
(iii) The government started regularly tracking the vernacular newspapers.
(iv) For any report which proved anti-British rule, the newspaper was first warned.
(v) For the second mistake, there was provision to seize the press and confiscate the machinery.

9. Mention any four social values which print culture promoted.

Answer: (i) Print culture promoted application of reasoning and rationality.

(ii) It created a new culture of dialogue and debate.
(iii) It did open up the possibility of thinking differently.
(iv) It promoted spirit of people’s rule i.e., democracy.

10. How the growth of print culture lead to women empowerment Explain.

Answer: (i) Women became important as readers as well as writers. Penny magazines were especially meant for
women, as were manuals teaching proper behaviour and housekeeping. When hovels began to be written in the
nineteenth century, women were seen as important readers. Some of the best-known novelists were women :
Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, George Eliot. Their writings became important in defining a new type of woman:
A person with will, strength of personality, determination and the power to think.

(ii) Social reformers and novels created a great interest in women’s lives and emotions, there was also an interest
in what women would have to say about their own lives. From the 1860s, a few Bengali women like
Kailashbashini Debi wrote books highlighting the experiences of women-about how women were imprisoned at
home, kept in ignorance, forced to do hard domestic labour and treated unjustly by the very people they served.
In the 1880s, in present-day Maharashtra, Tarabai Shinde and Pandita Ramabai wrote with passionate anger
about the miserable lives of upper-caste Hindu women, especially widows. A woman in a Tamil novel expressed
what reading meant to women who were so greatly novel confined by social regulations : ‘For various reasons,
my world is small … More than half my life’s happiness has come from books.

(iii) While Urdu, Tamil, Bengali and Marathi print culture had developed early, Hindi printing began seriously only
from the 1870s. Soon, a large segment of it was devoted to the education of women. In the early twentieth
century, journals, written for and sometimes edited by women, became extremely popular. They discussed issues
like women’s education, widowhood, widow remarriage and the national movement. Some of them offered
household and fashion lessons to women and brought entertainment through short stories and serialised novels.

11. What were the effects of the spread of print culture for the poor people In the 19th century
India [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011, 2012]
Or
‘From the late 19th century, issue of caste discrimination began to be written about in many printed
tracts and essays.’ Explain by giving examples.

Answer: (i) Public libraries : The print reached to the poor in the 19th century. Publishers started producing small
and cheap books. These books were sold at crossroads. Public libraries were set up by the Christian missionaries
and the rich people.

(ii) Highlighting the issue of class discrimination : From the late 19th century, many writers started writing about
the issue of class distinction.

(iii) Jyotiba Phule was a social reformer. He wrote about the poor condition of ‘low caste’. In his book Gulamgiri
(1871), he wrote about the injustices of the caste system.

(iv) In the 20th century, B.R. Ambedkar also wrote powerfully against the caste system. He also wrote against
untouchability.

(v) E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker, also known as Periyar, too wrote about the caste system prevailing in Madras
(Chennai). The writings of these writers were read by people all over India. Local protest movements and sects
also created a lot of popular journals and tracts criticising ancient scriptures with a view to creating new and just
future.

(vi) Poor workers and the print : Workers in factories were too overworked, and thus, lacked the education to
write about their expectations and experiences. But Keshibaba, a Kanpur mill worker wrote and published Chhote
Aur Bade Ka Sawal in 1938 to depict the links between caste and class exploitation. The poems of another
Kanpur mill worker, who wrote under the name of Sudarshan Chakra between 1935 and 1955, were brought
together, and published in a collection called Sacchi Kavitayain. By the 1930s, Bangaluru cotton mill workers set
up libraries to educate themselves. By doing so, they were following the example of Bombay (Mumbai) workers.
These libraries were sponsored by social reformers who tried to restrict excessive drinking among the poor, to
bring literacy and, sometimes, to propagate the message of nationalism.

12. What was the attitude of people in India in the nineteenth century towards women reading? How did
women respond to this?
[CBSE 2011]
Or
How did the practice of reading and writing increase among women in India in the 19th century. Support
your answer with the help of examples. [CBSE 2013]
Answer: (i) Writings about lives and feelings of Women: Lives and feelings of women began to be written in
particularly vivid and intense ways. Women’s reading, therefore, increased enormously in middle-class homes.

(ii) Women and liberal families: Liberal husbands and fathers began educating their womenfolk at home, and
sent them to schools when women’s schools were set up in the cities and towns after the mid-nineteenth
century. Many journals began carrying writings by women, and explained why women should be educated. They
also carried a syllabus and attached suitable reading matter which could be used for home-based schooling.

(iii) Women and Conservatives: Conservative Hindus believed that a literate girl would be widowed and Muslims
feared that educated women would be corrupted by reading Urdu romances.

Reaction:
(i) Sometimes, rebel women defied such prohibition. In East Bengal, in the early nineteenth century, Rashsundari
Debi, a young married girl in a very orthodox household, learnt to read in the secrecy of her kitchen. Later, she \
yrote her autobiography Amar Jiban which was published in 1876. It was the first full- length autobiography
published in the Bengali language.
(ii) In the 1880s, in present-day Maharashtra, Tarabai Shinde and Pandita Ramabai wrote with passionate anger
about the miserable lives of upper-caste Hindu women, especially widows.
(iii) A woman in a Tamil novel expressed what reading meant to women who were so greatly confined by social
regulations: ‘For various reasons, my world is small. More than half my life’s happiness has come from books.
(iv) In 1926, Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossein, a noted educationist and literary figure, strongly condemned men
• for withholding education from women in the name of religion.

13. Analyse the impact of print revolution on religion. [CBSE 2012]

Answer: (i) Fear of spread of irreligious thoughts: Not everyone welcomed the printed book, and those who did
also had fears about it. Many were apprehensive of the effects that the easier access to the printed word and the
wider circulation of books, could have on people’s minds. It was feared that if there was no control over what
was printed and read then rebellious and irreligious thoughts might spread.

(ii) Division of Church: In 1517, the religious reformer Martin Luther wrote Ninety Five Theses criticising many of
the practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church. This lead to a division within the Church and to the
beginning of the Protestant Reformation.

(iii) Index of prohibited books: The Roman Church, troubled by such effects of popular readings and questionings
of faith, imposed severe controls over publishers and booksellers and began to maintain an Index of Prohibited
Books from 1558.

(iv) Print and Muslims: To check conversion or fear of change of laws Muslims used cheap lithographic presses-,
published Persian and Urdu translations of holy scriptures, and printed religious newspapers and tracts. The
Deoband Seminary, founded in 1867, published many fatwas telling Muslim readers how to conduct themselves
in their everyday lives, and explaining the meanings of Islamic doctrines.

(v) Print and Hindus: Among Hindus, too, print encouraged the reading of religious texts, especially in the
vernacular languages. The first printed edition of the RamcharitmantMS of Tulsidas, a sixteenth- century text,
came out from Calcutta in 1810. Religious texts, therefore, reached a very wide circle of people, encouraging
discussions, debates and controversies within and among different religions.
1. How were earlier books printed (before 15th century) Explain.

Answer: (i) The earlier kind of print technology was a system of hand printing.
(ii) From AD 594 onwards, books in China were printed by rubbing paper also invented there against the inked
surface of woodblocks. As both sides of the thin, porous sheet could not be printed, the traditional Chinese
‘accordion book’ was folded and stitched at the side.
(iii) Superbly skilled craftsmen could duplicate, with remarkable accuracy, the beauty of calligraphy.

2. How did China remain a major producer of printed materials for a long time [CBSE 2013]
Or
“The imperial state in China, was the major producer of printed material.” Support this statement with
examples. [CBSE 2013. 2012. 2014]

Answer: Textbooks for the civil service examination were printed in vast numbers under the sponsorship of the
imperial state
(ii) Merchants used print in their everyday life as they collected trade information.
(iii)The new readership preferred fictional narratives, poetry, romantic plays
(iv) Rich women began to read and many women began publishing their poetry and plays.

3. ‘By the 17th century, as urban culture bloomed in China, the uses of print diversified.’ Explain by giving
examples. [CBSE Sept. 2010]
Or
How did a new reading culture bloom in China Explain.

Answer: (i) With the blooming of urban culture, the uses of print diversified. Print was no longer used just by
scholar-officials.
(ii) Merchants also started using print in their everyday life, to collect trade information Reading increasingly
became a leisure activity.
(iii) The readers preferred fictional narratives, poetry, autobiographies, anthologies of literary masterpieces and
romantic plays.
(iv) Rich women began to read a great variety of books and many women began to publish their poetry and
plays. Wives of scholar-officials published their works, and courtesans started writing about their lives.

4. Describe the progress of print in Japan. [CBSE Sept. 2010. 2011. 2013]

Answer: (i) 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. Pictures were printed on
textiles, playing cards and paper money.
(ii) In medieval Japan, poets and prose writers were regularly published, and books were cheap and abundant.
(iii) Printing of visual material led to interesting publishing practices. In the late eighteenth century, in the
flourishing urban circles at Edo (later to be known os Tokyo), illustrated collections of paintings depicted an
elegant urban culture, involving artists, courtesans, and tea house gatherings.

5. How had the earliest printing technology developed in the world Explain. [CBSE 2012]

Answer: (i) The earnest kind of print technology was developed in China, Japan, and Korea.
(ii) Up to 6th century, the print was used only by scholar officials.
(iii) Then the Buddhist missionaries introduced hand printing technology,
(iv) Marco Polo brought woodblock printing from China to Italy.
(v) The invention of the printing press proved great miracle in spreading knowledge.

6. Who was Marco Polo What was his contribution to print culture [CBSE 2013]

Answer: Marco Polo was a great Italian explorer.

Contribution :
(i) in 1295. Marco polo returned to Italy after many years of exploration in China.
(ii) He brought the knowledge of woodblock printing with him.
(iii) Now in Italy, books started to be produced with woodblocks and soon the technology spread to other parts
of Europe.

7. How did Gutenberg personalise the printed hooks suiting to the tastes and requirement of
others [CBSE 2012]

Answer: (i)Borders were illuminated by hand with foliage and other patterns.
(ii) Illustrations were painted in the painting school of the buyer’s choice,
(iii) In the books printed for the rich blank spares were left for decoration.
(iv) Each buyer could choose the design, verses were highlighted by hand with colours,
(v) The overall outlook of the book was properly taken care of.

8. Explain the main features of the first printed Bible. [CBSE Sept. 2010]
Or
Describe any three main features of the first printed Bible. [CBSE 2014]

Answer: (i) About 18O copies were printed ar.d 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) Every page of each copy was different.
(iv) Different colours were used within the letters in various places.

9. ‘The shift from handprinting to mechanical printing led to the print revolution.’ Explain.

Answer: (i) In the hundred years between 1450 and 1550. the printing presses were set up in most of the
countries of Europe.
(ii) Printers from Germany travelled to other countries, seeking work and helping to start new presses. As the
number of printing presses grew, book production boomed
(iii) The second half of the fifteenth century saw around 20 million copies of printed books flooding the markets
in Europe. The number went up in the sixteenth century to about 200 million copies.
(iv) It influenced popular perceptions and opened up new ways of looking at things

10. How did printing press create a new- reading public Explain. [CBSF. Sept. 2013]
Or
“There was a virtual reading mania in European countries in the 18th century”. Explain the factors
responsible for this virtual reading mania.

Answer: (i) Low cost of production : With the printing press, a new reading public emerged. Printing reduced the
cost of books. The time mid labour required to produce each book came down, and multiple copies could be
produced with greater ease. Books flooded the market, reaching out to an ever-growing readership.

(ii) Accessibility of books : Access to books created a new culture of reading. Earlier, reading was restricted to the
elites. Common people lived in a world of oral culture They heard sacred texts read out ,ballads recited, and folk
tales narrated Knowledge was transferred orally. People collectively heard a story, or saw a performance. Before
the age of print, books were not only expensive but they could not be produced in sufficient numbers. Now
books could reach out to wider sections of people.

(iii) Increase in literacy rate : Through the. seventeenth and eighteenth centuries literacy rates went up in most
parts of Europe. Churches of different denominations set up schools in Villages, carrying literacy to peasants and
artisans. By the end of the eighteenth century, in some parts of Europe literacy rates were as high as 60 to 80 per
cent. As literacy and schools spread in European countries, there was a virtual reading mania.
11. Explain the common conviction of people in the mid-18th century about the books and print
culture, [CBSE 2013]

Answer: (i) By the mid-eighteenth century, there was a common conviction that books were a means of
spreading progress and enlightenment.
(ii) Many believed that books could change the world, liberate society from despotism and tyranny, and herald a
time when reason and intellect would rule.
(iii) Louise-sebastian Mercier, a novelist in Prance declared. “The printing press is most powerful engine of
progress and public- opinion is the force that will sweep despotism away.”

12. State any three points of importance of penny chapbooks. [CBSE Sept. 2010.2011]
Or
Describe some of the new printed books which were sold by the pedlars in villages in the eighteenth
century Europe. [CBSE-2012, 2014]

Answer: (i) Pocket sue books that were sold by travelling pedlars called chapmen
(ii) These became popular from the time of the sixteenth-century print revolution.
(iii) It includes many kinds of printed material such as pamphlets, political and religious tracts, nursery rhymes,
poetry, folk tales, children’s literature and almanacs. Where there were illustrations, they would be popular prints.

13. ‘Print popularised the ideas of the Enlightenment thinkers.’ Explain. [CBSE 2014]
Or
How did ideas about science, reason and rationality find their way into popular literature in the 18th
century Europe [CBSE Sept. 2010]

Answer: (i) Collectively, the writings of thinkers provided a critical commentary on tradition, superstition and
despotism.
(ii)Scholars and thinkers argued for the rule of reason rather than custom, and demanded that everything be
judged through the application of reason and rationality,
(iii) They attacked the sacred authority of the Church and the despotic power of the state, thus eroding the
legitimacy of a social order based on tradition.
(iv) The Writings of Voltaire and Rousseau were read Widely: and those who read these books saw the world
through new eyes, eyes that were questioning, critical and rational

14. How did the ideas of scientists and philosophers become more accessible to common people after the
beginning of print revolution in Europe [CBSE Sept. 2010. 2012]

Answer: (i) The ideas of scientists and philosophers now became more accessible to the common people.
(ii) Ancient and medieval scientific texts were compiled and published, and maps and scientific diagrams were
widely printed.
(iii) When scientists like Isaac Newton began to publish their discoveries, they could influence n much wider circle
of scientifically minded readers
(iv) The writings of thinkers such as Thomas Paine. Voltaire and Jean Jacques Rousseau were also widely printed
and read. Thus their ideas about science, reasoning and nationality found their way into popular literature.

15. Who was Louise-Sebastien Mercier What were his Ideas about print
Or
‘Tremble, therefore, tyrants of the world ! Tremble before the virtual writer ! Explain this
statement. [CBSE 2014]

Answer: Louise-Sebastien Mercier was a French dramatist and a novelist in the eighteenth century. He declared
“The printing press a the most powerful engine of progress and public opinion is the force that will sweep
despotism away.’ In most of his novels, he had shown his love for reading. In most of his novels, the heroes are
transformed by the acts of reading Convinced of the power of print in bringing enlightenment, and destroying
the basis of despotism, Mercier proclaimed : “Tremble, therefore, tyrants of the world ! Tremble before the virtual
writer !”

16 Explain any three features of handwritten manuscripts before the age of print in India. [CBSE Sept.
2010. 2011. 2012. 2013]

Answer: (i) Handwritten were copied on palm leaves or on handmade papers.

(ii) Pages were beautifully illustrated.
(iii)They were pressed between wooden covers or sewn together to ensure preservation,
(iv) Manuscripts were available in vernacular languages.
(v) Manuscripts Highly expensive and fragile,
(vi) They could no: he read easily as script was written in different styles.

17 “The Bengal Gazette was a commercial paper open to all. but influenced by none.” Justify the claim of
James Augustus Hickey. [CBSE 2012]

Answer: From 1780. James Augustus Hickey began to edit the Bengal Gazette, a weekly magazine that described
Itself as a commercial paper open to all. but influenced by none’ So it was private English enterprise, proud of its
independence from colonial influence, chat began English printing in India. Hickey published a lot of
advertisements, including those that related to the import and sale of slaves. But he also published a lot of
gossip about the Company’s senior officials in India. Enraged by this, Governor-General Warren Hastings
persecuted Hickey, and encouraged the publication of officially sanctioned newspapers that could counter the
flow of information that damaged the image of the colonial government.

18. Why did the woodblock method become popular in Europe [CBSE 2015]
Or
What were the drawbacks of the handwritten manuscripts
Or
Mention the shortcomings of manuscripts. [CBSE Sept. 2011, 2012, 2014]

Answer: (i) The production of handwritten manuscripts could not meet the ever-increasing demand for books.
(ii) Copying was an expensive, laborious and time-consuming business.
(iii) The manuscripts were fragile, awkward to handle and could not be carried around or read easily. By the early
fifteenth century, woodblocks started being widely used in Europe to print textiles, playing cards and religious
pictures with simple, brief texts.

19. From the early 19th century, there were intense debates around the religious issues. Printed tracts and
newspapers not only spread the new ideas, but they shaped the nature of debate also. Explain by giving
examples.

Answer: (i) Different groups confronted the changes happening within colonial society in different ways, and
offered a variety of new interpretations of the beliefs of different religions. A wider public could now participate
in these public discussions and express their views. New ideas emerged through these clashes of opinions.
(ii) This was a time of intense controversies between social and religious reformers and the Hindu orthodoxy over
matters like widow immolation, monotheism, Brahmanical priesthood and idolatry. In Bengal, as the debate
developed, tracts and newspapers proliferated, circulating a variety of arguments. To reach a wider audience, the
ideas were printed in the everyday, spoken language of ordinary people.
(iii) Raja Ram Mohan Roy published the 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-
Jahan Nama and Shamsul Akhbar.
20. Explain the steps which were taken by the British government or the colonial government to control
the freedom of press.

Answer: (i) Earlier measures : Before 1798, the colonial state under the East India Company was not too
concerned with censorship. Strangely, its early measures to control printed matter were directed against
Englishmen in India who were critical of Company misrule and hated the actions of particular Company officers.
The Company was worried that such criticisms might be used by its critics in England to attack its trade
monopoly in India.

(ii) Regulations of Calcutta Supreme Court: By the 1820s, the Calcutta Supreme Court passed certain regulations
to control press freedom and the Company began encouraging publication of newspapers that would celebrate
Brtish rule. In 1835, faced with urgent petitions by editors of English and vernacular newspapers, Governor-
General Bentinck agreed to revise press laws. Thomas Macaulay, a liberal colonial official, formulated new rules
that restored the earlier freedoms.

(iii) Vernacular Press Act : After the revolt of 1857, the attitude to freedom of the press changed. Enraged
Englishmen demanded a clamp down on the ‘native’ press. In 1878, the Vernacular Press Act was passed,
modelled on the Irish Press Laws. It provided the government with extensive rights to censor reports and
editorials in the vernacular press. From now on 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.

1. Trace the history of print in China.

Or
How did China remain a major producer of printed materials for a long time
Or
‘The imperial state in China, was the major producer of printed material.’ Support this statement. [CBSE
2014]

Answer: (i) Hand Printing : The earliest kind of print technology was developed in China, Japan and Korea. This
was a system of hand printing. From AD 594 onwards, books in China were printed by rubbing paper – also
invented there- against the inked surface of woodblocks. As both sides of the thin, porous sheet could not be
printed, the traditional Chinese ‘accordion book’ was folded and stitched at the side. Superbly skilled craftsmen
could duplicate, with remarkable accuracy, the beauty of calligraphy.

(ii) Major producer : The imperial state in China was, for a very long time, the major producer of printed material.
China possessed a huge bureaucratic system which recruited its personnel through civil service examinations.
Textbooks for this examination were printed in vast numbers under the sponsorship of the imperial state. From
the sixteenth century, the number of examination candidates went up and that increased the volume of print.

(iii) Printing in the 17th century : By the seventeenth century, as urban culture bloomed in China, the uses of print
diversified. Print was no longer used just by scholar officials. Merchants used print in their everyday life, as they
collected trade information. Reading increasingly became a leisure activity. The new readership preferred
fictional narratives, poetry, autobiographies, anthologies of literary masterpieces, and romantic plays. Rich
women began to read, and many women began publishing their poetry and plays. Wives of scholar-officials
published their works and courtesans wrote about their lives.

(iv) Printing in the 19th century : This new reading culture was accompanied by a new technology. Western
printing techniques and mechanical presses were imported in the fate nineteenth century as Western powers
established their outposts in China. Shanghai became the hub of the new print culture, catering to the Western-
style schools. From hand printing there was now a gradual shift to mechanical printing.
2. Mention some of the important characteristics of print culture of Japan.

Answer: (i) Introduced by the Buddhist missionaries : The Buddhist missionaries from China introduced the
handprinting technology into Japan around AD 768-770.
(ii) Old book : The oldest Japanese book, printed in AD 868, is the Buddhist Diamond Sutra, containing six sheets
of text and woodcut illustrations.
(iii) Material: Playing cards, paper money and textile products were used for printing pictures.
(iv) Cheap books : In the medieval Japan, the works of poets and prose writers were regularly published, and
books were cheap and abundant.
(v) Print in Edo (Tokyo) : In the late 18th century, in the flourishing urban circles at Edo (later to be known as
Tokyo), illustrated collections of paintings depicting an elegant urban culture, involving artists, courtesans and
teahouse gatherings.

3. Trace the history of print in Europe.

Or
How did print culture develop in Europe Explain. [CBSE 2010, 2012 (D)]
Or
How did print come to Europe from China Explain. [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011]

Answer: (i) Paper from China : Paper reached Europe from China through the Silk route in the 11th century. With
this, the production of manuscripts written by scribes became a regular feature.
(ii) Role of travellers and explorers : Marco Polo, a great explorer reached Italy after several years of exploration
in China in the year 1295. Marco Polo brought back with him the technology of woodblock printing. Now Italians
started publishing books with woodblocks. The technology became popular in other parts of Europe, as well.
(iii) Woodblock printing : By the early fifteenth century, woodblocks started being widely used in Europe to print
textiles, playing cards and religious pictures with simple, brief texts.
(iv) Johann Gutenberg and the printing press : A major revolution in the print technology was brought by Johann
Gutenberg. He developed the first known printing press in the 1430’s. The first book he printed was the Bible.
(v) Spread of printing presses : In the next hundred years i.e. between 1450 and 1550, printing presses were set
up in most countries of Europe.

4. Who was Johann Gutenberg Explain his role in the history of printing. [CBSE Sept. 2010]
Or
Who invented the printing press How did he develop the print technology [CBSE 2009 (F)]

Answer: Johann Gutenberg was a German goldsmith and inventor, credited with the inventing of the movable
type printing in Europe. Gutenberg was the son of a merchant, and his childhood was spent on a large
agricultural estate. From his childhood, he had seen wine and olive presses. By and by, he learnt the art of
polishing stones, became a master goldsmith, and also acquired the expertise to create lead moulds used for
making trinkets. (Trinket-A small item of jewellery that is cheap or of low quality). Using this knowledge,
Gutenberg adapted the existing technology to design his innovation. The olive press became the base model for
the printing press and moulds were used for casting the metal types for the letters of the alphabet. By 1448,
Gutenberg perfected the system. In 1455, Gutenberg published his 42-lines Bible, commonly known as the
Gutenberg Bible. About 180 copies were printed most on paper and some on vellum.

5. In which way did the early printed books closely resemble the manuscripts? Explain.
[CBSE 2013]
Or
Give three ways in which early printed books closely resembled manuscripts. [CBSE 2011]

Answer: (i) Early printed books were technically printed but those were not very different from manuscripts.
(ii) There were many kinds of same features available in similar books which made printed books closely
resembling with manuscripts.
(iii) Both printed books and manuscripts looked similar because metal letters imitated the ornamental
handwritten style.
(iv) Like handwritten manuscripts, borders of printed books were also illuminated by hand with foliage and other
patterns and illustrations were painted.
(v) In the books printed for rich people, space for decoration was kept blank on the printed pages.
(vi) Each buyer could choose the design and decide on the painting school that would do the illustrations.

6. What were the features of the new books which were produced in Europe after the invention of the
Gutenberg’s press [CBSE Sept. 2010]

Answer: (i) Cheap : The books produced were very cheap as compared to earlier books.
(ii) Resemblance with manuscript : Printed books resembled greatly the written manuscripts in appearance and
layout. The metal letters imitated the ornamental handwritten styles.
(iii) Handwork : Borders of the books were illuminated by hand, with foliage and other patterns.
(iv) Role of painting : Illustrations were painted. The books printed for the elites had space for decoration.
(v) Different painting schools : Different painting schools prevailed and a person could choose the design and
decide on the painting school that would do the illustrations exclusively for him.

7. Mention some of the innovations which have improved the printing technology after the 17th century.
[CBSE Sept. 2010]
Or
Highlight any three innovations which have improved the printing technology from 19th century
onwards.[CBSE 2014]

Answer: Invention which improved the printing technology after 17th century are listed below :
(i) Metal Press : In the 19th century, there were a series of innovations in the printing technology. Now the press
was made out of metal.
(ii) Rotary Printing Press : Richard March Hoe, an American inventor designed and improved the printing press.
He invented the Rotary Printing Press, a design much faster than the old flat-bed printing press. The new press
could print* about 8,000 sheets per hour. The new press was very useful for printing newspapers.
(iii) Offset Press : In the late nineteenth century, the offset press was developed which could print up to six
colours at the same time.
(iv) Electrically Operated Presses : From the turn of the twentieth century, electrically operated presses
accelerated printing operations. A series of many other developments followed. Methods of feeding paper
improved, the quality of plates became better, automatic paper reels and photoelectric control of the colour
register were introduced.
The accumulation of several individual mechanical improvements transformed the appearance of the printed
texts.

8. “Oral culture and print culture were complimentary to each other”. Justify the statement with any
three suitable arguments. [CBSE 2013]

Answer: (i) Earlier, reading was restricted to the elites. Common people lived in a world of oral culture.
(ii) With the printing press, books could reach out to wider sections of society. If earlier, there was a hearing
public, now a reading public came into being.
(iii) Publishers had to keep in mind the wider reach of the printed books. Even those who did not read, could
enjoy listening to the books being read out.
(iv) So, printers began publishing popular ballads and folk tales and such books would be profusely illustrated
with pictures. These were then sung and recited at gatherings in villages and in taverns in towns.

9. How did the oral culture enter print and how was the printed material transmitted orally Explain with
suitable examples. [CBSE 2008 (F), Sept. 2012]
Or
How did the printers manage to attract the people, largely illiterate, towards, printed books [CBSE Sept.
2012]

Answer: Oral culture entered print in the following ways:

(i) Printers published popular ballads and folk tales.
(ii) Books were profusely illustrated with pictures.
Printed material was transmitted orally in the following ways :
(i) These were sung at gatherings in villages, taverns and in towns.
(ii) They were recited in public gatherings. For example, Indian novelist Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay used to
read out his novels to a gathering.

10. Explain the role of print in the religious reforms in India. [CBSE 2011]

Answer: (i) Debate over social issues: Print initiated an intense controversies between social and religious
reformers and the Hindu orthodoxy over matters like widow immolation, monotheism, Brahmanical priesthood
and idolatry. In Bengal, as the debate developed, tracts and newspapers proliferated, circulating a variety of
arguments. To reach a wider audience, the ideas were printed in the everyday, spoken language of ordinary
people.

(ii) Ideas of Reformers: Print carried the ideas of social reformers to the common people. For example Sambad
Kaumudl carried the ideas and philosophy of Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

(iii) Reforms in Muslims: In north India, the ulama were deeply anxious about the collapse of Muslim dynasties.
They feared that colonial rulers would encourage conversion, change the Muslim personal laws. To counter this,
they used cheap lithographic presses, published Persian and Urdu translations of holy scriptures, and printed
religious newspapers and tracts. The Deoband Seminary, founded in 1867, published thousands upon thousands
of fatwas telling Muslim readers how to conduct themselves in their everyday lives, and explaining the meanings
of Islamic doctrines.

(iv) Reforms in Hindus: Among Hindus, too, print encouraged the reading of religious texts, especially in the
vernacular languages. The first printed edition of the Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas, a sixteenth- century text, came
out from Calcutta in 1810.

11. ‘Print not only stimulate the publication of conflicting opinions amongst communities, but it also
connected communities and people in different parts of India.’ Explain.
[CBSE 2008 (O), 2009 (D), Sept. 2011]
Or
How did print help connect communities and people in different parts of India Explain with examples.
[CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011]

Answer: (i) Debate on religious, social and economic issues : From the early nineteenth century, there were
serious debates on religious, social and economic issues. Different people had different opinions regarding the
colonial society. Reformers offered a variety of new interpretations of the beliefs of different religions. There
were many who criticised the existing practices and campaigned for reforms while others countered.
(ii) Impact on debates : These debates were carried out openly in public and in print. Printed tracts and
newspapers not only spread the new ideas, but they also shaped the nature of the debates.
(iii) New ideas and clashes : A wider range of people could now participate in these public discussions and
express their views. New ideas emerged through these clashes of opinions.
(iv) Pan-Indian identities : Newspapers conveyed news from one place to another, creating pan-Indian identities.
Newspapers reported on colonial misrule and encouraged nationalist activities.
(v) Print and depressed classes : From the 19th century, issue of caste discrimination began to be written. Jyotiba
Phule, Dr B.R. Ambedkar, E. V. Ramaswamy wrote extensively on the depressed classes and provided the
depressed classes a common platform.
12. “By the end of the 19th century a new visual culture was taking shape.” Write any three features of
this new visual culture. [CBSE Comp. (O) 2008, Sept. 2010, 2011]

Answer: (i) Printing Press and visual culture : The Printing press had a deep impact on the visual images also.
Now, visual images could be easily reproduced in multiple copies.
(ii) Images for mass circulation : Painters like Raja Ravi Verrna produced images for mass circulation. Wood
engravers, who , made woodblocks were employed by the print shops. Cheap prints and calendars could be
bought even by the poor.
(iii) Caricatures and cartoons : By the 1870s, caricatures and cartoons were being published in journals and
newspapers. Some of these made fun of the educated Indian’s fascination to copy Western tastes and clothes.
Some openly criticised the imperial rule.
(iv) Reduction of cost and visual culture :
Mass production of visual images reduced the cost of production. So cheap prints and calendars were available
in the market even for the poor to decorate the walls of their homes.
(v) Indian form : The new visual culture acquired distinctively Indian forms and style. Artists like Raja Ravi Verma
depicted the scenes from Hindu epics.

13. ‘Not everyone welcomed the printed books, and those who did also had fears about it.’ Explain by
giving examples.

Answer: (i) Fear of negative thoughts : Many were of the opinion that printed words and the wider circulation of
books, would have a negative impact on people’s minds.
(ii) Rebellious and irreligious thoughts : They feared that if there was no control over what was printed and read,
then rebellious and irreligious thoughts might gain importance.
(iii) Destruction of valuable literature :
There was also a fear in the minds of scholars that the authority of ‘valuable’ literature would be destroyed.

(iv) Criticism of Roman Catholic Church : Martin Luther was a German monk, priest, professor and a Church
reformer. In 1517, he wrote Ninety Five Theses and openly criticized many of the practices and rituals of the
Roman Catholic Church. This led to a division within the Church, and led to the beginning of the Protestant
Reformation,

(v) Compilation of ancient and medieval scientific text : The ideas of scientists and philosophers now became
more accessible to the common people. Ancient and Medieval scientific texts were compiled and published, and
maps and scientific diagrams were widely printed. When scientists like Issac Newton began to public their
discoveries, they could influence a much wider circle of scientifically minded readers. The writings of thinkers
such as Thomas Paine, Voltaire and Jean Jacques Rousseau were also widely printed and read. Thus their ideas
about science, reason and rationality found their way into popular literature.

14. Why did people in the eighteenth century Europe think that print culture would bring enlightenment
and end despotism? [CBSE 2011]

Answer: (i) Increase in literacy rate: Through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries literacy rates went up in
most parts of Europe. By the end of the eighteenth century, in some parts of Europe literacy rates were as high as
60 to 80 per cent. As literacy and schools spread in European countries, there was a virtual reading mania.

(ii) Role of periodicals: The periodical press developed from the early eighteenth century, Newspapers and
journals carried information about wars and trade, as well as news of developments in other places.

(iii) Ideas of scientists and philosophers: Similarly, the ideas of scientists and philosophers now became more
accessible to the common people. Ancient and medieval scientific texts were compiled and published, and maps
and scientific diagrams were widely printed. The writings of thinkers such as Thomas Paine, Voltaire and Jean
Jacques Rousseau were also widely printed and read. Thus their ideas about science, reason and rationality found
their way into popular literature

(iv) Print a powerful engine of progress:

Louise-Sebastien Mercier, a novelist in eighteenth-century France, declared: ‘The printing press is the most
powerful engine of progress and public opinion is the force that will sweep despotism away.’ In many of
Mercier’s novels, the heroes are transformed by acts of reading.

15. Explain the factors which were responsible for creating a virtual reading mania in Europe. [CBSE 2014]
Or
How did a new reading public emerged with the printing press Explain. [CBSE 2010 (D)]
Or
Explain any three reasons for an increase in reading mania in Europe in the 18th Century.
[CBSE Sept. 2011]

Answer: (i) Johann Gutenberg’s printing press : The

revolution in printing was brought by Johann Gutenberg’s printing press. With the invention of printing press,
the cost of producing a book came down. So now even the common people could afford the books.

(ii) Increase in literacy rate : The seventeenth and the eighteenth centuries saw the rapid rise of literacy rate in
most parts of Europe. Churches of different denominations set up schools in villages. By the end of the
eighteenth century, in some parts of Europe, the literacy rate was as high as 60 to 80 per cent.

(iii) New forms of literature : New forms of popular literature were printed, which targeted new audiences. There
were almanacs or ritual calendars, along with ballads and folk tales.

(iv) Periodicals : The next phase was the development of periodicals. The periodicals combined information about
current affairs with entertainment. Newspapers and journals carried information about wars and trade, as well as
news of developments in other places.

16. ‘Many historians have argued that print culture created the conditions within which the French
Revolution occurred.’ Explain. [CBSE 2009 (O)]
Or
“Print culture created the conditions within which French revolution occurred.” Give any three suitable
arguments to support the statement. [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011]

Answer: (i) Ideas of the enlightened : The print popularised the ideas of the enlightened thinkers, who attacked
the authority of the Church and the despotic power of the state, e.g., Voltaire and Rousseau.
(ii) New culture : The print created a new culture of dialogue and debate and the public became aware of
reasoning. They recognised the need to question the existing ideas and beliefs.
(iii) Criticism of the noble class : The literature of 1780s mocked the royalty and criticised their morality and the
existing social order. This literature led to the growth of hostile sentiments against the monarchy.
(iv) New thinking : Print did not directly shape the minds of the people, but it did open up the possibility of
thinking differently.
(v) Role of means of mass communication : Means of mass communication like newspaper, journals, chapbooks
carried information about wars, trade as well as news of development in other places. All this had a impact on
the minds of the people.

17. What did the spread of print culture in the 19th century Europe mean to :
(a) Children (b) Women (c) Workers.
Or
Explain, how had the print culture changed the way of life of women in late nineteenth century in India.
[CBSE 2010 (D)]

Answer: (a) Children :

(i) As primary education became compulsory from the late nineteenth century, children became an important
category of readers.
(ii) Production of school textbooks became critical for the publishing industry.
(iii) A children’s press, devoted to literature for children alone, was set up in France in 1857. This press published
new works as well as old fairy tales, and folk tales.
(iv) The Grimm Brothers in Germany spent years compiling traditional folk tales gathered from peasants.
(v) Anything that was considered unsuitable for children or would appear vulgar to the elites, was not included in
the published version. Rural folk tales thus acquired a new form. In this way, print recorded old tales, but also
changed them.

(b) Women :
(i) Women as readers : Lives and feelings of women began to be written in intense ways. So women became
important as readers. Penny magazines were especially meant for women, as were manuals teaching proper
behaviour and housekeeping.
(ii) Women as writers : Many women novelists like Jane Austin, Bronte Sisters, George Eliot wrote about women.
Novels and other journals began exploring the world of women – their emotions, identities, their experiences
and problems. The writings of woman became important in defining a new type of woman – a person with will,
strength of personality, determination and the power to think.
(iii) Novels and books on women : As the readership of women was increasing publishers started producing
novels and journals for women. Many journals began carrying writings by women, and explained why women
should be educated.

(c) Workers :
(i) Lending Libraries : Lending libraries had been in existence from the seventeenth century onwards. In the
nineteenth century, lending libraries in England became instruments for educating the white-collar workers,
artisans and lower-middle-class people.
(ii) Autobiographies : Sometimes, self- educated working class people wrote for themselves. After the working
day was gradually shortened from the mid nineteenth century, workers had some time for self-improvement and
self expression. They wrote political tracts and autobiographies in large numbers.
(iii) Novels on the lives of the workers : In the 19th century, Europe entered the industrial age. Factories came up,
profits increased and the economy grew. But at the same time, workers faced problems of unemployment, low
wages, poor working conditions. Many novelists such as Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy wrote about the
adverse impact of industrialisation on the lives of workers.

18. Trace the growth of print technology in India.

Answer: (i) Handwritten manuscripts : India had a very rich and old tradition of handwritten manuscripts in
Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, as well as in various vernacular languages. Manuscripts were copied on palm leaves or
on handmade paper.
(ii) Print came to India : The printing press first came to Goa with Portuguese missionaries in the mid 16th
century.
(iii) James Hicky and print : From 1780, James Augustus Hicky began to edit the Bengal Gazette, a weekly
magazine.
(iv) Print in the 18th century : By the close of the 18th century, a number of newspapers and journals appeared in
print. The first Indian weekly i.e. Bengal Gazette also came into picture in the late 18th century
(v) Print in the 19th century : By the end of the 19th century, a visual culture started taking place. By 1870’s
caricatures and cartoons were being published in journals and newspapers.
19. How did the women writers use the print to express their opinions regarding the status of women in
India Explain.
Or
“Printing technology gave women a chance to share their feelings with the world outside.” Support the
statement with any five suitable examples. [CBSE 2013]

Answer: (i) Rashsundari Debi, a young married girl in a very orthodox household, learnt to read in the secrecy of
her kitchen. Later, she wrote her autobiography Amar Jiban which was published in 1876. It was the first full-
length autobiography published in the Bengali language. .
(ii) From the 1860s, many Bengali women writers like Kailashbashini Debi wrote books highlighting the
experiences of women- about how women were imprisoned at home, kept in ignorance, forced to do hard
domestic labour and treated unjustly by the menfolk, they generally, served.
(iii) In the 1880s, in present-day Maharashtra, Tarabai Shinde and Pandita Ramabai wrote with passionate anger
about the miserable lives of the upper-caste Hindu women, especially the widows. The poor status of women
was also expressed by the Tamil writers.
(iv) In the early 20th century, the journals written by women became very popular in which women’s education,
widowhood, widow remarriage, etc., were discussed. Some of them offered fashion lessons for women too.

20. ‘Printing press played a major role in shaping the Indian society of the 19th century.’ Explain by
giving examples. [CBSE Sept. 2012, 2013]
Or
Explain the role of press in shaping the Indian society in the 19th century.
Or
How did print introduce debate and discussion Write three points. [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011, 2012]
Or
“Print led to intense controversies between social and religious reformers and Hindu orthodoxy.” Support
this statement with examples. [CBSE 2013]

Answer: (i) Variety of opinions : From the early nineteenth century, there were serious debates on religious,
social and economic issues. Different people had different opinions regarding the colonial society. People and
social reformers offered a variety of new interpretations of the beliefs of different religions.

(ii) Shaping the opinion : Printed tracts and newspapers not only spread the new ideas, but they also shaped the
nature of the debate. A wider section of public could now participate in these public discussions, and express
their views. New ideas emerged through these clashes of opinions.

(iii) Social reforms This was a time period of intense controversies between social and religious reformers, and
the Hindu orthodoxy over the social evils like widow immolation, child marriage, sati system, pardah system, etc.
In Bengal, as the discussions and debates developed, tracts and newspapers proliferated circulating a variety of
arguments.
For example : Raja Ram Mohan Roy published the Sambad Kaumudi from 1821, and the Hindu orthodoxy
commissioned the Samachar Chandrika to oppose Roy’s opinions.

(iv) Pan Indian : Newspapers, magazines, visual images helped in creating pan Indian identity.

(v) National newspapers : Despite repressive measures, national newspapers grew in numbers in all parts of India.
They reported on colonial misrule and encouraged nationalist activities. These national newspapers provided a
base to the freedom struggle.

21. How were ideas and information written before the age of print in India How did the printing
technique begin in India Explain. [CBSE 2008, Sept. 2010]
Or
Explain the role of missionaries in the growth of press in India. [CBSE Sept. 2010]
Answer: (i) India had a very rich and old tradition of handwritten manuscripts – in Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, as
well as in various vernacular languages. Manuscripts were copied on palm leaves or on handmade paper. Pages
were sometimes beautifully illustrated. They would be either pressed between wooden covers or sewn together
to ensure preservation.
(ii) Manuscripts continued to be produced till well after the introduction of print, down to the late nineteenth
century.
Beginning (coming) of print technology in India.
(i) The printing press first came to Goa with Portuguese missionaries in the mid-sixteenth century. Jesuit priests
learnt Konkani and printed several tracts. By 1674, about 50 books had been printed in the Konkani and in
Kanara languages.
(ii)The Catholic priests printed the first Tamil book in 1579 at Cochin, and in 1713, the first Malayalam book was
printed by them.
(iii) By 1710, Dutch Protestant missionaries had printed 32 Tamil texts, many of them were translations of older
works.

22. How was die print used to spread the religious texts by various communities Explain by giving
examples. [CBSE 2010 (F)]
Or
What was the main fear of the ‘Ulamas’ State any two steps taken by the ‘Ulamas’ to defend their
religion [CBSE 2013]
Or
How did religious communities in India make use of printing technology to spread their ideas Explain.
[CBSE-2012]

Answer: (A) Print and the Muslims :

(i) Ulemas and the print : In North India, the Ulemas, i.e., the religious heads of Muslims were deeply worried
about the collapse of the Muslim dynasties. They feared that the colonial rulers would encourage conversion,
and would change the Muslim personal laws. To counter this, they used cheap lithographic presses which
published Persian and Urdu translations of the holy scriptures, and printed religious newspapers and tracts.
(ii) Deoband Schools : The Deoband Seminary which was founded in 1867, published many fatwas making
Muslim readers aware of the code of conduct to be followed in their everyday lives, and explained the meanings
of Islamic doctrines.
(iii) Various Muslim Sects : All through the nineteenth century, a number of Muslim sects and seminaries
appeared, each with a different interpretation of faith. Each was keen on enlarging its followers and countering
the influence of its opponents. The Urdu print helped them conduct these battles in public.

(B) Print and the Hindus :

Among Hindus, too, print encouraged the readings of religious texts, especially in the vernacular languages.
(i) The first printed edition of the Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas came out from Calcutta (Kolkata) in 1810.
(ii) In the mid-nineteenth century, cheap lithographic editions flooded the North Indian markets.
(iii) From the 1880s, the Naval Kishore Press at Lucknow and the Shri Venkateshwar Press in Bombay published
many religious texts in vernacular languages,
(iv) The printed text was cheap, land portable. These could be easily carried by the people at any place and time.
They could also be read out to large groups of illiterate men and women.
(v) Religious texts and books started reaching a very wide circle of people, encouraging debates and
controversies within and among different religions.

23. Explain the impact of print culture on Indian women. [CBSE 2009 (O), Sept. 2012]
Or
Explain any three impact of printed books on women in India in the nineteenth century.
[CBSE Sept. 2010]
Answer: (i) Women education : Writers started writing about the lives and feelings of women, and this increased
the number of women readers. Women got interested in education, and many women schools and colleges were
set up. Many journals started emphasising the importance of women education.

(ii) Women writers : In East Bengal, in the early nineteenth century, Rashsundari Debi, a young married girl wrote
her autobiography, Amar Jiban (means ‘my life’) which was published in 1876.
From the 1860s, many Bengali women writers like Kailashbashini Debi wrote books highlighting the experiences
of women, about how women were imprisoned at home, kept in ignorance, forced to do hard domestic labour,
and treated unjustly by the menfolk, they served. In the 1880s, in the present-day Maharashtra, Tarabai Shinde
and Pandita Ramabai wrote with passionate anger about the miserable lives of the upper-caste Hindu women,
especially the widows. The poor status of women was also expressed by the Tamil writers.

(iii) Hindu writing and women : While Urdu, Tamil, Bengali and Marathi print culture had developed earlier, Hindu
printing began seriously only from the 1870s. Soon, a large section of it was devoted to the education of women.

(iv) New journals : In the early 20th century, the journals written by women, became very popular in which
women’s education, widowhood, widow remarriage, etc., were discussed. Some of them offered fashion lessons
for women.

(v) Teachings for women : Ram Chaddha published Istri Dharam Vi char to teach women how to be obedient
wives. The Khalsa Tract Society published cheap booklets with a similar message. Many of these were in the form
of dialogues about the qualities of a good woman.

24. Describe the issue of caste as taken by the novelists in India. [CBSE 2013]

Answer: (i) Jyotiba Phule, the Maratha pioneer of low caste protest movements, wrote about the injustices of the
caste system in his Gulamgiri.
(ii) In the twentieth century, B.R. Ambedkar in Maharashtra and E.V. Ramaswamy Naiker in Madras wrote on caste
and their writings were read by people all over India.
(iii) Local protest movements and sects also created a lot of popular journals and tracts criticising ancient
scriptures and envisioning a new and just future.
(iv) Kashibaba, a Kanpur mill worker wrote Chhote Aur Bade Ka Sawal in 1938 to show the links between caste
and class exploitation.
(v) The poems of Sudarshan Chakr were brought together and published in a collection called Sacchi Kavitayan.

HOTS Questions and Answers

1. What was an ‘accordion book” Describe any two features of hand printing in China

Answer: Accordion book was the traditional book of China.

Features :
(i) These were printed by rubbing paper against the inked surface of woodblocks.
(ii) The beauty of calligraphy was duplicated by skilled craftsmen.

2. Study the given paragraph and answer the following questions that follow :
‘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
Khilafat …. means a fight for this threatened freedom before all else ….’

(i) Who said these words

Answer: Mahatma Gandhi.

(ii) Name the freedoms he is talking about.
Answer: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Press and the Freedom of Association.

3. ‘The printing press is the most powerful engine of progress and public opinion and a force that will
sweep despotism away.’

Answer: Louise Sebastien Mercier.

4. Why were the printed books popular even among illiterate people [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2012]

Answer: (i) Those who could not read enjoyed listening to books being read out. So printers began publishing
popular ballads and folk tales illustrated with pictures.
(ii) These books were then sung and recited at gathering in villages and in taverns in towns.
(iii) Indian writers like Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay himself used to read his novels for illiterate gathering.

5. “Woodblock print came to Europe after 1295”. Give any three reasons to explain the above
statement. [CBSE Sept. 2010]

Answer: (i) Paper reached Europe through the Silk Route in the 11th century.
(ii) In 1295, Marco Polo, a great explorer, returned to Italy after many years of exploration in China. He brought
with him the knowledge of woodblock printing.
(iii) Italy began producing with woodblocks, and soon the technology spread to other parts of Europe.

6. Trace the growth and development of print technology.

Or
How had the earliest print technology developed in the world Explain.

Answer: (i) Print technology in the 6th and 7th century : From AD 594 onwards, books in China were printed by
rubbing paper against the inked surface of woodblocks.

(ii) Role of travellers and explorers: Marco Polo, a great explorer reached Italy after several years of exploration in
China in the year 1295. Marco Polo brought back with him the technology of woodblock printing. Now Italians
started publishing books with woodblocks. The technology became popular in other parts of Europe, as well.

(iii) Gutenberg and the printing press : The major turning point in the growth of print technology came in 1448
when Johann Gutenberg invented the first printing press. The shift from hand printing to mechanical printing led
to the print revolution.

(iv) Print in the 19th century and 20th century : By the late eighteenth century, the press came to be made out of
metal. Through the nineteenth century, there were a series of further innovations in printing technology. By the
mid-nineteenth century, Richard M. Hoe of New York had perfected the power- driven cylindrical press.

7. What did the spread of print culture in 19th century mean to the Reformers

Answer: (i) In 1517, the religious reformer Martin Luther 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. It challenged the Church to debate his ideas. Luther’s writings were immediately reproduced in vast
numbers and read widely. This lead to a division within the Church and to the beginning of the Protestant
Reformation.
(ii) In India the print started intense controversies between social and religious reformers and the Hindu
orthodoxy over matters like widow immolation, monotheism, Brah- manical priesthood and idolatry.

(iii) Jyotiba Phule, the Maratha pioneer of ‘low caste’ protest movements, wrote about the injustices of the caste
system in his Gulamgiri (1871).

(iv) In the twentieth century, B.R. Ambedkar in Maharashtra and E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker in Madras, wrote
powerfully on caste and their writings were read by people all over India.

8. What restrictions were imposed by the Vernacular Press Act on the Indian Press Explain. [CBSE-2011]
Or
In what ways the Vernacular Press Act of 1878 was a repressive step by the Government Explain. [CBSE-
2011]

Answer: (i) The British government began to perceive vernacular newspapers as a threat to its rule. This led to
the enactment of Vernacular Press Act in 1878.
(ii) It provided the government with extensive right to censor reports and editorials in the vernacular newspapers.
(iii) The government started regularly tracking the vernacular newspapers.
(iv) For any report which proved anti-British rule, the newspaper was first warned.
(v) For the second mistake, there was provision to seize the press and confiscate the machinery.

9. Mention any four social values which print culture promoted.

Answer: (i) Print culture promoted application of reasoning and rationality.

(ii) It created a new culture of dialogue and debate.
(iii) It did open up the possibility of thinking differently.
(iv) It promoted spirit of people’s rule i.e., democracy.

10. How the growth of print culture lead to women empowerment Explain.

Answer: (i) Women became important as readers as well as writers. Penny magazines were especially meant for
women, as were manuals teaching proper behaviour and housekeeping. When hovels began to be written in the
nineteenth century, women were seen as important readers. Some of the best-known novelists were women :
Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, George Eliot. Their writings became important in defining a new type of woman:
A person with will, strength of personality, determination and the power to think.

(ii) Social reformers and novels created a great interest in women’s lives and emotions, there was also an interest
in what women would have to say about their own lives. From the 1860s, a few Bengali women like
Kailashbashini Debi wrote books highlighting the experiences of women-about how women were imprisoned at
home, kept in ignorance, forced to do hard domestic labour and treated unjustly by the very people they served.
In the 1880s, in present-day Maharashtra, Tarabai Shinde and Pandita Ramabai wrote with passionate anger
about the miserable lives of upper-caste Hindu women, especially widows. A woman in a Tamil novel expressed
what reading meant to women who were so greatly novel confined by social regulations : ‘For various reasons,
my world is small … More than half my life’s happiness has come from books.

(iii) While Urdu, Tamil, Bengali and Marathi print culture had developed early, Hindi printing began seriously only
from the 1870s. Soon, a large segment of it was devoted to the education of women. In the early twentieth
century, journals, written for and sometimes edited by women, became extremely popular. They discussed issues
like women’s education, widowhood, widow remarriage and the national movement. Some of them offered
household and fashion lessons to women and brought entertainment through short stories and serialised novels.
11. What were the effects of the spread of print culture for the poor people In the 19th century
India [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011, 2012]
Or
‘From the late 19th century, issue of caste discrimination began to be written about in many printed
tracts and essays.’ Explain by giving examples.

Answer: (i) Public libraries : The print reached to the poor in the 19th century. Publishers started producing small
and cheap books. These books were sold at crossroads. Public libraries were set up by the Christian missionaries
and the rich people.

(ii) Highlighting the issue of class discrimination : From the late 19th century, many writers started writing about
the issue of class distinction.

(iii) Jyotiba Phule was a social reformer. He wrote about the poor condition of ‘low caste’. In his book Gulamgiri
(1871), he wrote about the injustices of the caste system.

(iv) In the 20th century, B.R. Ambedkar also wrote powerfully against the caste system. He also wrote against
untouchability.

(v) E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker, also known as Periyar, too wrote about the caste system prevailing in Madras
(Chennai). The writings of these writers were read by people all over India. Local protest movements and sects
also created a lot of popular journals and tracts criticising ancient scriptures with a view to creating new and just
future.

(vi) Poor workers and the print : Workers in factories were too overworked, and thus, lacked the education to
write about their expectations and experiences. But Keshibaba, a Kanpur mill worker wrote and published Chhote
Aur Bade Ka Sawal in 1938 to depict the links between caste and class exploitation. The poems of another
Kanpur mill worker, who wrote under the name of Sudarshan Chakra between 1935 and 1955, were brought
together, and published in a collection called Sacchi Kavitayain. By the 1930s, Bangaluru cotton mill workers set
up libraries to educate themselves. By doing so, they were following the example of Bombay (Mumbai) workers.
These libraries were sponsored by social reformers who tried to restrict excessive drinking among the poor, to
bring literacy and, sometimes, to propagate the message of nationalism.

12. What was the attitude of people in India in the nineteenth century towards women reading? How did
women respond to this?
[CBSE 2011]
Or
How did the practice of reading and writing increase among women in India in the 19th century. Support
your answer with the help of examples. [CBSE 2013]

Answer: (i) Writings about lives and feelings of Women: Lives and feelings of women began to be written in
particularly vivid and intense ways. Women’s reading, therefore, increased enormously in middle-class homes.

(ii) Women and liberal families: Liberal husbands and fathers began educating their womenfolk at home, and
sent them to schools when women’s schools were set up in the cities and towns after the mid-nineteenth
century. Many journals began carrying writings by women, and explained why women should be educated. They
also carried a syllabus and attached suitable reading matter which could be used for home-based schooling.

(iii) Women and Conservatives: Conservative Hindus believed that a literate girl would be widowed and Muslims
feared that educated women would be corrupted by reading Urdu romances.
Reaction:
(i) Sometimes, rebel women defied such prohibition. In East Bengal, in the early nineteenth century, Rashsundari
Debi, a young married girl in a very orthodox household, learnt to read in the secrecy of her kitchen. Later, she \
yrote her autobiography Amar Jiban which was published in 1876. It was the first full- length autobiography
published in the Bengali language.
(ii) In the 1880s, in present-day Maharashtra, Tarabai Shinde and Pandita Ramabai wrote with passionate anger
about the miserable lives of upper-caste Hindu women, especially widows.
(iii) A woman in a Tamil novel expressed what reading meant to women who were so greatly confined by social
regulations: ‘For various reasons, my world is small. More than half my life’s happiness has come from books.
(iv) In 1926, Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossein, a noted educationist and literary figure, strongly condemned men
• for withholding education from women in the name of religion.

13. Analyse the impact of print revolution on religion. [CBSE 2012]

Answer: (i) Fear of spread of irreligious thoughts: Not everyone welcomed the printed book, and those who did
also had fears about it. Many were apprehensive of the effects that the easier access to the printed word and the
wider circulation of books, could have on people’s minds. It was feared that if there was no control over what
was printed and read then rebellious and irreligious thoughts might spread.

(ii) Division of Church: In 1517, the religious reformer Martin Luther wrote Ninety Five Theses criticising many of
the practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church. This lead to a division within the Church and to the
beginning of the Protestant Reformation.

(iii) Index of prohibited books: The Roman Church, troubled by such effects of popular readings and questionings
of faith, imposed severe controls over publishers and booksellers and began to maintain an Index of Prohibited
Books from 1558.

(iv) Print and Muslims: To check conversion or fear of change of laws Muslims used cheap lithographic presses-,
published Persian and Urdu translations of holy scriptures, and printed religious newspapers and tracts. The
Deoband Seminary, founded in 1867, published many fatwas telling Muslim readers how to conduct themselves
in their everyday lives, and explaining the meanings of Islamic doctrines.

(v) Print and Hindus: Among Hindus, too, print encouraged the reading of religious texts, especially in the
vernacular languages. The first printed edition of the RamcharitmantMS of Tulsidas, a sixteenth- century text,
came out from Calcutta in 1810. Religious texts, therefore, reached a very wide circle of people, encouraging
discussions, debates and controversies within and among different religions.
Q. No. 1) Fill in the Blanks:
1. The earliest kind of print technology was developed in _________.
2. _________ method of hand-printing was developed in China.
3. _________ brought the knowledge of woodblock printing technique to Italy during the 13th century.
4. The off-set press could print up to ______ colors at a time.
5. The statement, “Tremble, therefore, tyrants of the world! Tremble before the virtual writer!” was made by _______.
6. ________, _________, and _______ are some of the best-known women novelists during the 19th century.
7. In 1920s England, popular works were sold in cheap series called _______.
8. From 1780, __________ began to edit the Bengal Gazette, a weekly magazine.
9. Istri Dharm Vichar was written by _________.
10. _____ was the first full-length autobiography in the Bengali language and it was written by _______.
Ans.
1. China, Japan, and Korea.
2. Woodblock printing.
3. Marco Polo
4. Six
5. Louis-Sebastien Mercier
6. Jane Austen, George Eliot, Bronte Sisters.
7. Shilling Series
8. James Augustus Hickey
 9. Ram Chaddha
10. Amar Jiban, Rashsundari Debi
Q. No. 2) Multiple Choice Questions:
i. When did the Printing Press come to India?
a. 18th-century
b. Mid-16th century
c. 17th-century
d. None of the above
Ans. (c) Mid-16th century
ii. Which of the following books is the oldest Japanese book, printed in 868 AD containing six sheets of text and woodcut
illustrations?
a. Diamond Sutra
b. Harshcharita
c. Brihatsutra
d. Mrichkatika
Ans. (a) Diamond Sutra
iii. Consider the statements given below and choose the correct answer
Statement I: Western printing techniques and mechanical press were imported in the late 19th Century as Western powers
established their outposts in China.
Statement II: Beijing became the hub of the new print culture, catering to Western-style schools.
a. Statement (i) is correct and (ii) is incorrect.
b. Statement (i) is incorrect and (ii) is correct
c. Both (i) & (ii) are incorrect
d. Both (i) & (ii) are correct
Ans. a. statement (i) is correct and (ii) is incorrect.
iv. By the mid-18th century who modified the power-driven cylindrical press?
a. Richard M. Hoe
b. Johann Guttenberg
c. Grimm Brothers
d. Menocchio
Ans. (a) Richard M. Hoe
v. There are two statements given below about the Print Revolution, marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the
statements and choose the correct option.
 Assertion (A): The distribution, application, and preservation of knowledge were fundamentally altered with the
invention of printing.
 Reason (R): Printing enabled intellectuals to produce, comment on, and evaluate texts that spread as ideas across
Europe.
(a) A is true but R is false.
(b) A is false but R is true.
(c) Both A and R are true and R explains A.
(d) Both A and R are true but R does not explain A.
Ans. Option (c)
vi. At which of the following places, the Grimm Brothers spent years compiling traditional folk tales gathered from
peasants?
a. France
b. England
c. Germany
d. Spain
Ans. (c) Germany
vii. Choose the term used to describe pocket-size books that are sold by traveling pedlars.
a. Almanacs
b. Chapbooks
c. Ballads
d. Biliotheque Bleue
Ans. (b) Chapbooks
viii. In ancient India which of the following material was used for writing manuscripts?
a. Parchments
b. Vellum
c. Palm leaves
d. Paper
Ans. (c) Palm leaves.
ix. What did Menocchio, the miller, do?
a. Commissioned artists
b. Enraged the Roman Catholic Church
c. Wrote the Adages
d. None of these
Ans. (b) Enraged the Roman Catholic Church.
x. What was Gutenberg’s first printed book?
a. Ballads
b. Dictionary
c. Bible
d. None of these
Ans. (c) Bible.
xi. Look at the picture given below. Identify the name of the painter of this painting from the following options.
a. Abindra Nath Tagore
b. Rabindra Nath Tagore
c. Raja Ravi Verma
d. Samant Das Gupta
Ans. (c) Raja Ravi Verma.
xii. Who among the following was the author of the book ‘Gita Govind’?
a. Tulsidas
b. Surdas
c. Jayadev
d. Raidas
Ans. (c) Jayadev.
xiii. Monica is reading an abstract written by Tarabai Shinde. Which of the following is MOST LIKELY to be the central issue
of this text?
a. Religious indoctrination by priests
b. Miserable lives of farmers in debt
c. The plight of upper caste Hindu widows
d. The exploitation of children by factory owners
Ans. Option (c)
xiv. The Newspaper published in 1821 by Raja Rammohan Roy was _________.
a. Sambad Kaumudi
b. Samachar Chandrika
c. Jam-i-Jahan Nama
d. Shamsul Akhbar
Ans. (a) Sambad Kaumudi
xv. The woodcut painting given below was created during the time when Indians were beginning to accept the idea of
women’s education in the late 19th century.
Which of the following scenarios was the artist MOST LIKELY trying to portray in this art piece?
a. Listening to music is the best way to spend one’s free time
b. Increasing popularity of the Western idea of marriage
c. Challenging the conventional gender roles
d. Pleasure is the ultimate goal of life
Ans. Option (c)
xvi. Arrange the following in chronological order:
1. The print culture created the conditions for the French Revolution.
2. Martin Luther’s writings led to the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
3. Menocchio reinterpreted the message of the Bible.
4. Johann Gutenberg invented the Printing press.
Options:
a. 3, 2, 1, 4
b. 1, 2, 3, 4
c. 4, 3, 2, 1
d. 4, 2, 3, 1
Ans. (d) 4, 2, 3, 1
xvii. Name the seminary which guided the Muslims in their daily conduct.
a. Jesuit Seminary
b. Deoband Seminary
c. Mount Carroll Seminary
d. None of the above.
Ans. (b) Deoband Seminary
xviii. At which place did the catholic priests print the first Tamil book in 1579?
a. Goa
b. Cochin
c. Tamil Nadu
d. Bengal
Ans. (b) Cochin
xix. When was the Vernacular Press Act passed?
a. 1877
b. 1788
c. 1878
d. 1917
Ans. (c) 1878
Q. No. 3) Briefly describe China’s system of Woodblock printing.
Ans.
 From AD 594 onwards, books in China were printed by rubbing paper against the inked surface of woodblocks.
 As both sides of the thin, porous sheet could not be printed, the traditional Chinese ‘accordion book’ was folded and
stitched at the side.
 Superbly skilled craftsmen could duplicate, with remarkable accuracy, the beauty of calligraphy (the art of beautiful and
stylized writing).
Q. No. 4) “The production of handwritten manuscripts could not satisfy the ever-increasing demand for books.” Give
reasons to support this statement.
Or,
Explain any three factors responsible for the invention of new printing techniques.
Ans. Factors responsible for the invention of new printing techniques:
 Copying was an expensive, laborious, and time-consuming business.
 The manuscripts were highly expensive, fragile, and needed careful handling.
 The handwritten manuscripts production was not sufficient to meet the demand.
Q. No. 5) Who invented the printing press? How did he develop printing technology?
Ans. Johannes Gutenberg developed the first mechanical printing press.
 Most of his childhood was spent on a large agricultural estate where he saw wine and olive presses. He learned to polish
stones and created lead moulds.
 The olive press was the model for the printing press and the moulds were used for casting the metal types for the letters
of the alphabet.
Q. No. 6) Why did the new technology not entirely displace the existing art of producing books by hand?
Or,
In what three ways did the printed books at first closely resemble the written manuscripts?
Ans. The new technology did not entirely displace the existing art of producing books by hand:
 The metal letters imitated the ornamental handwritten styles.
 Borders were illuminated by hand with foliage and other patterns and illustrations were painted.
 There was blank space for decoration in the books printed for the rich and the design was chosen by the buyer.
Q. No. 7) What was the Print Revolution?
Ans. Print Revolution:
 The shift from hand printing to mechanical printing led to the print revolution.
 It changed people’s relationship with information and knowledge and with institutions and authorities.
 It influenced people’s perceptions and opened up new ways of looking at things.
Q. No. 8) How did the print bring the reading public and the hearing public closer?
Ans. Earlier society was divided into the reading public and the hearing public. The common people had the oral culture while the
rich people had the reading culture. The common people heard sacred texts read out, ballads recited and folk tales narrated.
The reading culture was only limited to the elites and they only read books individually and silently. The reasons behind this culture
were:

 The books were expensive

 The books were produced in fewer numbers
 The literacy rate was low in most European countries.
To bridge the gap between these two public, printers began publishing popular ballads and folk tales, and such books were
illustrated with pictures. These were then sung and recited at gatherings in villages and in towns. Oral culture thus entered print and
printed material was orally transmitted.

Q. No. 9) Not everyone welcomed the printed book. There was widespread criticism. What could have been the reason?
Ans. It was feared that if there was no control over what was printed and read, then rebellious and irreligious thoughts might
spread.
Q. No. 10) What was the importance of the printing press in the spread of the Protestant Reformation?
Or,
Martin Luther remarked, "Printing is the ultimate gift of God and the greatest one." Explain his remarks in light of religious reforms
that took place in Europe.
Ans. Importance of the printing press in the spread of the Protestant Reformation:
 In 1517, the religious reformer Martin Luther wrote Ninety-Five Theses criticizing many of the practices of the Catholic
Church.
  A printed copy of this was posted on a church door in Wittenberg.
 His writings were read and reproduced in vast numbers using the printing press.
 This print brought about a new intellectual atmosphere, which helped in the spread of new ideas. This also paved the way
for the reformation of the practices of the church.
 This led to a division within the Church and to the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
 Print encouraged people to think reasonably and question the customs followed in the Church, which enraged the Roman
Catholics.
Q. No. 11) Explain the effects of print culture in the religious sphere in early modern Europe.
Ans. The print culture helped in the circulation of ideas and introduced a new culture of debate and discussion. It was used by the
rebellions to let the people know the truth and take action against the established authorities. The printed books were welcomed
and also people had fear due to their rebellious and irreligious thoughts.
 Martin Luther was a religious reformer. He wrote Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 criticizing the practices and rituals of the
Roman Catholic Church.
 Menocchio, a miller in Italy, interpreted the message of the Bible and formulated a view of God and Creation that enraged
the Roman Catholic Church.
 The Roman Catholic Church started identifying such ideas, beliefs, and persons who wrote against the Church and thus
Menocchio was hauled up twice and finally executed.
 Several restrictions were put over the publishers and the booksellers by the church and also the church began to maintain
an Index of Prohibited Books from 1558.
Q. No. 12) “The print culture created the conditions within which the French Revolution occurred.” Support the statement by giving
necessary arguments.
Ans. The print culture created the conditions within which the French Revolution occurred:
 Print popularized the ideas of enlightened thinkers like Voltaire and Rousseau. They attacked the sacred authority of the
Church and the despotic power of the state. They wanted the rule of reason, questioning, and rationality.
 Print created a new culture of dialogue and debate. This resulted in the re-evaluation of the values, norms, and institutions.
Within this public culture, new ideas of social revolution came into being.
 By the 1780s there was an outpouring of literature that mocked the royalty and criticized their morality. Cartoons and
caricatures typically suggested that the monarchy remained only in sensual pleasures while the common people suffered
immense hardships.
Q. No. 13) Write about the impact of the printing press on the lives of women in Europe.
Ans. The impact of the printing press on the lives of women in Europe were:
 Women became important readers as well as writers.
 Penny magazines and manuals teaching housekeeping and other such topics were printed especially for women.
 Women read as well as wrote novels.
 Some popular women writers were Jane Austen, The Bronte Sisters, and George Elliot.
 Their writings defined a new type of woman: a person with a will, the strength of personality, determination, and the power
to think.
Q. No. 14) How were magazines different from novels? Write any three differences.
Ans.
Magazines Novels
1. Magazines had several stories. 1. Novels had just one story.
2. Magazines were periodically published. 2. Novels were one-time publications.
3. There might be several writers in one magazine. 3. The novels had only one writer.
Q. No. 15) Briefly describe Indian manuscripts and their drawbacks.
Ans. Indian Manuscripts
 India had a rich tradition of handwritten manuscripts in Sanskrit, Arabic, and Persian as well as vernacular languages.
 Manuscripts were copied on palm leaves or on handmade paper and were sometimes beautifully illustrated.
 They were pressed between wooden covers or sewn together to ensure preservation.
Drawbacks:
 Manuscripts were highly expensive and fragile.
 They had to be handled carefully.
 They could not be read easily as the script was written in different styles.
 So manuscripts were not used widely in daily life.
Q. No. 16) Why was James Augustus Hickey persecuted by Governor General Warren Hastings?
Ans. He published a lot of gossip about the East India Company’s officials in India.
Q. No. 17) Discuss the role of newspapers in shaping public opinion and the democratization of information during the
modern period.
Ans.
 It led to the dissemination of information.
 It served as a platform for shaping public discourse.
 It led to increased awareness of social, political, and economic issues.
 Q. No. 18) How did the printing press lead to a new visual culture in India?
Ans. The printing press led to a new visual culture in India:
 Painters like Raja Ravi Verma produced images for mass circulation.
 Cheap prints and calendars became easily available and could be bought even by the poor to decorate their homes.
 These prints began shaping popular ideas about modernity and tradition, religion and politics, and society and culture.
 By the 1870s caricatures and cartoons were being published in journals and newspapers commenting on social and
political issues.
 Some cartoons made fun of Indians blindly copying the West and criticized British rule over India while imperial caricatures
made fun of Indian nationalists.
Q. No. 19) "Printing technology gave women a chance to share their feelings with the world outside." Support the statement with
suitable examples.
Or,
Provide evidence to support the claim that print culture had a significant impact on the social lives of women in India.
Ans. Print culture and its impact on women:
 The rise of print culture in India during the 19th century played a crucial role in awakening the social life of women. The
printing press allowed women to access information, knowledge, and ideas that were previously inaccessible to them.
 Rashundari Devi, a young married girl in a very orthodox household, learned to read in the secrecy of her kitchen. Later
she wrote her autobiography Amar Jiban which was published in 1876. It was the first full-length autobiography in Bengali.
 Many other women writers, like Kailashbhashini Debi, highlighted experiences of women like their imprisonment at home,
ignorance, and unjust treatment in their writings.
 Tarabai Shinde and Pandita Ramabai narrated the plight of upper-caste Hindu women, especially widows.
 Tamil writers expressed the poor status of women.
 By the early 20th century, journals written by women became popular, which highlighted issues like women's education,
widowhood, and widow remarriage. Some of them highlighted fashion lessons to women and entertainment through short
stories and serialized novels.
Q. No. 20) What was the Vernacular Press Act?
Ans. The vernacular Press Act was passed in 1878. It was modeled on the Irish Press Laws. It provided the Government with
extensive rights to censor reports and editorials in the vernacular press.
Q. No. 21) Match the following:
Column A (Authors) Column B (Books)
A. Rashsundari Debi i. Chhote Aur Bade ka Sawal
B. Sudarshan Chakr ii. Kesari
C. Kashibaba iii. Amar Jiban
D. Bal Gangadhar Tilak iv. Sacchi Kavitayen
Ans. A-iii, B-iv, C-i, D-ii.

Short Answer Type

1. How had the Imperial State in China been the major producer of printed material for a long time? Explain with
examples. [Delhi 2019]
Ans. Imperial State in China as a major producer of printed material:
(i) Textbooks for examinations were printed in vast numbers.
(ii) The use of print was diversified and the readership enhanced.
(iii) Import of new western technology and mechanical presses.
(iv) Any other relevant point.
Detailed Answer:
For a considerable duration, the Imperial State of China held a dominant position as the leading producer of printed material,
owing to the Chinese Civil Service Examinations that mandated the use of printed materials for their preparation and recruitment.
The Imperial State sponsored the printing of these materials in massive quantities. As an illustration, starting from the 16th
century, the number of examination candidates surged, leading to a corresponding increase in the volume of printed materials.
2. How had novels been easily available to the masses in Europe during the nineteenth century? Explain with examples.
[Delhi 2019]
Ans. Novels were easily available for the masses in Europe during nineteenth century:
 (i) Introduction of circulating libraries.
 (ii) Technological improvements in printing.
 (iii) Mass production at low cost.
 (iv) Innovation in marketing led to expanded sales.
 (v) Any other relevant point.
Detailed Answer: The emergence of a new reading public was attributed to the printing press invention which reduced the cost of
book production. With decreased time and labor, multiple copies could be produced with ease, resulting in books flooding the
market and becoming easily accessible to the masses. This led to the publication of popular ballads and folk tales, which were
profusely illustrated with pictures and widely read by the masses.
 3. How had the printing press created a new culture of reading in Europe? [OD 2019]
Ans. (i) Access to books created a new culture of reading.
 (ii) Common people lived in a world of oral culture.
 (iii) Now the books were less expensive and could be produced in sufficient number.
 (iv) Any other relevant point
Detailed Answer: Reasons for the rise of reading mania:
1. Increase in literacy: In the late 18th century, literacy rates reached 60-80% in various parts of Europe, leading to a widespread
interest in reading.
2. Emergence of new literature: In England, penny chapbooks were introduced and sold by street vendors, allowing even the
impoverished to access them easily. Similarly, in France, ‘Bibliotheque Bleue’ were published, which were small, inexpensive
books printed on low-quality paper and bound in cheap blue covers.
3. Growth of periodicals: The development of periodical press in the early 18th century allowed for a combination of current
events, entertainment, and scientific advancements to become more accessible to the general public.
4. This led to the spread of ideas: from notable scientists and philosophers, such as Isaac Newton, Thomas Paine, Voltaire, and
Jean Jacques Rousseau, and the publication of scientific texts, maps, and diagrams in popular literature.
4. “The ‘Print Revolution’ had transformed the lives of people changing their relationship to information and knowledge.”
Analyse the statement. [Delhi&OD,2018]
Ans. Transformation due to Print Revolution:
 (i) It influenced people’s perception and opened up new ways of looking at things.
 (ii) A new reading public emerged.
 (iii) Created the possibility of wide circulation of ideas.
 (iv) Introduced a new world of debate and discussion.
 (v) Stimulated many distinctive individual interpretations of faith.
5. “Print created the possibility of the wide circulation of ideas and introduced a new world of debate and discussion.”
Analyse the statement in the context of religion in Europe. [CBSE Compartment 2018]
Ans. Print created the possibility of the wide circulation of ideas: Due to print creation, those people who disagreed with
established authorities could not print and circulate their ideas. Through the printed message, they could persuade people to think
differently. This had significance in different spheres of life. Not everyone welcomed the printed books and those who did also
had fears about them. Many were apprehensive of effects that the easier access to printed books could have on people’s minds. It
was feared that if there was no control over what was printed and read then rebellious and irreligious thoughts might
spread. (CBSE Marking Scheme)
Detailed Answer in Points: The invention of printing press created a new possibility for the wide circulation of ideas. Those who
disagreed with established authorities could now print and circulate their ideas, which had a significant impact on various spheres
of life.
 The Power of Printed Message: Printed messages allowed people to persuade others to think differently, making it a powerful
tool for spreading new ideas and information.
 Mixed Reactions to Printed Books: While many welcomed the availability of printed books, others had fears about their effects.
There was apprehension about the easier access to printed books and the potential impact on people’s minds.
 Concerns over Uncontrolled Print Circulation: There were concerns that if there was no control over what was printed and
read, rebellious and irreligious thoughts might spread, leading to negative consequences.
6. Explain any three factors responsible for the invention of new printing techniques. [Board 2016-17]
Answer:
 (i) The production of handwritten could not satisfy the ever-increasing demand for books.
 (ii) Copying was expensive, laborious and time taking.
 (iii) Manuscripts were fragile, difficult to handle and could not be cared for or read easily
7. ‘With the printing press a new public emerged in Europe’. Justify the statement. [Board 2015, 16]
Answer:
(i) The earliest kind of print technology was developed in China, Japan and Korea. In China woodblocks were used for hand
printing.
(ii) Up to the 6th-century print was used only by the scholar-officials but later it became common.
(iii) The Buddhist Missionaries introduced hand printing technology from China to Japan.
(iv) It was Marco Polo, a great explorer, who brought printing knowledge of woodblock from China to Italy.
(v) The invention of the printing press proved great miracle in spreading knowledge.
8. Explain the reasons favouring shift from hand printing to mechanical printing in China. A [Board 2015]
Ans. The reasons favouring the shift from hand printing to mechanical printing in China are:
(i) Textbooks of the Civil Service Examination were printed in vast numbers under the sponsorship of the Imperial State. From the
sixteenth century, the number of examination candidates went up and that increased the volume of print.
(ii) By the seventeenth century, the print was no longer used just by scholar-officials. Merchants used the print in their everyday
life, as they collected Trade information.
(iii) Reading increasingly became a leisure activity. The new readership preferred fictional narratives, poetry, autobiographies,
anthologies of literary masterpieces, and romantic plays.
 (iv) Rich women began to read, and many women began publishing their poetry and plays. Wives of scholar officials published
their works and courtesans wrote about their lives. The new reading culture was accompanied by the new technology. Western
printing techniques and mechanical presses were imported into China and Shanghai became the new hub of the new print culture.
1. Describe the impact of the Print Revolution in Europe during 15th and 16th century. [Board 2016-17]
Ans. Impact of the Print Revolution in Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries:
 (i) Printing reduced the cost of books.
 (ii) The time and labour required to produce each of the book came down, multiple copies could be produced with greater ease.
 (iii) Books flooded the market, reaching out to an ever-growing readership.
 (iv) Publishers started publishing popular ballad folk tales with beautiful pictures and illustrations.
 (v) Knowledge was transferred orally.
 (vi) Print created the possibility of the wide circulation of ideas and introduced a new world of debate and discussion.
 (vii) Even those who disagreed with established authorities could now print and circulate their ideas. e.g., Martin Luther was a
German monk, priest, professor and Church Reformer. He challenged the Church to debate his ideas.
 (viii) This led to division within the Church and the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
 (ix) Print and popular religious literature stimulated many distinctive individual interpretations of faith even among little-
educated working people.
 (x) In the sixteenth century, Menocchio, a miller in Italy, reinterpreted the message of the Bible and formulated a view of God
and Creation that enraged the Roman Catholic Church
2. Explain with examples how print culture catered to the requirement of children. [Board 2016-17]
Answer:
(i) Primary education became compulsory from the late nineteenth century; children became an important category of readers.
Production of school textbooks became critical for the publishing industry.
(ii) A children’s press devoted to literature for children alone, was set up in France in 1857.
(iii) This press published new works as well as old fairy tales and folk tales.
(iv) The Grimm Brothers in Germany spent years compiling traditional folk tales gathered from peasants. What they collected was
edited before the stories were published in a collection in 1812.
(v) Anything that was considered unsuitable for children or would appear vulgar to the elites, was not included in the published
version. Rural folk tales thus acquired a new form. In this way, print recorded old tales but also changed them.
1. “Issues of caste discrimination began to be written about in many printed tracts and essays in India in the late
nineteenth century.” Support the statements with two suitable examples. [Delhi & OD 2019]
Ans. Issues of caste discrimination began to be written about in many tracts and essays in India in late 19th century.
 In 1871, ‘Gulamgiri’, a work written by Jyotiba Phule, the Maratha pioneer of the low caste movement, addressed the
inequalities inherent in the caste system.
 Caste-based discrimination was a prominent theme in the popular and widely read works of E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker and B.R.
Ambedkar, which discussed social issues.
 Many regional protest movements and parties published periodicals and articles criticizing religious texts and envisioning a
new societal outlook.
 In 1938, Kashibaba, a millworker from Kanpur, authored ‘Chhote Aur Bade Ka Sawal’ to illustrate the connection between
class and caste mistreatment.
 The cotton mill workers of Bangalore began establishing libraries in 1930 to educate themselves, following the example set by
the Bombay mill workers.
 As a result of these efforts, people from lower castes became increasingly aware of the need to criticize ancient scriptures and
develop a society that was free of caste discrimination, based on equality.
2. What is manuscript? Mention any two limitations of it, during the nineteenth century. [Board 2016-17]
Ans. Manuscripts were documents or books written by hand. They were not used widely because:
(a) They could not satisfy the ever-increasing demand for books.
(b) They were expensive as copying was an expensive, laborious and time-consuming business.
(c) Manuscripts were fragile, awkward to handle and could not be carried around or read easily.
(d) Their circulation was limited
3. Explain any three features of hand written manuscripts before the age of print in India. [Board 2016-17]
Answer:
(i) Manuscripts were written on palm leaves or handmade paper.
(ii) Pages were beautifully illustrated.
(iii) Manuscripts were highly expensive but fragile.
(iv) They were in various vernacular languages.
(v) They could not be read easily as the script was written in different styles
4. Why did British Government curb the freedom of the Indian press after the Revolt of 1857?
Answer:
(i) After the Revolt of 1857, the attitude to freedom of the press changed. Enraged Englishmen demanded a clampdown on the
‘Native’ press.
(ii) As vernacular newspapers became assertively nationalist, the Colonial Government began debating measures of stringent
control.
5. For what purpose did Ram Chaddha, publish ‘Istri Dharam Vichar’? [Board 2015]
Answer:
(i) In Punjab, similar folk literature discussing women’s issues was widely printed from the early 20th century.
(ii) Ram Chaddha published the fast-selling ‘Istri Dharam Vichar’ to teach women how to be obedient wives.
6. Why were women not educated in India in the early part of the nineteenth century? Give any two reasons. [Board 2015]
Answer:
(i) This was because of the superstitions and myths that prevailed in the society.
(ii) Conservative Hindus believed that a literate girl would be widowed and Muslims feared that educated women would be
corrupted by reading Urdu romances
7. Why was Vernacular Press Act passed? Explain about this Act. [Board 2015]
Answer:
(i) The Vernacular Press Act provided the government with extensive rights to censor reports and editorials in the vernacular
press.
(ii) The government kept regular track of the vernacular newspapers published in different provinces.
(iii) If any report was judged as seditious, then quickly that newspaper was warned.
(iv) If the warning was ignored, the press was liable to be seized and the printing machinery could be seized.
Long Answer Type
1. Explain briefly the initial efforts made by foreigners to introduce printing press in India. [Board 2016-17]
Answer:
(i) The Portuguese Missionaries first introduced printing press in India in the mid-16th century.
(ii) Jesuit priests learned Konkani and printed several tracts.
(iii) By 1674 about 50 books had been printed in the Konkani and Kannada language.
(iv) Catholic priests first published printed books in Tamil in Cochin and 1713 first Malayalam book was printed.
(v) The Dutch Protestant Missionaries had printed nearly 32 printed texts in Tamil which were later translated.
(vi) The English language press did not grow in India till quite late even though officials of the East India Company began to
import presses from late 17th century.
(vii) From 1780, James Augustus Hickey began to edit the Bengal Gazette, a weekly magazine; it was a private English enterprise
and was free from colonial influence.
(viii) Hickey published a lot of advertisements including those that related to import and sale of slaves.
(ix) By the close of the 18th century, a number of newspapers and journals appeared in print.
2. “Print not only stimulated the publication of conflicting opinions amongst communities, but it also connected
communities and people in different parts of India.” Examine the statement. A [Board 2016-17]
Answer:
(i) Religious texts, reached a wide circle of people encouraging discussions, debates and controversies within and among different
religions.
(ii) Newspapers conveyed news from one place to other creating pan-Indian identities.
(iii) Spread of ideas through printed texts and newspapers led to widespread participation of Indians.
(iv) Print propagated against social evils like Sati, child marriage and the purdah system.
(v) Emergence of many social reforms and reform movements.
(vi) New ideas emerged through the clashes of opinions.