Test: Print Culture & Modern World - 1 - UPSC MCQ

Calligraphy is a visual art related to writing "kalli" means beautiful and graphia is the Greek word for writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a broad tip instrument, brush, or other writing instruments.

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 the civil service examinations. Textbooks for this examination were printed in vast numbers, under the sponsorship of the imperial state.

Marco Polo was an Italian merchant, explorer, and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295.

• Menocchio, the miller, enraged the Roman Catholic Church.
• Menocchio was a miller from the village of Montereale Valcellina in Italy during the 16th century.
• He held unorthodox religious beliefs and was known for his outspokenness.

Roman Church began to maintain an Index of Prohibited Books from 1558.

The book gulamgiri written by jyotirao phule in the year 1873 was on the theme: against injustice of caste system.

• Gutenberg's First Printed Book: The first printed book by Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press, was the Bible.
• Significance: This marked a significant milestone in the history of printing and book production.

The production of handwritten manuscripts could not satisfy the ever increasing demand for books.
(i) Manuscripts were fragile, awkward to handle and could not be carried around or read easily.
(ii) Copying was an expensive, laborious and time consuming business.This could not satisfy the increasing demand for books.

• The transition from labor-intensive, hand-crafted printing methods to faster, more efficient mechanical printing allowed for the widespread dissemination of books, pamphlets, newspapers, and other printed materials.
• This shift made printed materials more accessible to a larger audience, significantly impacting literacy, education, and the spread of ideas.

Martin Luther, (born November 10, 1483, Eisleben, Saxony [Germany]—died February 18, 1546, Eisleben), German theologian and religious reformer who was the catalyst of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation.