Print Culture and the Modern World Class 10 Worksheet History Chapter 2

Objective type Questions
Q1: Vellum is :
(a) metal frame in which the types are laid and the text compressed
(b) a parchment made from the skin of animals
(c) the art of beautiful and stylised writing
(d) a historical account or folk tale in verse, usually sung or recited
Ans: B

Q2: The earliest print technology was developed in :
(a) China, Japan and Korea
(b) France, China and India
(c) Germany, Korea, Vietnam
(d) China, Japan and Germany
Ans: A

Q3: Who were deeply anxious about the collapse of Muslim dynasties ?

(a) Jesuit priests
(b) Hindus
(c) The Ulama
(d) Portuguese missionaries
Ans: C

Q4: This city became the hub of the new print culture, catering to the Western-style schools :
(a) Mumbai
(b) Tokyo
(c) Shanghai
(d) New York
Ans: C

Q5: He developed the first-known Printing Press in the 1430s :
(a) Martin Luther
(b) Marco Polo
(c) Warren Hastings
(d) Johann Gutenberg
Ans: D

Q6: Which one of the following was NOT the reason for the popularity of scientific ideas among the common people in eighteenth century Europe ?
(a) Printing of idea of Isaac Newton
(b) Development of printing press
(c) Interest of people in science and reason
(d) Traditional aristocratic groups supported it.
Ans: D

Q7: Who wrote Ramcharitmanas ?
(a) Tulsidas
(b) Gangadhar Bhattacharya
(c) Kashibaba
(d) Ram Chaddha
Ans: A

Q8: Calligraphy is :
(a) the art of making ceramics
(b) the art of making pottery
(c) a style of music
(d) the art of beautiful and stylised writing
Ans: D

Q9: When was the Vernacular Press Act passed ?
(a) 1820
(b) 1878
(c) 1857
(d) 1907
Ans: B

Q10: It is a historical account or folk tale in verse, usually sung or recited :
(a) Taverns
(b) Vellum
(c) Ballad
(d) Galley
Ans: C

True or False

Q1: Dr.Ambedkar was also known as ‘Periyar’. (True/False)
Ans: False

Q2: Those people who believed in the teachings of the Church were known as heretics. (True/False)
Ans: False

Q3: Print popularised the ideas of the enlightenment thinkers. (True/False)
Ans: True

Q4: Manuscripts in India were cheap and durable. (True/False)
Ans: False

Q5: The Vernacular Press Act was passed in 1878. (True/False)
Ans: True

Assertion and Reasoning Based Questions

Q1: Assertion : As literacy and schools spread in African countries, there was a virtual reading mania. 
Reason : Churches of different denominations set up schools in villages, carrying literacy to tribals.
(a) If both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) If both assertion and reason are true and reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) If assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) If both assertion and reason are false.
Ans: (d) As literacy and schools spread in European countries, there was a virtual reading mania. Churches of different denominations set up schools in villages, carrying literacy to peasants and artisans.

Q2: Assertion : The new reading culture was accompanied by a new technology.
Reason : From hand printing there was a gradual shift to mechanical printing.
(a) If both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) If both assertion and reason are true and reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) If assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) If both assertion and reason are false.
Ans: (a) The reason thus correctly justifies the assertion.

Q3: Assertion : The first book that Gutenberg printed was the Bible. 
Reason : About 500 copies were printed and it took two years to produce them.
(a) If both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) If both assertion and reason are true and reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) If assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) If both assertion and reason are false.
Ans: (c) About 180 copies were printed and it took three years to produce them. The reason is thus false.

Q4: Assertion : Children became an important category of readers.
Reason : Primary education became compulsory from the late nineteenth century.
(a) If both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) If both assertion and reason are true and reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) If assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) If both assertion and reason are false.
Ans: (a) The reason justifies the assertion.

Q5: Assertion : In 1517, the religious reformer Martin Luther wrote Ninety Five Theses criticising many of the practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church.
Reason : This led to a division within the Church and to the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
(a) If both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) If both assertion and reason are true and reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) If assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) If both assertion and reason are false.
Ans: (a) A printed copy of the Theses was posted on a Church door in Wittenberg. It challenged the Church to debate his ideas. Luther’s writings were immediately reproduced in large numbers and read widely. The reason thus correctly justifies the assertion.

Q6: Assertion : Print and popular religious literature stimulated many distinctive individual interpretations of faith even among little-educated working people.
Reason : Through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, literacy rates went up in most parts of Europe.
(a) If both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) If both assertion and reason are true and reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) If assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) If both assertion and reason are false.
Ans: (b) Both assertion and reason are true but the reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.

Q7: Assertion : There was intense controversy between social and religious reformers and the Hindu orthodoxy over matters like widow immolation, monotheism, Brahmanical priesthood and idolatory.
Reason : The Deoband Seminary founded in 1867, published thousands of fatwas telling Muslim readers how to conduct themselves in everyday lives, and explaining the meaning of Islamic doctrines.
(a) If both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) If both assertion and reason are true and reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) If assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) If both assertion and reason are false.
Ans: (b) The reason does not justify the assertion.

Q8: Assertion : The production of handwritten manuscripts could not satisfy the ever-increasing demand for books. 
Reason : Chinese paper reached Europe via the silk route.
(a) If both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) If both assertion and reason are true and reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) If assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) If both assertion and reason are false.
Ans: (b) Copying was laborious, expensive and timeconsuming. Manuscripts were fragile, awkward to handle, and could not be carried around or read easily. Therefore, their circulation remained limited. The reason does not explain or justify the assertion.

Very Short Answer Type Questions 

Q1: What were almanacs ?
Ans: The almanacs were the annual publications that reflected on astronomical data, movements of the sun and the moon, timings of full tides and eclipses and the significance of day-to-day life of people.

Q2: How had hand printing technology introduced in Japan?
Ans: Buddhist missionaries from China introduced hand printing technology in Japan around 768-770 AD.

Q3: How many copies of the Bible were printed by Johannes Gutenberg in Europe ?
Ans: About 180 copies of the Bible were printed by Johannes Gutenberg in Europe.

Q4: How was Biliotheque Bleue different from Penny Chapbooks ?
Ans: Biliotheque Bleue represented low priced small books printed in France with cheap blue cover. On the other hand, Penny Chapbooks were sold by petty peddlers called Chapmen in England.

Q5: Who invented printing press and when ?
Ans: Printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg in the year 1430.

Q6: Who wrote ‘My Childhood and My University’ ?
Ans: The twentieth century Russian revolutionary author Maxim Gorky wrote ‘My Childhood and My University’.

Q7: Who was Johannes Gutenberg ?
Ans: Johannes Gutenberg was the son of a merchant and he invented the first printing press in Germany, Europe.

Q8: Why was printing of textbooks sponsored by the Imperial State in China ?
Ans: The printing of textbooks were sponsored by the Imperial State in China because China possessed a large bureaucratic system, which recruited their personnel through civil service examinations. That is why, textbooks were printed in large numbers to provide them study material.

Q9: What was woodblock printing ?
Ans: It is a variant of printing where paper is rubbed against the inked surface of woodblocks.

Q10: What led to the schism within the Catholic Church and the birth of the Protestant Reformation movement in Germany ?
Ans: Martin Luther’s Ninety Five Theses culminated in the division within the Catholic Church and the development of the Protestant Reformation Movement in Germany.

Short Answer Type Questions

Q1: Who brought the printing technology to British India and how ?
Ans:

• James Augustus Hickey started to edit the ‘Bengal Gazatte’, a weekly magazine.
• It was a private English magazine and barely carried any British influence on it. With the help of this magazine, printing was introduced to India.
• Hickey published an array of advertisements on import and sale of slaves. He also revealed hidden secrets of the Company’s officials in India. Angered by this act, the Governor General of India, Warren Hastings persecuted Hickey’s magazine.

Q2: How had the Imperial State in China been the major producer of printed material for a long time? Explain with examples.
Ans: From AD 594 onwards, books in China were printed by rubbing paper invented there against the inked surface of woodblocks. 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. By the seventeenth century, as urban culture bloomed in China, the uses of print diversified. Reading increasingly became a leisure activity. Women, revolutionaries, poets and even merchants used print in everyday life.

Q3: Give reasons for the statement : ‘Woodblock print only came to Europe after 1295’.
Ans: In the aftermath of 1295, the Italian explorer Marco Polo returned from his long stay in China. The concept of woodblock printing became popular in Europe after his return.

Q4: Write the name of any two women writers of India in nineteenth century and highlights their contribution.
Ans: The two influential Indian women writers in the nineteenth century were Kailashbashini Debi and Rashsundari Debi.

• Kailashbashini Debi : She was a Bengali women who started writing books from 1860s, underscoring the vivid experiences of women. She reflected on women’s imprisonment at home and their glaring hardships in their lifetime. She showed that women were treated harshly by new people
• Rashsundari Debi : She was a young married women who learned to read and write from the secrecy of her Kitchen. After acquiring the art of writing, she delineated her life story in the form of autobiography called Amar Jiban (My life) in Bengali language.

Q5: Write briefly on the Vernacular Press Act. (NCERT)
Ans:

• Proposed by the Viceroy of India, Lord Lytton (1876- 80), the Vernacular Press Act was passed on 1878. It was modelled on the Irish Press laws. Due to the prevalence of this Act, the government wielded control over the vernacular press. The Government possessed the right to censor reports and editorials of the vernacular press.
• If report was found to be seditious, The newspaper was warned. However, if the newspaper shunned the warning and continued the activity, then the press would be confiscated.

Q6: How did print culture affect women in the nineteenth century ?

Ans:

• Women held an important position in the history of India as prominent readers and writers.
• The Penny magazines were particularly meant for women. These were manuals that educate women on proper decorum and house keeping facilities.
• When novels began to be written in the nineteenth century, women were seen as important readers.
• Many prominent novelists like Jane Austan, the Bronte Sisters and George Eliot started to be define a new type of women; as a person with strong will, manifesting the strength of personality and thinking capacities

Q7: Print created the possibility of wide circulation of ideas and introduced a new world of debate discussion.’’ Analyse the statement in the context of religion in Europe.
Ans: Print created the possibility of wide circulation of ideas, and introduced a new world of debate and discussion.

• Even those who disagreed with established authorities could now print and circulate their ideas. Through the printed message, they could persuade people to think differently, and move them to action.
• Many were apprehensive of the effects that the easier access to the printed word and 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.

Q8: Write short notes to show what you know about the Gutenberg Press.
Ans: The Gutenberg Press was a developed from of the olive press. The lead moulds were used for casting the metal types of the letters. By 1448, Johannes Gutenberg perfected the printing system. The Bible was the first book printed by Johannes Gutenberg. Within three years, Gutenberg produce 180 copies of the Holy Bible. At the same time, the borders of the book were illuminated manually by the artists. Therefore everybody possessed unique piece of the Bible.

Q9: Why did British government curb the freedom of the Indian press after the revolt of 1857 ?

Ans: The British government curbed the freedom of the Indian press after the revolt of 1857 because the attitude to freedom of the press changed. Enraged Englishmen demanded a clamp down on the ‘native‘ press.
As vernacular newspapers became assertively nationalist, the colonial government began debating measures for string control.

Q10: Write a note on Erasmus’s idea of a printed book.
Ans: Erasmus was a Latin scholar and a Catholic reformer. He strongly objected to the printing of books. In his opinion, most printed books were slanderous, irreligious and provoking. With the subsequent expansion of printing, ideas of enlightened thinkers attracted the mass and they started to see the world thorough the lens of logic.
These printed books were spreading heretical ideas that opposed the authority of the Roman Catholic Church.
According to Erasmus, such printed books debased the value of handwritten manuscripts.

Long Answer Type Questions

Q1: Why did the Roman Catholic Church begin keeping an Index of Prohibited Books from the mid-sixteenth century ? Explain by giving five reasons.
Ans: The Roman Catholic Church kept an Index of Prohibited books from the mid-sixteenth century. The reasons are as follows :
(i) It was felt that if there was no control over the printed materials, then rebellious and irrational thoughts might permeate.
(ii) Many monarchs thoughts that if there is no control, then printed books could lead to rebellions against the state authorities.
(iii) Many religious prerogatives feared that printed materials could make the people rebel against their christened religions.
(iv) The Roman Catholic Church wielded control over publishers and book retailers. The Church began to maintain an Index of Prohibited Books.
(v) In the same way, many writers and artists felt that if nobody exercised control on the printed materials, then the prerogatives of the precious publications would be perished.

Q2: Describe three shortcomings of manuscripts that were overcome by the printing press.
Ans: The three drawbacks of manuscripts that were challenged by the printing press are enumerated as follows :
(i) It is noted that expert manual writers took enormous time to copy manuscripts. The process was expensive and burdensome. However, the printing press did not take much time to produce many copies of books.
(ii) Copying manuscripts was really an extravagant affair and it was mostly preferred by the aristocratic sections of the society. Handwritten manuscripts represented status symbol. The printing press reduces the cost of books extensively and made them accessible to common people.
(iii) Carrying handwritten manuscripts was extremely cumbersome and entailed the risk of getting destroyed or mutilated. Printed books could be carried, handled and transferred with ease.

Q3: Explain how print culture assisted the growth of nationalism in India.
Ans: Print culture culminated in the development of nationalism in India. The points are as follows :
(i) Print culture resulted in publication of most papers in vernacular languages. Many journals were published after 1870.
(ii) These journal and newspapers published cartoons and caricatures refuting the imperial rule and gave comments on social and political issues. The vernacular newspapers such as Kesari and Maratha in Marathi languages were overtly nationalist and reflected on colonial misrule and stimulated nationalist current.
(iii) The British government advocated repressive policies that led to militant protest. Tilak was incarcerated for reporting on repressive measures in his Kesari in 1908. It resulted in widespread resentment.
(iv) Print culture encouraged the leaders to pass on the ideas to people across the nation. This initiative brought them closer and assisted in the development of nationalism.

Q4: How were ideas and information written before the age of print in India ? How did the printing technique begin in India ?
Ans: In the ancient period, India witnessed a very opulent and old tradition of handwritten manuscripts in Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian and other local languages. Manuscripts were written on palm leaves or on handmade paper. Pages were illuminated with floral patterns by artists. Gita Govinda was written on palm leaves in a artistic format by Jayadeva. Some works represented beautiful calligraphy such as the fourteenth century poet Hafiz’s work called the Diwan. These manuscripts were preserved by sewing the pages together or pressing between wooden covers. These manuscripts could not be carried everywhere with ease. They were very expensive and fragile. The manuscripts were preferred by the elite sections. Even in schools, students became educated without perusing any kinds of literary texts as scripts were written in variegated styles. Teachers gave dictations from the excerpts of the literary texts and students wrote them down. The printing press first came to Goa with the Protestant Missionaries in the mid-16th century from Portugal. They printed several tracts in Konkani and Tamil languages. In 1674, 50 books were printed in Konkani language. The first Tamil book was printed in 1579 at Cochin and the first Malayalam book surfaced in 1713. By 1710, the Dutch missionaries had printed 32 Tamil texts. From 1780s, James Augustus Hickey started the era of English printing. He began to edit Bengal Gazette, a weekly magazine and revealed many secrets of the Company’s senior officials. By the close of the eighteenth century, an array of journals appeared. Indians came to the forefront of publishing industry. Gangadhar Bhattacharya, who was close to Raja Rammohan Roy, brought out the Bengal Gazette.

Q5: Why did some people in eighteenth century Europe think that print culture would bring enlightenment and end despotism ?
Ans: In 18th century, many people felt that print culture would definitely bring enlightenment and cease despotism. The reasons are enumerated as follows :
(i) Dissemination of new ideas : After the advent of the print culture, the notions of scientists and philosophers reached the masses at large. Ancient and medieval scientific texts were collated and published. This phase signaled the growth of enlightenment and fanned the flames of print revolution.
(ii) Books as means of progress : By the close of the eighteenth century, books became the medium of progress and enlightenment. They started to spread new ideas and opinions that enthralled the audience. People became voracious readers and they began to see the world through the prism of logic and rationality.
(iii) Writings of scholars : The writings of eminent thinkers and philosophers such as Jean Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Paine and Voltaire were also widely printed and circulated. Their writings became popular among the masses at large. Thus, their notions about science, rationality and reasoning entered the corpus of literature.
(iv) Scientific discoveries : The cartographers began to curate authentic maps and scientific diagrams. These maps and scientific illustrations were widely printed. They could influence a much wider circle of scientifically minded readers.
(v) A new culture of dialogue and debate : The printing press was deemed to be the potential medium of progress and enlightenment. The press engendered strong public opinions and ideas. Many historians opined that the print culture spawned conditions for the growth of enlightenment and the cessation of despotism in the aftermath of the French Revolution of 1789.

Q6: What was the attitude of people in India in the nineteenth century towards women reading ? How did women respond to this ?
Ans: Common prejudices permeated the native landscape. The attitude of people towards woman reading was not favourable. It was not that the conservative Hindus would favour the education of women. At the same time, the Muslims feared that educated women would be corrupted by reading Urdu romances. However, there was a ray of hope in the dismal picture. There were some notable women who transgressed such prohibitions and carved out a unique space for themselves in the history of India. A Muslim girl in north India defied here family and learned to read and write in Urdu in utmost secrecy. Rashsundari Debi, a young married woman hailing from an orthodox family, learnt to read secretly in her kitchen. Subsequently, she documented her life story in a form of autobiography in Bengali language. A few Bengali women like Kailashbashini Debi penned down the tragic experiences of native women in her books. In the 1860s, Tarabai Shinde and Pandita Ramabai of Maharashtra depicted the miserable plight of upper caste women in their writings. 
In Punjab, the folk literature projected women as docile and obedient wives. For instance, Ram Chaddha wrote Istri Dharm Vichar that emphasised on the changing equations between men and women. The Khalsa Tract Society published cheap booklets or chapbooks with the same message. In Bengal, - an entire area in print and popular culture. Battala was the hub of printing popular books and magazines. They were subsidised editions of religious texts, scriptures as well as seditious literature. The education of women was not encouraged by the majority as Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hussain reported in her address to Bengal Women’s Educated Conference. In this way, women valiantly responded to the attitude of people towards reading in the nineteenth century. Many women defied the norms of the stigmatised society and exercised in the art of penmanship. Thus, they came out bravely and proved their mettle.