Title Print Culture and the Modern World 2012-2024 PYQs.pdf ✅

1 | P a g e Print Culture The Modern World &
2 | P a g e Chapter: - PRINT CULTURE & THE MODERN WORLD Question.1. Give reasons for the following: a) Woodblock print only came to Europe after 1295. b) Martin Luther was in favor of print and spoke out in praise of it. c) The Roman Catholic Church began keeping an Index of Prohibited books from the mid-sixteenth century. d) Gandhi said the fight for Swaraj is a fight for liberty of speech, liberty of the press, and freedom of association. Answer.1. a) Woodblock print was invented around the sixth century in China. It came to Europe, along with Marco Polo, in 1295. Marco Polo returned to Italy after many years of exploration in China, and he brought the knowledge of woodblock print with him on his return. b) In 1517 Martin Luther wrote Ninety Five Theses criticising many of the practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church, Wittenberg. Luther’s translation of the New Testament sold 5,000 copies within a few weeks and a second edition appeared within three months. All this became possible due to printing technology. Deeply grateful to print, Luther said, “Printing is the ultimate gift of God and the greatest one.” Several scholars, in fact, think that the print brought about a new intellectual atmosphere and helped spread the new ideas that led to the Reformation. c) The print and popular religious literature encouraged many distinctive individual interpretations of faith even among little-educated working people. For example, Manocchio, a miller in Italy, after reading some books, reinterpreted the Bible and formulated a view of God and Creation that made angry the Roman Catholic Church ultimately he was executed. Because of such writings, it imposed strict controls over publishers and began to maintain an Index of Prohibited Books from 1558. d) After the revolt of 1857, as the vernacular press became nationalist, the colonial government tried to control it. In 1878, the Vernacular Press Act was passed which provided the government with extensive rights to censor reports and editorials in the vernacular press. Whenever there was a seditious report (means report criticising or opposing the government), the newspaper was warned and if the warning was ignored, the press was liable to be seized and the printing machinery confiscated. When Punjab revolutionaries were deported in 1907, Bal Gangadhar Tilak wrote with great sympathy about them in his Kesari. This led to his imprisonment in 1908. Similarly during the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movement, the Government of India was trying to crush the three powerful vehicles of expressing (Liberty of speech, liberty of press, and freedom of association). Thus the fight for Swaraj was a fight for this freedom than anything else. Question.2. Write short notes to show what you know about: a) The Gutenberg Press b) Erasmus’s idea of the printed book c) The Vernacular Press Act Answer.2. a) The olive press provided the model for the Gutenberg printing press, and molds were used for casting the metal types for the letters of the alphabet, by 1448, Gutenberg perfected the system. The first book he printed was the Bible. About 180 copies were printed and it took three years to produce them. The metal letters imitated the ornamental handwritten styles. Borders were illuminated by hand with foliage and other patterns, and illustrations were painted. In the books printed for the rich, space for decoration was kept Ncert Exercises

4 | P a g e Answer.5. Some people especially from upper class feared the effect of easily available printed books, because of the spread of literacy among the common people. Some people feared that this may lead to the spread of rebellions and irreligious thoughts. E.g., In Europe, the Roman Catholic Church tried to stop the printed books through the Index of Prohibited Books. In India, the Vernacular Press Act, 1878, imposed restrictions on Indian press and various local newspapers. Question.6. What were the effects of the spread of print culture for poor people in nineteenth century India? Answer.6. The effects of the spread of print culture for poor people in the nineteenth century India were that the poor people benefited from the spread of print culture in India on account of the availability of low- cost books and public libraries. Enlightening essays against caste discrimination and other social ills were read by people across the country. Later on factory workers set up libraries for self- education, and some of them even published their own works, for example, Kashibaba and his "Chhote Aur Bade Ka Sawal". Question.7. Explain how print culture assisted the growth of nationalism in India. Answer.7. Printed tracts and newspapers not only spread the new ideas, but they also shaped the nature of the debate, which ultimately supported the growth of nationalism. Print also connected communities and people living in different parts of India. Newspapers communicated news from one place to another, creating pan-Indian identities. Despite strict measures, nationalist newspapers grew in numbers in all parts of India. They reported on colonial misrule and encouraged nationalist activities. When Punjab revolutionaries were deported in 1907, Bal Gangadhar Tilak wrote with great sympathy about them in Kesari. Many novels written by Indian novelists like Bankim’s Anandamath created a sense of pan-Indian belonging. Munshi Premchand’s novel, Godan highlighted how Indian peasants were exploited by the colonial bureaucrats. Printers like Raja Ravi Verma and Rabindranath Tagore produced images of Bharatmata which produced a sense of nationalism among Indians.