NCERT Class 10 History Solutions Chapter 5 Print Culture and the Modern world

NCERT Class 10 History Solutions Chapter 5 Print Culture and the Modern world

NCERT Class 10 History Solutions Chapter 5 Print Culture and the Modern world are given in this post in easy language so that you can learn it fast.

Write in Brief

Question 1: Give reasons for the following:

(a) Woodblock print only came to Europe after 1295.

(b) Martin Luther was in favour of print and spoke out in praise of it.

(c) The Roman Catholic Church began keeping an Index of Prohibited books from the mid-sixteenth century.

(d) Gandhi said the fight for Swaraj is a fight for liberty of speech, liberty of the press, and freedom of association.

Answer: (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) Martin Luther was a great religious reformer of Germany. In 1517, he wrote 95 theses that criticised the corrupt practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Very soon, thousands of copies of Luther’s writings were printed and read widely. He was deeply moved by realising the power of printing and was grateful to it. He considered print as the ultimate gift of God. This led to the beginning of the reformation movement. This is the reason why Luther was in favour of print and spoke out in praise of it.

(c) The Roman Catholic Church began keeping an index of Prohibited books from the mid-sixteenth century because its authority was being put in danger by the several individual and distinctive readings and questionings of faith prompted by the easily accessible popular religious literature. To supplement its inquisition and repression of heretical ideas, the Roman Catholic Church exercised strict control over publishers and booksellers, and also began to keep an Index of Prohibited Books from 1558.

(d) According to Mahatma Gandhi, the liberty of speech, liberty of press and freedom of association were three most powerful weapons of expressing and cultivating public opinion. No nation can survive without these three prerequisites. If a country wants to get freedom from foreign domination then these three liberties are very important.

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: (a) The Gutenberg Press: It was the first printing press that was developed by Johan Gutenberg. He spent his childhood in a large agricultural estate and had good experience in operating olive and wine presses. By 1448, he developed a modified version of olive and wine presses. With this new printing press, the first book he printed was Bible. This press had a long handle attached to the screw. The screw was turned with help of the handle which in turn pressed down the platen over the printing block that was placed on the top of a sheet of damp paper. The lead moulds were used for casting the metal types for the letters of alphabet.

(b) Erasmus’s idea of printed book: Erasmus was the Latin scholar and a Catholic reformer. He criticized the printing of books because he was afraid that this would lead to the circulation of books that were full of rebellious ideas. He thought that majority of the books were irrelevant and illogical which would only spread the scandalous and irreligious ideas. According to him, with such books coming in large numbers, the significance of valuable literature would be lost.

(c) The Vernacular Press Act: This act was passed in 1878 by the British government in India. This act gave the government with tyrannical rights to censor reports and editorials in the Vernacular Press.  If a Vernacular Paper published any seditious report and the newspaper ignored the initial warning, then the press was seized and the printing machinery confiscated.

Question 3: What did the spread of print culture in nineteenth century India mean to:
(a) Women
(b) The poor
(c) Reformers

Answer: (a) Women: The spread of print culture in nineteenth-century India brought about educational reforms for women. Liberal husbands and fathers educated their womenfolk at home or sent them to schools for women. Women who had been restricted to a domestic life for generations, now found a new medium of entertainment. They also began to write articles for journals, in favour of women’s education and literacy. Some even wrote books; Rashsundari Devi’s autobiography “Amar Jiban” was the first full-length autobiography, published in 1876. Conservatives believed that education and reading would make women widows, or corrupt them. Many women learnt to read and write in secret in such traditionalist environments.

(b) The poor: They benefited from the spread of print culture in India on account of the availability of low-price books and public libraries. Enlightening essays were written against caste discrimination and its inherent injustices. These were read by people across the country. On the encouragement and support of social reformers, over-worked 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 Sawal”.

(c) Reformers: Print culture’s popularity was an advantage for social and religious reformers as they could now spread their opinions, through newspapers and books, across the masses. These ideas could then be debated upon by different groups of people. Reformist ideas were put forward in the local, everyday languages of the common people so as to create a wider platform for the same.

Discuss

Question 1: Why did some people in eighteenth century Europe think that print culture would bring enlightenment and end despotism?

Answer: Some people in eighteenth-century Europe thought that print culture would bring enlightenment and end despotism. It’s easy and cheap availability meant that literacy would no longer be restricted to the upper classes. While the clergy and monarchs feared the enlightenment that a vast reading public would gain, reformers like Martin Luther welcomed the change. They felt that it would mark an end to the blind adherence to the rulers’ ideology. This can be seen in the French Revolution as well. The print medium allowed the ideals of freedom, equality and brotherhood set forth by Rousseau and Voltaire in their writings to reach the public. It created a new culture of dialogue and debate that initiated the working class into questioning and re-evaluating social customs and norms. The power of reason that the public gained initiated social reform, and brought an end to despotism.

Question 2: Why did some people fear the effect of easily available printed books? Choose one example from Europe and one from India.

Answer:  Some people, especially from the upper class fear the effect of easily available printed books due to the spread of literacy among the common people. They feared that they might lose their position or authorities. Some people thought that it might lead to the spread of rebellions and irreligious thoughts.

Example:
(i) In Europe, the Roman Catholic Church tried to curb the printed books through the Index of Prohibited Books.
(ii) In India, the Vernacular Press Act imposed restrictions on Indian press and various local newspapers.

Question 3: What were the effects of the spread of print culture for poor people in nineteenth century India?

Answer: The effects of the spread of print culture for poor people in nineteenth century India were:

• The poor people were benefited from the spread of print culture as they got access to the low-price books.
• Many social reformers wrote books and essays enlightening the caste discrimination prevailing in the country. These were read by people across the country.
• In 1871, Jyotiba Phule wrote about the poor condition of the low caste people. In the 20th century, BR Ambedkar also wrote powerfully against the caste system.
• EV Ramaswamy Naicker, also known as Periyar, wrote about the caste system prevailing in Madras.
• The poor now became more aware of their rights and their place in society.

Question 4: Explain how print culture assisted the growth of nationalism in India.

Answer: The print culture assisted the growth of nationalism in India in the following ways:

• Books, magazines and newspapers helped in the spread of new ideas. They also shaped the nature of debate that assisted the growth of nationalism.
• Gandhiji spread his ideas of Swadeshi in a powerful way through newspaper.
• Many vernacular newspapers reported oppressive methods of colonial rule and helped to spread the nationalism in India.
• National leaders tried to mobilize public opinion of Indian masses through the national dailies to unite them for the cause of nationalism.
• Printers like Raja Ravi Verma and Rabindranath Tagore produced images of Bharatmata which produced a sense of nationalism among Indians. The ever increasing devotion to mother figure could be seen as an evidence of people’s nationalism.
• Print culture not only encouraged nationalist activities, but it also connected communities and people living in different parts of India.

NCERT Class 10 History Solutions Chapter 5 Print Culture and the Modern World: Chapter Overview

In this chapter you learn about the following topics:

• The First Printed Books
• Print Comes to Europe
• The Print Revolution and Its Impact
• The Reading Mania
• The Nineteenth Century
• India and the World of Print
• Religious Reform and Public Debates
• New Forms of Publication
• Print and Censorship

Print Culture and the Modern World Class 10 Extra Questions History Chapter 7

Extra Questions for Class 10 Social Science History Chapter 7 Print Culture and the Modern World.

Question-1
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.

Question-2
How did the urban population use the print media?
Solution:
Merchants used print in their daily life, to update trade information. People stated reading fiction, poetry, biographies, autobiographies, and romantic plays during their leisure time. 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.

Question-3
When was print technology introduced in Japan?
Solution:
Print technology was introduced in Japan around AD 768-770. Buddhist missionaries from China introduced hand-printing technology into Japan .The oldest Japanese book, the Buddhist Diamond Sutra was printed in AD 868. It contained six sheets of text and woodcut illustrations

Question-4
Who was Marco Polo?
Solution:
Marco Polo was a great explorer. He was in China for many years and he learnt the printing technology from the Chinese during his years of exploration. He returned to Italy in 1295 and introduced this new technology.

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.

Question-9
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.

Question-10
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.

Question-11
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.

Question-12
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-13
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.

Question-14
What is calligraphy?
Solution:
Calligraphy is the art of writing beautiful letters by hand.

Question-15
What medium was used for writing ancient Indian scriptures?
Solution:
Palm leaves ( Bhoj patra) was used to write ancient scriptures.

Question-16
Who invented the letter press?
Solution:
Letter Press was invented by Johann Gutenberg in Germany.

Question-17
Who brought out the first Indian newspaper published in English?
Solution:
Gangadhar Bhattacharya brought out the first English newspaper in India.

Question-18
How was sale of books promoted in small towns?
Solution:
Peddlers carried illustrated books to homes in small towns.

Question-19
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.

Question-20
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-21
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.