History

Print Culture and the Modern World

Question:

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.

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Print Culture and the Modern World

Q 1.

Name an Act which was passed by the British government to keep a regular track of the vernacular newspapers.

Q 2.

Who developed the first printing press ?

Q 3.

Who invented power driven cylindrical press ? What were its advantages ?

Q 4.

What medium was used for writing ancient Indian scriptures?

Q 5.

What was the role of cartoons and caricatures in the French Revolution ?

Q 6.

What was the theme of the book Gulamgiri ?

Q 7.

Who wrote Gulamgiri ? (CBSE 2014)

Q 8.

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

Q 9.

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

Q 10.

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]

Q 11.

Name the countries where the earliest kind of print technology was developed.

Q 12.

Who was Martin Luther ?

Q 13.

What were Biliotheque Blue ?

Q 14.

Name two scholars whose writings inspired French people.

Q 15.

Why did Governor General Warren Hastings persecute Hickey ?

Q 16.

Explain how the print culture assisted the growth of nationalism in India. [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2011]

Q 17.

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]

Q 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]

Q 19.

How did the print revolution influence the reading habit of the people of Europe?

Q 20.

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

Q 21.

Who said "Printing is the ultimate gift of God and the greatest one ? ] [CBSE 2010. 11, 12]

Q 22.

What did the spread of print culture in the nineteenth century India mean to :
Reformers

Q 23.

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

Q 24.

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

Q 25.

How was sale of books promoted in small towns?

Q 26.

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]

Q 27.

What is calligraphy ?

Q 28.

When and by whom was hand printing technology introduced in Japan ? (CBSE 2014)

Q 29.

Which is the oldest book to be printed in Japan ?

Q 30.

What were ballads ? (CBSE 2014)

Q 31.

What was print revolution ?

Q 32.

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
c) The Vernacular Press Act

Q 33.

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

Q 34.

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

Q 35.

How did the urban population use the print media?

Q 36.

Who was Marco Polo?

Q 37.

What is calligraphy?

Q 38.

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

Q 39.

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]

Q 40.

What was Protestant Reformation ?

Q 41.

Name any two women novelist of the 19th century.

Q 42.

’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….’
Who said these words ?

Q 43.

Write about the different innovations in the printing technology during the 19th century ? [CBSE Sept. 2010]

Q 44.

Mention any four social values which print culture promoted.

Q 45.

What was an accordion book"? Describe any two features of hand printing in China ?

Q 46.

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 ?

(ii) Name the freedoms he is talking about.

Q 47.

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

Q 48.

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]

Q 49.

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.

Q 50.

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