CHAPTER---5.

PRINT CULTURE AND THE MODERN WORLD

2 marks
1 Why did the Roman Catholic Church impose control over publishers and booksellers? 2
The Roman Catholic Church troubled by effects of popular readings and questionings of
faith imposed severe controls over publishers and booksellers.

2 Why couldn’t the production of hand written manuscripts satisfy the ever increasing 2
demand for books? Give any two reasons.
The production of handwritten manuscripts could not satisfy the ever increasing demand
for books due to the following reasons:

1. In India, there is rich and old tradition of handwritten manuscripts in different

2. These manuscripts were highly expensive and fragile.

3. They needed careful handling.

3 How’ were magazines different from novels? Write any two differences. 2
The differences between the magazines and novels were:

1. The magazines had several stories whereas the novels had just one story.

2. The magazines were periodically published whereas the novels were one time
publication.

3. There might be several writers of one magazine but the novels had only one
author.

4 What was Protestant reformation? 2

1. Martin Luther was a religious reformer. He wrote 95 theses in the year 1517
against the practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church.

2. This action of Martin Luther led to the division within the church and marked the
beginning of the Protestant reformers.

3. It was basically a movement for the reformation of the Roman Catholic Church in
the 16th century.

5 What were the limitations of the written manuscripts in India? Explain. 2

The following were the limitations of the written manuscripts in India:

1. These manuscripts were highly expensive, fragile and needed careful handling.

2. Reading the manuscripts was not easy as they were written in different styles
which limit its use.
 3. It was not used in everyday life by the common people.

6 “By the end of 19th century a new visual culture was taking shape.” Explain. 2

1. It is true to state that by the end of 19th century a new visual culture was taking
shape. Lyrics, short stories, essays on social and political matters, visual images,
calendars, caricatures and cartoons became the new forms of publications.

2. Raja Ravi Varma was the famous painter in the 19th century India.These new
forms of publications popularized the ideas of modernity and tradition, religion
and politics, and society and culture.

3 marks
7 Explain any three factors responsible for the invention of new printing techniques. 3
The three factors responsible for the invention of new printing techniques were:

1. The handwritten manuscripts production was not sufficient to meet the demand.

2. These manuscripts were highly expensive, fragile and needed careful handling.

3. It was expensive and time consuming to copy the handwritten manuscripts.

8 In what three ways did the printed books at first closely resemble the written manuscripts? 3
The three ways in which initially the printed books closely resembled the written
manuscripts were:

1. Initially the printed books resembled the written manuscripts in appearance.

2. It resembled in layout as the metal letters imitated the ornamental handwritten

3. There was blank space for decoration in the books printed for the rich and the
design was chosen by the buyer.

9 Explain any three reasons which created a large number of new readers in the nineteenth 3
century.
Three reasons which created a large number of new readers in the nineteenth century were:

1. During this period the literacy increased which increased the number of readers
among the children, women and workers.

2. Primary education was made compulsory and hence the children became the
important section of readers. The publishing industries started producing the
school textbooks. In the year 1857, a children’s press was set up in France for
publishing the literature for children only which published the new works along
with the old fairy and folk tales.
 3. Technique of lending libraries to educate white collar workers in Europe during
the 19th century.

4. Women became the important readers as well as writers. For women readers
especially there was penny magazines.

10 Explain the effects of print culture in the religious sphere in early modern Europe. 3
The print culture helped in the circulation of ideas, debates and discussion. It was used by
the rebellions to let the people know the truth and take action against the established
authorities. The printed books were welcomed and also people had fear due to the
rebellious and irreligious thoughts.

1. Martin Luther was a religious reformer. He wrote 95 theses in the year 1517
against the practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church

2. Menocchio was a miller in Italy who interpreted the message of Bible. The Roman
Catholic Church was enraged due to his view of god and creation.

3. The Roman Catholic Church started identifying such ideas, beliefs and persons
who wrote against the church and thus Menocchio was hauled up twice and finally
executed.

4. Several restrictions were put over the publishers and the booksellers by the church
and also the church ordered them to follow the Index of prohibited books from
1558.

11 How did new form of popular literature appear in print targeting new audience in the 18th 3
century? Explain with examples.

1. Lyrics, short stories, essays on social and political matters, visual images,
calendars, caricatures and cartoons became the new forms of publications. These
new forms of publications popularized the ideas of modernity and tradition,
religion and politics, and society and culture.

2. Women’s reading increased among the middle class because their lives and feeling
began to be written.

3. For the easy and affordable access of the printed books to even the poor people
very cheap, small books were published and also the public libraries were set up. 4.
4. Primary education was made compulsory and hence the children became the
important section of readers. The publishing industries started producing the
school textbooks.

12 What was the attitude of the liberal and conservative Indians towards women’s reading? 3
 How did women like Kailashbhashini Debi respond to this in their writings?
Women’s reading increased among the middle class because their lives and feeling began
to be written and also the liberal husbands and fathers focused on their education.

1. The conservative Hindu families believed that the literate girl would be widowed.

2. The conservative Muslim families thought that by reading Urdu romances their
women would be corrupted.

3. Kailashbhashini Debi from Bengal, wrote about the experiences of the women
such as how they are imprisoned at home ignorance, forced work, unjust treatment
at home and society etc.

13 Explain with examples the role of print culture in the bringing of the French revolution. 3
Three different arguments were put connection with the print culture and
revolution.

1. The print culture spread the ideas of the great thinkers like Voltaire and
Rousseau. They criticized tradition, custom, superstition, despotism and the
authority of church. They wanted rule of reason, questioning and rationality.

2. Debate and dialogue started due to the coming of the print culture which
resulted in the re-evaluation of the values, norms and the institutions. This had
brought the idea of social revolution. The morality of the royal powers were
criticized and the social order was questioned.

3. The cartoons and the caricatures revealed the sensual pleasures of the
monarchs and the hardship of the common people. Hence, the people stood
against the monarchy.

14 Martin Luther remarked, “Printing is the ultimate gift of god and the greatest one.” Explain 3
his remarks in the light of religious reforms that took place in Europe.
Martin Luther was a religious reformer. He wrote 95 theses in the year 1517 against the
practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church.

1. This action of Martin Luther led to the division within the church and marked the
beginning of the Protestants reformers. Luther said that the ‘printing is the ultimate
gift of god and the greatest one’ because 5000 copies of his translated New
Testament were sold within few weeks and also the 2nd edition came in the market
in three months only.

2. Menocchio was a miller in Italy who interpreted the message of Bible. The Roman
Catholic Church was enraged due to his view of god and creation.

3. The Roman Catholic Church started identifying such ideas, beliefs and persons
who wrote against the church and thus Menocchio was hauled up twice and finally
executed. Several restrictions were put over the publishers and the booksellers by
 the church and also the church ordered them to follow the Index of Prohibited
Books from 1558.

15 By the nineteenth century, what were te series of further innovations in printing technology ? 3
1. .By the mid-nineteenth century, Richard M. Hoe of New York had perfected the power-
driven cylindrical press. This was capable of printing 8,000 sheets per hour. This press was
particularly useful for printing newspapers.

2. In the late nineteenth century, the offset press was developed which could print up to six
colours at a time.

3. From the turn of the twentieth century, electrically operated presses accelerated printing
operations. A series of other developments followed. Methods of feeding paper improved,
the quality of plates became better, automatic paper reels and photoelectric controls of the
colour register were introduced.

16 Why Mercier did commented ‘Tremble, therefore, tyrants of the world! Tremble before the virtual 3
writer!’

1. Louise-Sebastien Mercier, was a novelist in eighteenth-century France, declared: ‘The printing

2. In many of Mercier’s novels, the heroes are transformed by acts of reading.

3. They devour books, are lost in the world books create, and become enlightened in the process.
Convinced of the power of print in bringing enlightenment and destroying the basis of
despotism,

17 What was Vernacular press act? 3

1. In 1878, the Vernacular Press Act was passed, modeled on the Irish Press Laws.
2. It provided the government with extensive rights to censor reports and editorials in the
vernacular press.
3. From now on the government kept regular track of the vernacular newspapers published in
different provinces.
4. When a report was judged as seditious, the newspaper was warned, and if the warning was
ignored, the press was liable to be seized and the printing machinery confiscated.
 DEMERITS OF MANUSCRIPTS 3
18  Manuscripts, however, were highly expensive and fragile.
 They had to be handled carefully, and they could not be read easily as the script was written
in different styles.
 So manuscripts were not widely used in everyday life.