Complete NCERT textbook questions with model answers for Class 10 History Chapter 5. These solutions follow CBSE marking scheme patterns and show how to structure answers for 1, 3, and 5 marks questions. Focus on answer writing technique rather than just memorizing content.
Write in Brief (1 Mark Questions)
Exam Tip: 1-mark answers should be precise, direct, and not exceed 20-30 words. No explanation needed.
Answer: Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press with movable metal type in Strasbourg around 1440, revolutionizing book production in Europe.
Answer: Vellum was a fine parchment made from animal skin, used for writing before the widespread availability of paper in medieval Europe.
Answer: Rashsundari Debi wrote 'Amar Jiban' (My Life), the first autobiography in Bengali by a woman, published in 1876.
Answer: The Bengal Gazette, started by James Augustus Hickey in 1780, was the first newspaper printed in India.
Short Answer Questions (3 Marks)
Exam Tip: 3-mark answers should be 60-80 words with clear points. Structure: Introduction + 2-3 points + Conclusion.
Answer: Woodblock printing reached Europe from China only after 1295 due to geographical barriers, limited cultural exchange, and different technological development paths between Asia and Europe during the medieval period.
- Geographical isolation: The Silk Route was the main connection, but travel was difficult and knowledge transfer slow
- Marco Polo's return: Italian explorer Marco Polo returned from China in 1295, possibly bringing knowledge of printing techniques
- Different writing systems: European alphabetic writing with few characters made woodblock less practical than for Chinese with thousands of characters
- Manuscript tradition: Europe had strong monastic manuscript culture that resisted new technologies initially
Once introduced, Europeans adapted woodblock for playing cards, religious pictures, and textile printing before developing movable type technology.
Answer: The Vernacular Press Act of 1878 was a repressive colonial law that specifically targeted Indian language newspapers to suppress nationalist criticism and control the growing influence of the vernacular press in British India.
| Aspect | Provisions | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Legal Mechanism | • Required security deposits from publishers • Allowed confiscation of printing presses • No right to appeal in court |
• Financial burden on newspapers • Self-censorship by editors • Some papers closed down |
| Discriminatory Nature | • Applied only to Indian language press • English newspapers exempted • Arbitrary implementation |
• Created resentment among Indians • Highlighted racial discrimination • Strengthened nationalist unity |
| Political Context | • Response to 1857 Revolt memories • Fear of nationalist awakening • Lord Lytton's conservative regime |
• Failed to suppress nationalism • Underground literature flourished • Became symbol of colonial repression |
The Act was repealed in 1881 under public pressure but demonstrated British fear of nationalist ideas spreading through Indian languages.
Answer: The spread of print culture in 19th century India created contradictory experiences for women, offering new opportunities for education and self-expression while also reinforcing patriarchal controls through conservative publications.
| Positive Impacts | Negative/Conservative Influences | Women's Responses |
|---|---|---|
| • Access to education through books • Women writers emerged (Rashsundari Debi) • Women's journals started (Stree Bodh) • Social reform debates participation |
• Conservative literature promoted patriarchy • Fear that reading would corrupt women • Limited to upper-caste, urban women initially • Domesticity emphasis in women's magazines |
• Autobiographies challenged norms • Women readers formed associations • Some became editors and publishers • Used print for social reform advocacy |
While print created spaces for women's voices, access remained limited by class, caste, and region, with rural and poor women largely excluded from this print revolution.
Long Answer Questions (5 Marks)
Exam Tip: 5-mark answers need 120-150 words with proper structure: Introduction, 4-5 main points with examples, and conclusion.
Answer: In 18th-century Europe, intellectuals and reformers believed print culture would bring enlightenment and end despotism because printing made knowledge accessible, fostered critical thinking, and created a public sphere for political debate beyond monarchical control.
Reasons for Enlightenment Optimism About Print:
Historical Validation: These hopes were partially realized as print culture indeed contributed to the American and French Revolutions, spread democratic ideals globally, and created informed citizenries that challenged despotism throughout the 19th century.
Answer: Traditional authorities in both Europe and India feared easily available printed books because they threatened established power structures, religious orthodoxy, and social hierarchies by making knowledge accessible to common people and promoting independent thinking.
| Region | Example of Fear | Reasons for Fear | Control Measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe (Catholic Church) |
Index of Prohibited Books (1559) | • Vernacular Bibles challenged Latin monopoly • Protestant ideas spread through print • Scientific works contradicted Church doctrine • Heretical ideas reached masses |
• Book censorship and burning • Imprimatur requirement • Inquisition against printers • Control over publishing licenses |
| India (Conservative Elites) |
Opposition to Women's Education | • Reading would corrupt women's morality • Challenge to patriarchal control • Fear of Western ideas influence • Threat to traditional gender roles |
• Restrictions on women's reading • Conservative literature production • Social pressure against educated women • Limited school access for girls |
Common Pattern: In both contexts, fears centered on loss of control over information, challenge to authority, and anxiety about social change, demonstrating how print technology inherently carried democratizing potential that threatened established hierarchies.
Map-Based Question
Important: Map questions carry 2-3 marks. Always label clearly and include a key/legend if needed.
a) Strasbourg - where Gutenberg developed printing press
b) Mainz - where first Gutenberg Bible printed
c) Venice - major European printing center in 15th century
d) Serampore - important missionary press in India
e) Important centers of vernacular printing in India
[Image: World map showing spread of printing technology from China to Europe and colonial India]
Map showing: Chinese printing centers, European centers (Strasbourg, Mainz, Venice), Indian vernacular centers (Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Serampore)
Answer Key for Map:
- Strasbourg: Germany - where Gutenberg developed movable type printing (1440s)
- Mainz: Germany - where first Gutenberg Bible printed (1455)
- Venice: Italy - became Europe's printing capital with 150 presses by 1500
- Serampore: West Bengal - William Carey's missionary press (1800)
- Indian vernacular centers: Calcutta (Bengali), Bombay (Marathi), Madras (Tamil), Lucknow (Urdu), Delhi (Hindi/Urdu)
Extra Practice Questions
Answer: Print culture played a crucial role in nurturing Indian nationalism by creating shared consciousness, spreading anti-colonial ideas, developing vernacular political discourse, and connecting dispersed communities into an imagined national community challenging British rule.
| Contribution Area | Specific Mechanisms | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Shared Consciousness | • Standardized vernacular languages • National history writing • Patriotic literature circulation |
• Bankim Chandra's novels • Historical works about past glory • Nationalist poetry and songs |
| Political Communication | • Newspapers reported British exploitation • Political pamphlets spread rapidly • Underground literature during repression |
• Kesari (Tilak), Amrita Bazar Patrika • Revolutionary pamphlets • Banned books secret circulation |
| Anti-Colonial Discourse | • Exposure of colonial policies • Economic critique of British rule • Alternative nationalist vision |
• Drain of wealth theory popularization • Boycott and Swadeshi advocacy • Future India imagining |
| Mass Mobilization | • Connected leaders with masses • Created reading publics • Facilitated organization building |
• Congress resolutions dissemination • Public meeting announcements • Political education materials |
Historical Significance: Print transformed nationalism from elite concern to mass movement, with British attempts to control press through Vernacular Press Act (1878) and other measures proving counterproductive by highlighting colonial repression and strengthening nationalist resolve.
Answer: While print technology impacted religious developments in both Europe and India by challenging orthodoxies and enabling religious reforms, its effects differed significantly due to varying historical contexts, religious structures, and colonial dynamics in the two regions.
| Aspect | Europe (15th-16th Century) | India (19th Century) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Impact | • Protestant Reformation • Catholic Counter-Reformation • Religious wars and divisions |
• Religious reform movements • Inter-religious debates • Scriptural democratization |
| Key Mechanisms | • Vernacular Bibles challenged Latin monopoly • Luther's 95 Theses mass printing • Pamphlet wars between Catholics and Protestants |
• Scriptures translated into vernaculars • Religious newspapers and tracts • Public debates through print |
| Institutional Response | • Catholic Index of Prohibited Books • Inquisition against heretical printing • Censorship and book burning |
• Religious organizations started presses • Ulama published fatwas and interpretations • Reform societies used print extensively |
| Social Consequences | • End of Catholic religious monopoly • Rise of individual interpretation • Religious pluralism in some regions |
• Religious identities strengthened • Reform vs orthodox debates intensified • Inter-community tensions sometimes increased |
| Colonial Context | • Indigenous European development • No external imposition |
• Introduced through colonialism • Missionary presses initially dominant • Nationalist appropriation later |
Divergent Paths: In Europe, print directly caused religious revolution (Reformation), while in India it facilitated existing reform trends within colonial constraints, with both experiencing print's power to transform religious authority and practice.
Answer Writing Checklist
Final Note: These solutions demonstrate how to write answers, not just what to write. Practice adapting this structure to different questions.
