Print Culture and the Modern World Class 10 important questions with answers

What comes in the exam

• Print Culture and the Modern World is a History chapter.
• Many questions are 1-mark MCQs: matching writers with their books or newspapers, putting events in order, and print in India and its reform debates, which come almost every year.
• A 4-mark case study comes almost every year, mostly on print coming to India, censorship or the press under British rule.
• 3-mark questions come almost every year too: on early printing in East Asia, Gutenberg, Luther and the Reformation, and print and the French Revolution.
• A 5-mark question is rare.

Top 10 Print Culture and the Modern World questions from board papers

Real CBSE questions, printed as they appeared. Open each answer to see the marking and the steps.

1. Q1 MCQ · 1 mark CBSE · 2026

   Match writers and their works

   Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched ? Column – A (Writer) – Column – B (Contribution)

   • (A) Ram Chaddha – Bengal Gazette
   • (B) Gangadhar Bhattacharya – Kesari
   • (C) Jyotiba Phule – Gulamgiri
   • (D) Rashsundari Devi – Padmarg
   Answer and marking

   Correct option: (C) Jyotiba Phule – Gulamgiri

   1. Test each pair against the book. Bengal Gazette = Gangadhar Bhattacharya ; Kesari = Tilak ; Ram Chaddha = Istri Dharam Vichar
   2. Only Jyotiba Phule and Gulamgiri (1871) is right. Correct option: (C) Jyotiba Phule – Gulamgiri 1 mark

   Answer: (C) Jyotiba Phule – Gulamgiri

   Marks: Correct option 1

   For full marks: Check every pair; the wrong ones swap writers between works.

   Where students lose marks: Choosing (B) gives Kesari to Gangadhar Bhattacharya; he published the Bengal Gazette, and Tilak ran Kesari.

   CBSE marking scheme

   (C) Jyotiba Phule – Gulamgiri.

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2. Q2 MCQ · 1 mark CBSE · 2026

   Match books and authors

   Choose the correctly matched pair from the following : (Book) — (Author)

   • (A) Amar Jiban — Tarabai Shinde
   • (B) Gulamgiri — Rashsundri Debi
   • (C) Burhi Aair Sadhu — Lakshminath Bezbaruah
   • (D) Sambad Kaumudi — Pandita Ramarai
   Answer and marking

   Correct option: (C) Burhi Aair Sadhu — Lakshminath Bezbaruah

   1. Test each pair against the books. Amar Jiban = Rashsundari Devi ; Gulamgiri = Jyotiba Phule ; Sambad Kaumudi = Rammohan Roy
   2. Lakshminath Bezbaruah collected Assamese folk tales in Burhi Aair Sadhu, so pick (C). Correct option: (C) Burhi Aair Sadhu — Lakshminath Bezbaruah 1 mark

   Answer: (C) Burhi Aair Sadhu — Lakshminath Bezbaruah

   Marks: Correct option 1

   For full marks: Check every pair; the wrong ones swap writers between works.

   Where students lose marks: Choosing (A) gives Amar Jiban to Tarabai Shinde; Rashsundari Devi wrote it.

   CBSE marking scheme

   (C) Burhi Aair Sadhu – Lakshminath Bezbaruah

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3. Q3 Short answer · 3 marks CBSE · 2026

   Gutenberg's role in print

   Explain the role of Johann Gutenberg in the spread of print culture in Europe.

   Answer and marking

   1. Show how his old skills helped him invent. A master goldsmith who could make lead moulds, Gutenberg adapted existing technology to design his printing press. 1 mark
   2. Name the first book he printed. The first book he printed was the Bible; about 180 copies were printed. 1 mark
   3. End with what his press led to in Europe. Printing presses grew, book production boomed, and his innovation led to the Print Revolution. 1 mark

   Answer: Adapted his goldsmith skills and existing technology to design the press ; first printed the Bible (about 180 copies) ; led to the Print Revolution

   Marks: Any three points 1 each

   For full marks: The question asks about the spread of print, so end with the boom in books and the Print Revolution.

   Where students lose marks: Writing only his life story (merchant's son, farm estate) without saying what he built or what it led to.

   CBSE marking scheme

   Any three (3x1): learnt stone polishing, became a master goldsmith and knew how to make moulds for trinkets; drew on this knowledge and adapted existing technology to design his press; first book printed was the Bible (180 copies); printing presses grew and book production boomed in Europe; his innovation led to the Print Revolution; Protestant Reformation and reading mania were outcomes; any other relevant point.

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4. Q4 Short answer · 3 marks CBSE · 2026

   Print and the French Revolution

   “Print culture created the favourable conditions for the French Revolution.” Explain the statement with examples.

   Answer and marking

   1. First argument: whose ideas print spread. Print popularised Enlightenment ideas, which argued for the rule of reason rather than custom. 1 mark
   2. Name the writers and what they attacked. Voltaire and Rousseau, widely read, attacked the sacred authority of the Church and the despotic power of the state. 1 mark
   3. Give the third argument about royalty with the example of cartoons. By the 1780s, literature and cartoons mocked the royalty and its morality, breeding hostility towards the monarchy. 1 mark

   Answer: Spread Enlightenment ideas of reason ; Voltaire and Rousseau attacked Church and state ; 1780s literature and cartoons mocked royalty

   Marks: Any three points 1 each

   For full marks: 'With examples' means naming Voltaire and Rousseau and the 1780s cartoons. Keep within 60 words.

   Where students lose marks: Describing the events of the Revolution, like the storming of the Bastille, instead of how print prepared the ground.

   CBSE marking scheme

   Any three (1x3): print spread Enlightenment ideas — reason over custom; Voltaire and Rousseau attacked Church authority and state despotism; print created a culture of dialogue and debate, re-evaluating values and institutions and giving rise to ideas of social revolution; by the 1780s literature mocked royalty and its morality; underground cartoons showed the king's luxury and people's hardships, breeding hostility to monarchy; any other relevant point.

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5. Q5 Short answer · 3 marks CBSE · 2026

   Judge print in French Revolution

   Evaluate the role of print in the French Revolution.

   Answer and marking

   1. Name the thinkers whose ideas print popularised. Print popularised Enlightenment ideas of Voltaire and Rousseau, critical of tradition, superstition and despotism, and for the rule of reason. 1 mark
   2. Say what this did to readers and debate. Readers became questioning and rational; a new culture of dialogue and debate re-evaluated all values and institutions. 1 mark
   3. End with the 1780s attack on the monarchy. By the 1780s, literature and cartoons mocked the royalty, showing it in pleasures while people suffered. 1 mark

   Answer: Spread Enlightenment ideas ; culture of debate, values re-evaluated ; 1780s satire mocked royalty

   Marks: Any three points 1 each

   For full marks: 'Evaluate' needs the effect of each: what readers began to think or feel. Keep within 60 words.

   Where students lose marks: Narrating the Revolution's events, like the fall of the Bastille, instead of what print did before it.

   CBSE marking scheme

   Any three (3x1=3): popularised Enlightenment ideas (Voltaire, Rousseau) critical of tradition, superstition, despotism and for rule of reason; attacked authority of Church and despotic state, eroding the old order; readers became questioning and rational; new culture of dialogue and debate, all values re-evaluated; 1780s literature mocked royalty; cartoons showed monarchy in pleasures while people suffered.

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6. Q6 Short answer · 3 marks CBSE · 2026

   Gutenberg's contribution

   Analyse Gutenberg’s contribution to printing in Europe.

   Answer and marking

   1. Say what skills Gutenberg learnt before he built his press. He learnt the art of polishing stones, became a master goldsmith and could make lead moulds for trinkets 1 mark
   2. Show how he adapted things he already knew to build the press. The olive press was the model for his printing press, and moulds were used to cast metal types for letters 1 mark
   3. Give the result: his first book and how fast it was produced. By 1448 he perfected the system; the first book was the Bible, about 180 copies in three years 1 mark

   Answer: Goldsmith skills ; olive press as model and metal type ; Bible, 180 copies in three years

   Marks: Any three points 1 each

   For full marks: "Analyse" needs what he did and why it mattered, such as fast production for the time.

   Where students lose marks: Saying Gutenberg invented printing itself; China and Europe already had woodblock printing, he adapted existing technology.

   CBSE marking scheme

   Any three (3x1): learnt stone polishing, became a master goldsmith, could make lead moulds for trinkets; drew on this to adapt existing technology; olive press was the model for the printing press, moulds cast metal types for letters; perfected the printing system; first book printed was the Bible; about 180 copies in three years — fast production for the time; any other relevant point.

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7. Q7 Case study · 4 marks CBSE · 2026

   Case: Censoring vernacular news

   Read the given source carefully and answer the questions that follow : Print and Censorship After the revolt of 1857, the attitude of the colonial government towards freedom of the press changed. Enraged Englishmen demanded a clamp down on the ‘native’ press. As vernacular newspapers became assertively nationalist, the colonial government began debating measures of stringent control. In 1878, the Vernacular Press Act was passed, modelled on the Irish Press Laws. It provided the government with extensive rights to censor reports and editorials in the vernacular press. From now on the government kept regular track of the vernacular newspapers published in different provinces. 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. (9.1) Which Act was the inspiration of the 'Vernacular Press Act' ? (1) (9.2) Why was the colonial government not in favour of freedom of the press ? (1) (9.3) Which two powers were given by the Vernacular Press Act to the colonial government ? (2)

   Answer and marking

   1. (9.1) Read the line saying what the Act was modelled on. The Irish Press Laws. 1 mark
   2. (9.2) Say what the vernacular papers had become after 1857. Indian vernacular newspapers were becoming assertively nationalist. 1 mark
   3. (9.3) Give the first power the Act gave. Extensive rights to censor reports and editorials in the vernacular press. 1 mark
   4. Give the second power: what happened if a warning was ignored. If a seditious report's warning was ignored, the press could be seized and the printing machinery confiscated. 1 mark

   Answer: (9.1) Irish Press Laws ; (9.2) papers were assertively nationalist ; (9.3) right to censor ; seize the press and confiscate machinery

   Marks: (9.1) 1 · (9.2) 1 · (9.3) Any two 1 each

   For full marks: 9.3 asks for powers, so write what the government could do: censor, seize the press, confiscate machinery.

   Where students lose marks: In 9.3 writing the same power twice, like 'censor reports' and 'censor editorials', as two points.

   CBSE marking scheme

   (9.1) Irish Press Laws. (1) (9.2) Any one: Indian newspapers were becoming assertively nationalist; after 1857 enraged Englishmen demanded a clamp down on the 'native' press; the government debated stringent control; it feared the spread of revolutionary ideas; any other relevant point. (1) (9.3) Any two (2x1=2): extensive rights to censor reports and editorials in the vernacular press; keeping regular track of vernacular newspapers; seizing the press if a seditious report's warning was ignored; confiscating printing machinery; any other relevant point. (1+1+2=4)

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8. Q8 Case study · 4 marks CBSE · 2026

   Case: Print comes to India

   Read the given source carefully and answer the questions that follow : Print Comes to India The printing press first came to Goa in India with Portuguese missionaries in the mid-sixteenth century. Jesuit priests learnt Konkani and printed several tracts. By 1674, about 50 books had been printed in the Konkani and in Kanara languages. Catholic priests printed the first Tamil book in 1579 at Cochin, and in 1713 the first Malayalam book was printed by them. By 1710, Dutch Protestant missionaries had printed 32 Tamil texts, many of them translations of older works. The English language press did not grow in India till quite late even though the English East India Company began to import presses from the late seventeenth century. 8.1 Mention the method of printing used in India before the advent of printing technology. (1) 8.2 Why did western missionaries give importance to printing in India ? (1) 8.3 Explain the role of printing in Indian National Movement. (2)

   Answer and marking

   1. (8.1) Recall how texts were copied in India before the printing press came. Handwritten manuscripts 1 mark
   2. (8.2) Say what the missionaries wanted to spread through printed books. They wanted to spread Christianity 1 mark
   3. (8.3) Give the first way print helped the national movement. Newspapers conveyed news from place to place and connected people, creating pan-Indian identities 1 mark
   4. Give a second way, about what the papers spread. Many newspapers spread nationalist sentiment and reported colonial misrule 1 mark

   Answer: 8.1 Handwritten manuscripts ; 8.2 To spread Christianity ; 8.3 Pan-Indian identities and nationalist ideas spread

   Marks: (8.1) 1 · (8.2) 1 · (8.3) Any two points 1 each

   For full marks: 8.3 asks you to explain, so write two separate points, each showing how print helped the movement.

   Where students lose marks: In 8.1 writing 'woodblock printing'; that was China and Japan, while India used handwritten manuscripts.

   CBSE marking scheme

   8.1 Handwritten manuscripts (1). 8.2 They wanted to spread Christianity (1). 8.3 Any two, 1 each: (i) print connected people in different parts of India; (ii) newspapers conveyed news from place to place, creating pan-Indian identities; (iii) many newspapers spread nationalist sentiment; (iv) social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy published books to reform society and spread awareness; (v) any other relevant point.

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9. Q9 Case study · 4 marks CBSE · 2025

   Case: Press control in wartime

   Read the given source and answer the questions that follow : Print and Censorship The power of the printed word is most often seen in the way governments seek to regulate and suppress print. The colonial government kept continuous track of all books and newspapers published in India and passed numerous laws to control the press. During the First World War, under the Defence of India Rules, 22 newspapers had to furnish securities. Of these, 18 shut down rather than comply with government orders. The Sedition Committee Report under Rowlatt in 1919 further strengthened controls that led to imposition of penalties on various newspapers. At the outbreak of the Second World War, the ‘Defence of India Act’ was passed, allowing censoring of reports of war-related topics. All reports about the Quit India Movement came under its purview. In August 1942, about 90 newspapers were suppressed. (34.1) Why were newspapers suppressed in 1942 ? (1) (34.2) How did the colonial government’s policies affect nationalism ? (1) (34.3) Examine the role of the press in colonial India. (2)

   Answer and marking

   1. (34.1) Find the 1942 lines in the source and give the purpose of the Act. To censor reports on war-related topics and stop the spread of news of the Quit India Movement. 1 mark
   2. (34.2) Think about how being suppressed together made people feel. The shared sense of being suppressed under colonial rule bound different groups together and strengthened nationalism. 1 mark
   3. (34.3) Give the first role: what the press revealed about the rulers. The press exposed the repressive policies of the British and reported on colonial misrule. 1 mark
   4. Give the second role: what the press spread among people. It spread the idea of nationalism and encouraged nationalist activities. 1 mark

   Answer: (34.1) To censor war reports and news of the Quit India Movement ; (34.2) shared suppression united Indians ; (34.3) exposed British repression ; spread nationalism

   Marks: (34.1) 1 · (34.2) 1 · (34.3) Any two 1 each

   For full marks: For 34.1 use the Quit India link the source gives. For 34.3 write two different roles, one line each.

   Where students lose marks: In 34.2 only repeating that laws controlled the press, without saying what that did to nationalism.

   CBSE marking scheme

   (34.1) (1): to censor reports of war-related topics and control the spread of the Quit India Movement; any other relevant point. (34.2) Any one (1): suppression of print tightened controls and penalties (Rowlatt/Sedition Committee); the shared sense of being suppressed under colonialism bound different groups together; any other relevant point. (34.3) Any two (2x1=2): exposed British repressive policies; promoted social reforms; enabled exchange of ideas; spread the idea of nationalism; any other relevant point.

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10. Q10 Case study · 4 marks CBSE · 2025

    Case: Colonial press censorship

    Read the given source and answer the questions that follow : Print and Censorship The power of the printed word is most often seen in the way governments seek to regulate and suppress print. The colonial government kept continuous track of all books and newspapers published in India and passed numerous laws to control the press. During the First World War, under the Defence of India Rules, 22 newspapers had to furnish securities. Of these, 18 shut down rather than comply with government orders. The Sedition Committee Report under Rowlatt in 1919 further strengthened controls that led to imposition of penalties on various newspapers. At the outbreak of the Second World War, the Defence of India Act was passed, allowing censoring of reports of war-related topics. All reports about the Quit India movement came under its purview. In August 1942, about 90 newspapers were suppressed. (34.1) Explain the meaning of 'censor'. (1) (34.2) Why did the colonial administration keep an eye on books and newspapers ? (1) (34.3) Why did Gandhiji start a nationwide Satyagraha against the Rowlatt Act ? Explain any two reasons. (2)

    Answer and marking

    1. (34.1) Use the source's own example to say what censoring means. To censor means to control what is published, for example stopping books and newspapers critical of government policy. 1 mark
    2. (34.2) Give the reason the rulers feared print. Many books and newspapers criticised British misrule and encouraged nationalist activity. 1 mark
    3. (34.3) Give the first reason: what powers the Act gave. The Rowlatt Act gave the government enormous powers to repress political activities. 1 mark
    4. Give the second reason: what it allowed against prisoners. It allowed detention of political prisoners without trial for two years. 1 mark

    Answer: (34.1) Controlling what is published ; (34.2) print criticised British misrule ; (34.3) enormous powers to repress politics ; detention without trial for two years

    Marks: (34.1) 1 · (34.2) 1 · (34.3) Any two 1 each

    For full marks: 34.3 comes from the Nationalism chapter, not the source. Write the 'two years without trial' detail; it is a full mark.

    Where students lose marks: In 34.3 writing about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, which happened after the satyagraha began and was not a reason for starting it.

    CBSE marking scheme

    (34.1) Any one (1): tracking of all books and newspapers published; controlling publication of books/newspapers critical of government policy. (34.2) Any one (1): many books and newspapers criticised British misrule and encouraged nationalist activity; vernacular press was assertively nationalist; government wanted to suppress print, passed laws to control the press; print created unity among Indians. (34.3) Any two (1+1): the Act gave the government enormous powers to repress political activities; allowed detention of political prisoners without trial for two years; any other relevant point.

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Free 10-question test: Print Culture and the Modern World

MCQ and Assertion–Reason questions from CBSE papers. About 10 minutes. Your score shows straight away.

Common mistakes in Print Culture and the Modern World

How to write for full marks

• In a case study, read the source first. The 1-mark parts are often answered in the passage, so use its words. The 2-mark part needs two points and may need the wider chapter.
• For a 3-mark answer, write three different points within 60 words. Name the person or work as you go: Voltaire and Rousseau, Luther's Ninety-Five Theses.
• For 'explain with examples', give a real example from the book for each point.
• Write the year beside each event in rough before you answer an order-of-events MCQ.

Questions students ask