NCERT Solutions for Class 10 Social Science History Chapter 5 Print Culture and the Modern World

The NCERT Solutions for Class 10 Social Science History Chapter 5 Print Culture and the Modern World help students understand how the invention of print changed societies, cultures, and the spread of knowledge. This chapter highlights how books, newspapers, and pamphlets played a very important role in shaping the modern world. By going through the class 10 history chapter 5 questions and answers, students get a clear idea about the link between print and social change.

The print culture and the modern world class 10 questions and answers explain how printing began in China, spread to Europe, and later became common across the world. The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg marked a turning point in human history. With the help of class 10 history ch 5 question answer, learners can see how ideas of freedom, democracy, and reforms reached ordinary people.

This chapter also shows how print helped in spreading religious reforms, scientific discoveries, and even political revolutions. The class 10 print culture and the modern world question answer guide students to think about the role of newspapers and books in shaping public opinion. For example, during the French Revolution and later in India’s freedom struggle, print acted as a powerful tool to unite people. Through the class 10th history chapter 5 question answer, students learn how print became a medium of change.

The NCERT solutions provide clear explanations so that learners can write precise answers in exams. The class 10 history print culture and modern world question answer also help in developing a deeper understanding of how the world moved from handwritten manuscripts to mass-printed books. This makes history not only informative but also interesting.

Do Check: NCERT Solutions for Class 10 History Chapter 2 Nationalism in India

Print Culture and the Modern World Class 10 Questions and Answers

Q1. Give Reasons for the Following

(a) Woodblock print reached Europe only after 1295

• Woodblock printing was invented in China around the sixth century.
• It was introduced to Europe much later, in 1295, when the famous traveler Marco Polo returned from China to Italy.
• Along with stories of Chinese culture, he also brought the knowledge of woodblock printing.

(b) Martin Luther supported print and praised it

• Martin Luther strongly believed that the printing press helped spread his thoughts and teachings to common people.
• In 1517, he wrote the Ninety-Five Theses, criticizing the wrong practices of the Roman Catholic Church. These writings were quickly printed and circulated widely.
• His translation of the New Testament was also published and read by thousands of people.
• Printing technology made it possible for even ordinary people to read books, which encouraged him to support it.

(c) The Roman Catholic Church started the Index of Prohibited Books in the mid-16th century

• The Church feared that freely available religious books would encourage people to question its authority and teachings.
• To stop the spread of new and “dangerous” ideas, the Church began keeping a list called the Index of Prohibited Books in 1558.
• It also kept strict control over publishers and booksellers, ensuring that any book considered harmful to its authority was banned.

(d) Gandhi said Swaraj meant freedom of speech, press, and association

• Mahatma Gandhi believed that true Swaraj (self-rule) was not just political independence but also included freedom of speech, press, and association.
• He saw these freedoms as the main tools for shaping public opinion and spreading awareness.
• According to him, denying these rights meant denying independence itself.
• Hence, he considered the fight for Swaraj as a fight to secure these freedoms for the people.

Do Check: NCERT Solutions for Class 10 History Chapter 3 The making of a Global World

Q2. Write Short Notes on

(a) The Gutenberg Press

• The first modern printing press was created by Johann Gutenberg in the 1430s.
• By 1448, he had perfected printing using techniques from wine and olive presses.
• The first book printed was the Bible, with 180 copies produced in three years.
• Even though these books were printed, they still had unique touches like decorated first pages and hand-drawn borders.

(b) Erasmus’s view on printed books

• Erasmus, a scholar, was critical of printing.
• He believed that although some books spread knowledge, many others were harmful.
• He accused printers of publishing books that were “stupid, scandalous, and irreligious.”
• He felt that the flood of such books reduced the value of truly important writings.

(c) The Vernacular Press Act (1878)

• This law was inspired by Irish Press Laws and passed by the British in 1878.
• It gave the colonial government the power to censor local language newspapers.
• If a newspaper published material seen as “seditious,” the government could seize its press and machinery.
• This act was a direct attack on the freedom of expression in India.

Do Check: NCERT Solutions for Class 10 History

Q3. Impact of Print Culture in 19th Century India

(a) Women

• Print culture encouraged women’s education in India. Many progressive men supported women’s schooling.
• Women began to read novels, articles, and even write their own works.
• For example, Rashsundari Devi wrote her autobiography Amar Jiban in 1876, the first full-length autobiography by an Indian woman.
• However, conservatives argued that women’s education would corrupt them or make them widows. As a result, many women studied secretly.

(b) The Poor

• Cheap books and public libraries made reading possible for the poor.
• Writings against caste discrimination became popular and were read by workers and peasants.
• Many factory workers also set up their own libraries and even became authors. For instance, Kashibaba wrote Chhote Aur Bade Sawal highlighting social issues.

(c) Reformers

• Social and religious reformers used print to spread their ideas widely.
• Newspapers and pamphlets allowed debates and discussions among different groups.
• Reformist writings were often in local languages, making them accessible to the common people and helping reforms reach a wider audience.

Discuss

Q1. Why some in 18th-century Europe believed print would bring enlightenment and end despotism

• Many people thought that cheap and easily available books would spread literacy beyond the upper classes.
• Reformers like Martin Luther supported this, while monarchs and the Church feared it.
• Thinkers like Voltaire and Rousseau used books to promote ideas of liberty, equality, and fraternity, which influenced the French Revolution.
• Print created a culture of debate, helping people question old traditions and encouraging new ideas of justice and equality.

Q2. Why some feared printed books (Europe and India)

• Those in power feared books because they spread questioning ideas.
• In Europe, the Roman Catholic Church banned books that challenged its teachings and created the Index of Prohibited Books.
• In India, both the colonial government and upper-caste groups feared print. They worried that books criticizing their authority or social practices would inspire people to rebel.

Do Check: CBSE Class 10 Social Science Syllabus

Q3. Effects of print culture on poor people in India

• Low-cost books and libraries helped poor people educate themselves.
• Writings on caste inequality inspired them to challenge injustices.
• Encouraged by reformers, some workers even wrote their own books, like Kashibaba’s Chhote Aur Bade Ka Sawal.

Q4. How print culture supported nationalism in India

• Print made nationalist ideas easily available to ordinary people.
• Newspapers exposed British misrule and encouraged Indians to fight for freedom.
• When the British tried to censor print, nationalist publications only grew stronger.
• This made people more politically aware and united them in the struggle for independence.