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Chapter-3 MCQ, The Making of a Global World
NCERT Based MCQ with Explanation:
1. Which region developed the earliest form of print technology?
(a) Europe
(b) East Asia
(c) India
(d) Middle East
Explanation: Hand printing using woodblocks began in China, Japan, and Korea around AD 594, with paper rubbed against inked woodblocks, marking the earliest print technology, predating European advancements.
2. What was a key feature of the Chinese 'accordion book'?
(a) Printed on both sides
(b) Folded and stitched at the side
(c) Bound with leather covers
(d) Illustrated with metal engravings
Explanation: The Chinese 'accordion book' was folded and stitched at the side due to the thin, porous paper that could not be printed on both sides, ensuring durability and a unique format.
3. Why did the imperial state in China dominate early print production?
(a) To promote fictional narratives
(b) To support civil service examinations
(c) To spread religious texts
(d) To enhance trade records
Explanation: The imperial state printed vast numbers of textbooks for civil service examinations, which recruited personnel for its bureaucracy, significantly increasing print volume from the sixteenth century.
4. How did print usage diversify in China by the seventeenth century?
(a) Focused solely on religious texts
(b) Included fictional narratives and poetry
(c) Limited to scholarly works
(d) Restricted to imperial decrees
Explanation: By the seventeenth century, print in China expanded to include fictional narratives, poetry, autobiographies, and romantic plays, catering to an urban readership seeking leisure reading material.
5. What marked the shift in Chinese print culture in the late nineteenth century?
(a) Introduction of hand-drawn illustrations
(b) Adoption of Western mechanical presses
(c) Ban on fictional literature
(d) Revival of woodblock printing
Explanation: In the late nineteenth century, Western mechanical presses were imported to China, with Shanghai becoming a hub for modern print culture, shifting from hand printing to mechanical methods.
6. When was the oldest Japanese printed book, the Buddhist Diamond Sutra, published?
(a) AD 594
(b) AD 768
(c) AD 868
(d) AD 968
Explanation: The Buddhist Diamond Sutra, printed in AD 868, is the oldest Japanese book, featuring six sheets of text and woodcut illustrations, introduced by Buddhist missionaries from China.
7. What was a notable feature of Japanese ukiyo prints in the late eighteenth century?
(a) Depicted rural landscapes
(b) Focused on religious themes
(c) Showcased urban culture
(d) Used metal engravings
Explanation: Ukiyo prints, meaning "pictures of the floating world," depicted urban culture, including artists, courtesans, and teahouse gatherings, reflecting the vibrant life in Edo during the late eighteenth century.
8. Who was a prominent artist known for Japanese ukiyo prints?
(a) Tsutaya Juzaburo
(b) Kitagawa Utamaro
(c) Marco Polo
(d) Johann Gutenberg
Explanation: Kitagawa Utamaro, born in 1753, was renowned for his ukiyo prints, which depicted urban life and influenced Western artists like Manet, Monet, and Van Gogh.
9. How did Chinese paper reach Europe?
(a) Through maritime trade
(b) Via the Silk Route
(c) By air transport
(d) Through colonial conquests
Explanation: Chinese paper reached Europe in the eleventh century through the Silk Route, enabling the production of manuscripts and later facilitating the spread of woodblock printing technology.
10. Who brought woodblock printing knowledge to Europe?
(a) Johann Gutenberg
(b) Marco Polo
(c) Martin Luther
(d) Erasmus
Explanation: Marco Polo, returning to Italy in 1295 after exploring China, brought knowledge of woodblock printing, which led to its adoption in Europe for producing books and other materials.
NCERT Science MCQ, Class 10th11. What material was used for luxury handwritten books in Europe?
(a) Papyrus
(b) Vellum
(c) Cotton paper
(d) Bamboo sheets
Explanation: Luxury editions in Europe were handwritten on vellum, a parchment made from animal skin, valued by aristocratic circles and monastic libraries for its durability and prestige.
12. Where was the first-known printing press developed in the 1430s?
(a) London, England
(b) Strasbourg, Germany
(c) Paris, France
(d) Venice, Italy
Explanation: Johann Gutenberg developed the first-known printing press in Strasbourg, Germany, in the 1430s, revolutionizing book production with movable metal type technology.
13. What inspired Gutenberg’s design for the printing press?
(a) Textile looms
(b) Olive press
(c) Water mills
(d) Windmills
Explanation: Gutenberg adapted the olive press model for his printing press, using it to press paper against inked metal types, enabling faster and more efficient book production.
14. What was the first book printed by Gutenberg?
(a) The Quran
(b) The Bible
(c) The Diamond Sutra
(d) The Ninety-Five Theses
Explanation: Gutenberg’s first printed book was the Bible, with about 180 copies produced over three years, marking a significant achievement in early printing technology.
15. How many copies of printed books flooded Europe between 1450 and 1550?
(a) 2 million
(b) 20 million
(c) 200 million
(d) 2 billion
Explanation: Between 1450 and 1550, around 20 million printed books flooded European markets, a number that grew to about 200 million in the sixteenth century, indicating a print revolution.
16. What was the role of the platen in Gutenberg’s printing press?
(a) Held the paper
(b) Pressed paper onto type
(c) Carved the type
(d) Inked the type
Explanation: The platen, a board in Gutenberg’s press, was pressed onto the paper to transfer ink from the metal type, enabling efficient and uniform printing.
17. How did printed books initially resemble handwritten manuscripts?
(a) Used identical paper types
(b) Imitated ornamental handwritten styles
(c) Contained no illustrations
(d) Were bound in cloth
Explanation: Early printed books mimicked the ornamental styles of handwritten manuscripts, with metal letters designed to resemble calligraphy and hand-illuminated borders.
18. What was a key feature of Gutenberg’s Bible pages?
(a) Uniform across all copies
(b) Hand-illuminated borders
(c) Printed in multiple colors
(d) Made of vellum only
Explanation: Gutenberg’s Bible pages were printed in black with spaces left for hand-illuminated borders and colored text, ensuring each copy was unique and artistically enhanced.
19. What was the role of a compositor in a sixteenth-century printer’s workshop?
(a) Bound the books
(b) Composed the text for printing
(c) Carved woodblocks
(d) Sold the books
Explanation: A compositor arranged the metal types in a galley to compose the text for printing, a critical step in the production of books in a printer’s workshop.
20. What was the print revolution’s impact on society?
(a) Reduced literacy rates
(b) Transformed access to knowledge
(c) Limited book production
(d) Decreased public debates
Explanation: The print revolution made books cheaper and more accessible, transforming how people accessed knowledge, engaged with institutions, and participated in public debates.
21. How did printing affect the reading public in Europe?
(a) Restricted reading to elites
(b) Created a new reading public
(c) Eliminated oral culture
(d) Reduced book availability
22. How did printers make books appealing to illiterate audiences?
(a) Used complex texts
(b) Published illustrated ballads
(c) Printed only in Latin
(d) Avoided pictures
23. Why was Martin Luther in favor of print?
(a) It preserved handwritten manuscripts
(b) It spread his reformist ideas widely
(c) It restricted access to books
(d) It supported Church authority
24. What was the significance of Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses?
(a) Promoted Catholic rituals
(b) Criticized Church practices
(c) Supported monarchy
(d) Banned printing
25. Why did the Roman Catholic Church start the Index of Prohibited Books?
(a) To promote literacy
(b) To control heretical ideas
(c) To encourage printing
(d) To standardize texts
26. Who was Menocchio, and why was he executed?
(a) A printer spreading seditious texts
(b) A miller reinterpreting the Bible
(c) A monk opposing the Church
(d) A bookseller defying censorship
27. What did Erasmus criticize about the spread of printed books?
(a) Their high cost
(b) Their poor quality
(c) Their overwhelming quantity
(d) Their lack of illustrations
28. What was the literacy rate in some European regions by the late eighteenth century?
(a) 20-30%
(b) 40-50%
(c) 60-80%
(d) 90-100%
29. What were penny chapbooks in England?
(a) Expensive manuscripts
(b) Cheap pocket-sized books
(c) Religious tracts
(d) Scientific journals
30. What was the ‘Biliotheque Bleue’ in France?
(a) A library for elites
(b) Low-priced small books
(c) A printing press
(d) A censorship board
31. How did the periodical press develop in the eighteenth century?
(a) Focused only on scientific texts
(b) Combined news and entertainment
(c) Avoided current affairs
(d) Printed only in Latin
32. Whose ideas became more accessible through print in the eighteenth century?
(a) Monarchs and nobles
(b) Scientists and philosophers
(c) Religious priests
(d) Military leaders
33. What did Louise-Sebastien Mercier believe about the printing press?
(a) It hindered progress
(b) It was a tool for despotism
(c) It was the engine of progress
(d) It was irrelevant to society
34. How did print culture contribute to the French Revolution, according to historians?
(a) It suppressed revolutionary ideas
(b) It popularized Enlightenment ideas
(c) It supported monarchy propaganda
(d) It reduced literacy rates
35. What type of literature mocked the French monarchy before the Revolution?
(a) Religious texts
(b) Cartoons and caricatures
(c) Scientific journals
(d) Official decrees
36. How did people interpret revolutionary literature during the French Revolution?
(a) Accepted all ideas uniformly
(b) Rejected all printed material
(c) Selectively accepted ideas
(d) Ignored print entirely
37. Why did children become an important reading category in the nineteenth century?
(a) Decline in adult literacy
(b) Compulsory primary education
(c) Ban on adult books
(d) Lack of printing presses
38. Who compiled traditional folk tales in Germany in the nineteenth century?
(a) Jane Austen
(b) The Grimm Brothers
(c) George Eliot
(d) Voltaire
39. What role did penny magazines play in the nineteenth century?
(a) Targeted only elite readers
(b) Focused on women’s literature
(c) Promoted scientific research
(d) Restricted to religious texts
40. How did lending libraries impact nineteenth-century England?
(a) Reduced book production
(b) Educated workers and artisans
(c) Limited access to books
(d) Promoted oral culture
41. Who developed the power-driven cylindrical press in the nineteenth century?
(a) Johann Gutenberg
(b) Richard M. Hoe
(c) Marco Polo
(d) Martin Luther
42. What innovation in printing occurred in the late nineteenth century?
(a) Woodblock printing revival
(b) Offset press development
(c) Handwritten manuscript boom
(d) Ban on color printing
43. What was a key feature of the Shilling Series in 1920s England?
(a) Expensive luxury editions
(b) Cheap popular works
(c) Scientific textbooks
(d) Religious tracts
44. What material was used for Indian manuscripts before print?
(a) Vellum
(b) Palm leaves
(c) Cotton fabric
(d) Metal sheets
45. Why were Indian manuscripts not widely used in everyday life?
(a) They were too durable
(b) They were expensive and fragile
(c) They were printed in bulk
(d) They were only in English
46. When did the printing press first arrive in India?
(a) Mid-sixteenth century
(b) Early seventeenth century
(c) Late eighteenth century
(d) Early nineteenth century
47. Who printed the first Tamil book in India?
(a) Dutch missionaries
(b) Catholic priests
(c) English traders
(d) Indian scholars
48. What was the Bengal Gazette known for?
(a) Official government propaganda
(b) Independent English enterprise
(c) Religious publications
(d) Scientific journals
49. Why did Warren Hastings persecute the Bengal Gazette?
(a) It promoted Indian culture
(b) It criticized Company officials
(c) It was too expensive
(d) It was poorly printed
50. Who published the first Indian newspaper, the Bengal Gazette?
(a) Rammohun Roy
(b) Gangadhar Bhattacharya
(c) James Augustus Hickey
(d) William Bolts