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Read the followin… (Class 10 Social Science SQP 2026-27, Q8)

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Social ScienceCBSE Class 10 · Sample paper, session 2026-27 · 4 marks · Case-based

CBSE Class 10 Social Science sample paper 2026-27: question 8

From the official CBSE sample question paper for 2026-27, section A, question 8, for 4 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q8 · 4 marks · Case-basedCompetency-basedPrint Culture and the Modern World

Read the following text and answer the questions that follow:

Print comes to India

The printing press first came to Goa 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 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. From 1780, James Augustus Hickey edited the Bengal Gazette, a weekly magazine that claimed to be independent of colonial influence. This marked the beginning of English newspaper printing in India.

Source-India and the Contemporary World – II, NCERT. Class 10, Chapter 5

  1. 8.1

    Identify the newspaper that marked the beginning of English newspaper printing in India.

    1 mark
  2. 8.2

    Explain how James Augustus Hickey demonstrated independence through his newspaper.

    1 mark
  3. 8.3

    Evaluate how the early printing activities contributed to the spread of knowledge in India before English newspapers became popular.

    2 marks

Source: official sample paper from cbseacademic.nic.in (PDF). See it in the full Sample paper 2026-27.

Hints

Open one hint at a time and try again before the next.

Hint 1

Read the second paragraph for the newspaper's name.

Hint 2

What did Hickey claim about his weekly?

Hint 3

Which languages were books printed in?

Step-by-step solution

Each step shows the marks it earns, as an examiner would award them. Checked by an independent re-solve from the question paper.

  1. 8.1 The Bengal Gazette began English newspaper printing in India.

    1 mark

  2. 8.2 James Augustus Hickey published it as a private weekly that claimed to be open to all and free from colonial authorities' influence.

    1 mark

  3. 8.3 Early printing spread knowledge because books and religious texts were printed in regional languages such as Konkani, Tamil and Malayalam. Written material thus became accessible to local people.

    1 mark

  4. It also circulated ideas widely, well before English newspapers rose. For example, about 50 Konkani and Kanara books by 1674, and 32 Dutch-printed Tamil texts by 1710.

    1 mark

Answer: 8.1 Bengal Gazette; 8.2 a private weekly claiming independence from colonial influence; 8.3 printing in regional languages made books accessible and spread ideas.

Where the marks are

  • Bengal Gazette named (1 mark)
  • Hickey's independent, private weekly (1 mark)
  • Books in regional languages made knowledge accessible (1 mark)
  • Circulation of ideas before English papers, with an example (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from Print Culture and the Modern World, one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paperSample paper 2026-27: every question, by section.

The question is transcribed from the official paper; figures are described in words. The solution, hints and chapter tag are ours. Spotted an error? Write tosupport@questionbuddy.in.