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Analyse Gutenberg's… (Class 10 Social Science 2026, Q7a)

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Social ScienceCBSE Class 10 · Board exam 2026, set 32/3/1 · 3 marks · Short answer

CBSE Class 10 Social Science 2026: question 7(a)

Set in the CBSE Class 10 board exam of 2026, paper 32/3/1, section A, question 7(a), for 3 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q7(a) · 3 marks · Short answerPrint Culture and the Modern World

Analyse Gutenberg's contribution to printing in Europe.

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2026 board paper, set 32/3/1.

Hints

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

Hint 1

Think about Gutenberg's earlier skills and his family surroundings.

Hint 2

Which existing machine did he adapt, and what did he cast in moulds?

Hint 3

Recall the first book he printed and how many copies he produced in three years.

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. Gutenberg grew up around a wine and olive press and learnt the art of polishing stones. He became a master goldsmith and had expertise in making lead moulds for casting metal types.

    1 mark

  2. He used this knowledge to adapt existing technology: the olive press became the basis of the printing press, and moulds were used to cast the metal letters of the alphabet.

    1 mark

  3. By 1448 he had perfected the system. The first book he printed was the Bible; about 180 copies were printed in three years, which was very fast production by the standards of that time.

    1 mark

Answer: Gutenberg developed the printing press from the olive press, used metal types, printed the Bible (about 180 copies in three years) and made book production fast.

Where the marks are

  • Background skills of Gutenberg (1 mark)
  • Adapted the olive press and moulds for metal type (1 mark)
  • Printed the Bible, about 180 copies in three years (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 paper2026 board paper, set 32/3/1: 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.