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Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

AI-generated practice question — model-generated for extra practice, not a previous-year CBSE board question.

Q1. [3] medium thorough-understanding
The Roman Catholic Church imposed an Index of Prohibited Books from 1558. What sequence of events in the preceding decades made such a measure seem necessary to Church authorities?
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 15:01 · grounding rag
Model Answer

After Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses (1517) criticising the Roman Catholic Church, printed copies spread rapidly across Europe, leading to the Protestant Reformation and a permanent split within the Church. Print enabled widespread circulation of ideas challenging Church authority. Common people like Menocchio, a miller, read available books, reinterpreted the Bible, and formed independent views of God and Creation. Such popular questioning of faith enraged the Church. To repress these heretical ideas, it launched the Inquisition and ultimately imposed the Index of Prohibited Books (1558) to control publishers and booksellers.

Source: Print and Dissent / Religious Debates and the Fear of Print, Chapter 5

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Explanation

Examiners look for a sequence — not just a list. The key chain is: (1) Luther's printed Theses → Reformation/Church split → (2) books reaching common people → individual reinterpretations of faith (e.g., Menocchio) → (3) Church launches Inquisition → Index of 1558. Include the example of Menocchio as it directly appears in the passage. Use terms like "heretical" and "Inquisition" for full marks. Three marks = three clear steps or causes.

Previous-year CBSE Grade 10 board exam questions, organised by subject and chapter, each with a model answer — free to read and print.