AI-generated practice question — model-generated for extra practice, not a previous-year CBSE board question.
Before print, religious texts like the Ramcharitmanas existed as expensive, fragile manuscripts inaccessible to ordinary people. With cheap printed editions flooding north Indian markets by the mid-nineteenth century, these texts became affordable and portable. The faithful could read them anywhere, and they could also be read aloud to illiterate men and women, making religious knowledge widely accessible and encouraging discussions and debates among common people.
Source: Chapter 5, Section 7 – Religious Reform and Public Debates
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The examiner wants two specific points: (1) the contrast with earlier inaccessibility (manuscripts were costly/fragile), and (2) the impact of cheap print — portability, personal reading, and reading aloud to illiterates. Mention the Ramcharitmanas by name and the Naval Kishore/Venkateshwar presses if space allows. Avoid general statements about "the printing press" — keep it focused on north India and religious texts as the question asks.