Q1. [4]
After the Revolt of 1857, the attitude to freedom of the press changed. Enraged Englishmen demanded a clamp down on the 'native' press. As vernacular newspapers became assertively nationalist, the colonial government began debating measures of stringent control. In 1878, the Vernacular Press Act was passed, modelled on the Irish Press Laws. It provided the government with extensive rights to censor reports and editorials in the vernacular press. From now on the government kept regular track of the vernacular newspapers published in different provinces. When a report was judged as seditious, the newspaper was warned, and if the warning was ignored, the press was liable to be seized and the printing machinery confiscated.
Read the given source and answer the questions that follow :
- (34.1) On which rule was the 'Vernacular Press Act' based ? [1]
- (34.2) Why did the attitude of the British change towards the freedom of press after the Revolt of 1857 ? Explain. [1]
- (34.3) Explain any two impacts of passing the 'Vernacular Press Act.' [2]
Previously asked in CBSE board exam
2024 32/4/1 Q34
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 07:00 · grounding stimulus
Model Answer
(34.1) The Vernacular Press Act (1878) was modelled on the Irish Press Laws.
(34.2) After the Revolt of 1857, vernacular newspapers became assertively nationalist. Enraged Englishmen demanded a clampdown on the 'native' press, leading the colonial government to seek stringent control over it.
(34.3) Two impacts of the Vernacular Press Act:
- The government gained extensive rights to censor reports and editorials in the vernacular press and kept regular track of vernacular newspapers across provinces.
- If a newspaper published a seditious report, it was first warned; if the warning was ignored, the press could be seized and printing machinery confiscated.
Source: Print Culture and the Modern World, The Vernacular Press Act
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Explanation
- 34.1 is a direct one-line fact — just name the Irish Press Laws.
- 34.2 requires two linked ideas: the nationalist tone of the vernacular press + the anger of Englishmen — both present in the passage.
- 34.3 needs exactly two distinct impacts drawn from the passage: (i) censorship/tracking, and (ii) the warning–seizure mechanism. Avoid writing beyond what the passage states, as this is a source-based question. Examiners award 1 mark per valid impact.
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