Q30. What was the name of India’s first newspaper?
[JKSSB Sub Inspector Finance (10 March 2024)]
(A) The Hindu
(B) Amrita Bazar Patrika
(C) Bengal Gazette
(D) Samachar Darpan
Answer: (C) Bengal Gazette
Explanation: The Bengal Gazette, launched by James Augustus Hicky in 1780, predates the other listed papers. Published in Calcutta, it exposed contentious colonial affairs and faced suppression. It is consequently a standard landmark in accounts of India’s early press.
Q29. The Vernacular Press Act was enacted in which year?
[SSC GD Constable (27 February 2024, Shift 3)]
(A) 1872
(B) 1868
(C) 1878
(D) 1862
Answer: (C) 1878
Explanation: The 1878 Act was intended to curb Indian-language newspapers that criticized British policies. Lord Lytton’s administration applied restrictive provisions to vernacular publishing while leaving English newspapers comparatively protected. The resulting outrage made press liberty a significant nationalist demand.
Q28. The Vernacular Press Act of 1878 was linked with colonial concern over reporting of which conflict?
[SSC GD Constable (27 February 2024, Shift 1)]
(A) Second Anglo-Afghan War
(B) Portuguese-Afghan War
(C) Fourth Anglo-Mysore War
(D) Anglo-French War
Answer: (A) Second Anglo-Afghan War
Explanation: Criticism of Lytton’s policies, including developments leading to the Second Anglo-Afghan War, worried the colonial administration. The 1878 Vernacular Press Act was designed to restrain hostile reporting in Indian languages. Broader discontent also concerned famine policies and imperial expenditure.
Q27. Which journal was edited by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad?
[Bihar Primary Teacher (14 December 2023)]
(A) Zamindar
(B) Comrade
(C) Al-Hilal
(D) More than one of the above
Answer: (C) Al-Hilal
Explanation: Abul Kalam Azad started the Urdu weekly Al-Hilal in Calcutta in 1912. Its outspoken anti-imperial commentary sought to awaken political consciousness, especially among Muslim readers. Colonial authorities restricted the paper; Azad later issued Al-Balagh.
Q26. Which statements about the Vernacular Press Act are correct? (1) Lytton introduced it in 1878; (2) it was called the Gagging Act; (3) Ripon repealed it.
[69th BPSC Preliminary Examination (30 September 2023)]
(A) 1 and 2 only
(B) 2 and 3 only
(C) 1 only
(D) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (D) 1, 2 and 3
Explanation: All three statements are accurate. Lytton’s administration passed the Vernacular Press Act in 1878, prompting the nickname Gagging Act. It targeted political reporting in Indian languages. Lord Ripon repealed it in 1882 after strong criticism from Indian newspapers and public leaders.
Q25. Who is often described as the father of Indian journalism?
[Bihar STET (8 September 2023)]
(A) Raja Rammohan Roy
(B) Govinda Mohan
(C) James Augustus Hicky
(D) Vinoba Bhave
Answer: (C) James Augustus Hicky
Explanation: James Augustus Hicky’s Bengal Gazette, first published in 1780, is considered the beginning of newspaper journalism in India. His confrontations with colonial officials established an early precedent for a combative press, although his work long preceded organized Indian nationalism.
Q24. Rast Goftar chiefly addressed the interests of which community?
[SSC MTS (6 September 2023)]
(A) Sikhs
(B) Muslims
(C) Parsis
(D) Hindus
Answer: (C) Parsis
Explanation: Dadabhai Naoroji founded Rast Goftar in 1851 as a reformist publication associated with the Parsi community. The Gujarati-language paper discussed social issues and public affairs. Naoroji later became a leading early nationalist and critic of the economic drain from India.
Q23. The first issue of the revolutionary newspaper Ghadar appeared in which language?
[Bihar Secondary Teacher (26 August 2023)]
(A) Gurmukhi
(B) Urdu
(C) Hindi
(D) More than one of the above
Answer: (B) Urdu
Explanation: The first issue of Ghadar appeared in Urdu in November 1913; a Gurmukhi edition followed. Printed in North America, it urged Indian emigrants and soldiers to resist British rule. Multilingual publication helped the movement reach diverse overseas Indian communities.
Q22. Which leader was associated with the newspaper New India?
[Bihar Primary Teacher (24 August 2023)]
(A) Mahatma Gandhi
(B) Annie Besant
(C) Surendranath Banerjee
(D) More than one of the above
Answer: (B) Annie Besant
Explanation: Annie Besant transformed New India into a forceful advocate of Indian self-government. She supplemented her speeches and organizational activities with editorials demanding political reform. The newspaper became particularly important during the Home Rule agitation of the First World War period.
Q21. For which community was Rast Goftar primarily published?
[SSC CHSL (17 August 2023)]
(A) Hindus
(B) Muslims
(C) Sikhs
(D) Parsis
Answer: (D) Parsis
Explanation: Rast Goftar was founded in 1851 by Dadabhai Naoroji and served as a platform for reform within the Parsi community. It reflected the expansion of indigenous journalism and the emergence of a public sphere in western India before mass nationalism.
