MCQs:

1. What materials were commonly used for manuscripts in India before the age of print?

   – A) Plastic sheets

   – B) Palm leaves and handmade paper

   – C) Metal plates

   – D) Stone tablets

2. Why were manuscripts fragile and expensive?

   – A) They were mass-produced

   – B) They were handwritten and required delicate materials

   – C) They were printed with outdated technology

   – D) They used cheap inks and papers

3. How were manuscripts preserved?

   – A) By laminating them

   – B) By pressing between wooden covers or sewing them together

   – C) By freezing them

   – D) By photocopying

4. What was a key limitation of manuscripts?

   – A) Easy to carry

   – B) Durable and waterproof

   – C) Not easily accessible to the general public

   – D) Written in all local dialects

Answers and Explanations:

1. B) Palm leaves and handmade paper – Manuscripts were commonly written on palm leaves or handmade paper in India.

2. B) They were handwritten and required delicate materials – The manual labor and fragile materials made manuscripts expensive.

3. B) By pressing between wooden covers or sewing them together – This helped protect the delicate pages.

4. C) Not easily accessible to the general public – Due to their fragility and cost, manuscripts were limited to a select audience.