MCQs:

1. Before 1798, the colonial state’s censorship efforts in India were primarily directed at:

   – A) Indian reformers

   – B) British officers critical of Company rule

   – C) Vernacular newspapers

   – D) Religious leaders

2. Which act, passed in 1878, granted the colonial government extensive rights to censor vernacular press?

   – A) Rowlatt Act

   – B) Vernacular Press Act

   – C) Defence of India Act

   – D) Sedition Act

3. After the Revolt of 1857, the British government became more aggressive in controlling:

   – A) English newspapers

   – B) European literature

   – C) Native press

   – D) Scientific journals

4. Who was imprisoned in 1908 for his writings in the newspaper Kesari, which criticized British rule?

   – A) Mahatma Gandhi

   – B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

   – C) Rabindranath Tagore

   – D) Lala Lajpat Rai

5. During World War I, which law was enacted to control the press in India?

   – A) Press Control Act

   – B) Defence of India Rules

   – C) Indian Penal Code

   – D) Public Safety Act

Answers and Explanations:

1. B) British officers critical of Company rule – Early censorship targeted British critics of the East India Company’s misrule.

2. B) Vernacular Press Act – This act allowed the government to suppress seditious vernacular publications.

3. C) Native press – After 1857, the British feared the influence of nationalist ideas spreading through native publications.

4. B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak – He was imprisoned for his nationalist writings in Kesari.

5. B) Defence of India Rules – Enacted during WWI, these rules imposed strict press censorship, especially on nationalist content.