Question

FROM PAPYRUS TO PAPER (1) It all began more than 5,000 years ago in Egypt. At that time ancient Egyptians wrote on materials made from the papyrus reed, a plant grown in the delta of the Nile. This "plant paper" was made by laying strips of the stem tissue side by side. These were then stuck together with a crude kind of paste made from bread crumbs soaked in boiling water. (2) Though papyrus travelled all over, it did not travel to Eastern Europe. Europeans had started using animal skins as their writing paper. This material was called parchment and although it was expensive, it had several advantages over the humble papyrus. First, the parchment could be folded over without it cracking unlike papyrus, which had to be rolled up into a scroll, making it cumbersome for a reader to handle. Second, as both sides of the parchment could be used for writing, no space was wasted. (3) The material we use for writing today was invented over 1000 years ago in China. A Chinese official named Tsai Loon made his paper in 105 A.D from a motley assortment of strange ingredients including mulberry and bamboo fibers, fishnets and rags. The Emperor Ho Ti was pleased with the invention. Tsai Loon was made an important man in his court. (4) With success going to his head Loon got involved in dangerous business. Unable to face public exposure he committed suicide. The Chinese jealously guarded the secret of papermaking for more than 1,000 years. Unfortunately for the Chinese, the Moors learned it and it was brought to Spain and Sicily. From there it spread throughout Europe and by the 1200s paper mills had mushroomed in Italy and elsewhere. (5) Paper got a big boost when Johannes Gutenberg, a German craftsman, invented the first practical mechanical printing press in 1455. The next 50 years saw thousands of books being printed all over Europe and the demand for paper grew. At present the US is the world's leading paper producer. Rachna Chhabria (The Hindu) 1.1 On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer any eight of the following questions briefly. (8 Marks) (a) What different ingredients were used in making papyrus or the "plant paper"? (b) What advantage did the crude Egyptian paper have over the European parchment? (c) What advantages did the parchment have over the papyrus? (d) Why was papyrus difficult to handle? (e) When and where was the material we use for writing today invented?​

Answer 1

Answer:

The first papermaking process was documented in China during the Eastern Han period (25–220 CE), traditionally attributed to the court official Cai Lun. During the 8th century, Chinese papermaking spread to the Islamic world, where pulp mills and paper mills were used for papermaking and money making.

Answer 2

Answer:

1 st ans 4 th line from this plant paper upto boiling water