The printing press and how books spread ideas

Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Printing spreads from Mainz (cards A to E; summaries in our words). Card A, when printing began in each place: Mainz in the 1440s (Gutenberg's shop); Subiaco, Italy, 1465; Cologne 1466; Rome 1467; Venice 1469; Paris 1470; Buda 1472; Kraków 1473; Westminster 1476, where William Caxton made the first dated English printing. Rome is much farther from Mainz than Paris is. Card B, counts of places with presses by 1500: one count gives 236 towns in Europe, and another gives about 270 cities. Presses stood in 77 Italian cities and towns. Card C, output by 1500: one account says 220 presses in Western Europe made about 8 million books. Another estimate says about 20 million books for a Europe of about 70 million people. Card D, Italy: about 60 percent of printing shops were in six cities, and Venice alone held about 30 percent. Card E, the 1500s: output in Europe rose roughly tenfold during the century, to an estimated 150 to 200 million copies.

2. 1.

   Card C: one account says 8 million books by 1500 and another says about 20 million. How many times as many is the larger, Bo asks?

   • About 2.5 times as many, since 20 divided by 8 is 2.5
   • About 0.4 times as many, since the larger figure is 20
   • About 12 times as many, since 20 minus 8 is 12
   • About 8 times as many, since the smaller figure is 8
3. 2.

   Card C: about 20 million books for a Europe of about 70 million people. About how many books for every 10 people, Esme asks?

   • About 1 book for every 10 people
   • About 30 books for every 10 people
   • About 4 books for every 10 people
   • About 3 books for every 10 people
4. 3.

   Card C: 220 presses made about 8 million books. About how many books did a press make on average, Jun asks?

   • About 1,760 books
   • About 36,000 books
   • About 360,000 books
   • About 8 million books
5. 4.

   Card B gives 236 towns in one count and about 270 cities in another. What is a good response, Kira asks?

   • One count must be made up, since real counts should match
   • Take the larger number, since more presses is the better answer
   • Check what each count includes and what sources it uses
   • Add the two counts together to get the total number of places
6. 5.

   Card D says about 60 percent of Italian shops were in six cities and Venice held about 30 percent. What does that show, Milo asks?

   • The six cities held the same share of shops, 10 percent each
   • Venice made about 30 percent of the books made in Europe in the 1400s
   • Printing was spread evenly across the 77 Italian places named on card B
   • Printing in Italy clustered in a few cities, led by Venice
7. 6.

   Card A calls Caxton's 1476 work the first dated English printing. Why does the word "dated" matter, Noah asks?

   • Only dated printing is covered; an undated earlier piece might exist
   • It means printing in England began on the very day of that date
   • It means Caxton's work was the first printing anywhere in Europe
   • It means Caxton made the date up so that he could be first in England
8. 7.

   In 1470 a scribe in Paris and a printer in Paris view the new press. How might they differ, Pia asks?

   • Both would welcome the press, since both make books for readers to buy
   • The printer would fear losing work, since printers copy by hand
   • Both would ignore the press, since it reached Paris later
   • The scribe may fear losing work; the printer may hope to sell many
9. 8.

   Card E: output rose to 150 to 200 million copies in the 1500s, and card C: about 20 million by 1500. About how many times as many is that, Ren asks?

   • About 7.5 to 10 times as many
   • About a seventh to a tenth as many
   • About 130 to 180 times as many
   • About 20 times as many, the 1500 figure
10. 9.

    A student says, "Card A shows Venice was the first Italian town with printing." Which reply is best, Tala asks?

    • Supported: Venice is the biggest printing town, so it must have been first
    • Supported: Venice came before Paris, so it came before the Italian towns
    • Not supported: Italy had no printing before 1500
    • Not supported: card A lists Subiaco in 1465 and Rome in 1467 before Venice
11. 10.

    Suppose a printed page dated 1462 is found in a town near Mainz. What does it add to card A, Zee asks?

    • It disproves the 1440s date for Mainz
    • It changes nothing, since a printed page is not evidence
    • It shows printing began in 1462
    • It shows printing reached that town by 1462