Decide which cause mattered most, and say why

Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Why printing spread across Europe (cards A to C; summaries in our words). Card A, dates: Johann Gutenberg worked at Mainz in the 1450s. A press was set up at Subiaco, in Italy, in 1465 and at Venice in 1469. Paris had a press in 1470, and William Caxton set one up at Westminster, in England, in 1476. Card B, Elizabeth Eisenstein, a historian, in a book of 1979: she argued that print made many copies of one text, which let scholars compare and share ideas and so changed learning across Europe. Card C, Adrian Johns, a historian, in a book of 1998: he argued that early printed books were not trusted by themselves; printers and booksellers had to build trust in their copies, so printing's effects depended on the work of people.

2. 1.

   Use card A. How many years passed between the press at Subiaco and the one at Venice, Ari asks?

   • 2,934 years
   • 5 years
   • 14 years
   • 4 years
3. 2.

   Use card A. About how many years passed between Paris in 1470 and Westminster in 1476, and what does it show about the spread, Bo asks?

   • 6 years; presses reached each town in Europe within a few years
   • 16 years; presses took generations to reach new countries
   • 11 years; presses reached new countries at a steady pace
   • 6 years; presses reached new countries within a few years
4. 3.

   How do cards B and C differ about why printing mattered, Esme asks?

   • Eisenstein stresses many copies; Johns stresses people building trust
   • Eisenstein stresses the trust people built; Johns stresses many copies of one text
   • Both agree that print changed Europe at once, without work by printers
   • They differ just in the year each book was written, not in their views
5. 4.

   A student says, "Card A shows the press spread because Italian towns wanted books." How strong is that claim, Jun asks?

   • Weak: a list of dates cannot be used as evidence about the spread of printing
   • Weak: card A gives dates and places, not the reasons people wanted presses
   • Strong: presses appeared in Italy in 1465 and 1469, so Italians must have wanted them
   • Strong: card A says Italian towns asked for presses before Mainz had one
6. 5.

   Which statement do cards A and B support together, Kira asks?

   • Printing reached each place in Europe, which shows Eisenstein right
   • Printing reached Italy in the 1450s, which fits Eisenstein's idea
   • Printing reached many places within about 25 years, fitting Eisenstein
   • The cards cannot be used together, since one is a list and one is an opinion
7. 6.

   Which is the stronger way to weigh the two historians, Luz asks?

   • Johns is right, because he wrote later and so knew more
   • Neither can be used, because historians disagree about the same events
   • Each names a real cause, and the cards do not rank the two
   • Eisenstein is right, because Johns's view leaves out the copies
8. 7.

   A new record shows a printer in Venice lost sales until buyers learned his copies were accurate. Which historian does it back, Milo asks?

   • Johns, because it shows trust had to be built, though it is one case
   • Neither, because it is about Venice and card A does not mention Venice
   • Johns, because it shows printing had no effects without trust
   • Eisenstein, because it shows copies were trusted at once
9. 8.

   Cards B and C are books by historians of 1979 and 1998. What is the right way to treat them, Noah asks?

   • As settled facts, since books are checked before they are printed
   • As eyewitness reports, since they describe how printing affected Europe
   • As arguments about the evidence, to compare with sources from the 1400s
   • As worthless, because historians were not alive in the 1400s
10. 9.

    If Johns is right, which chain fits his argument best, Pia asks?

    • A press made copies, and copies changed learning with no work by people
    • A press made copies; they changed learning at once; trust followed afterward
    • Trust in books led to the invention of the press in the 1450s
    • Copies were made, trust was built by printers, then learning changed
11. 10.

    Which order of arrival do the dates on card A give for these presses, Zee asks?

    • Mainz, then Subiaco, then Venice, then Paris, then Westminster
    • Westminster, then Paris, then Venice, then Subiaco, then Mainz
    • Mainz, then Subiaco, then Paris, then Venice, then Westminster
    • Mainz, then Venice, then Subiaco, then Paris, then Westminster