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?

   • 14 years
   • 5 years
   • 2,934 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
   • 6 years; presses reached new countries within a few years
   • 11 years; presses reached new countries at a steady pace
   • 16 years; presses took generations to reach new countries
4. 3.

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

   • They differ just in the year each book was written, not in their views
   • 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
5. 4.

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

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

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

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

   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 printing had no effects without trust
   • Neither, because it is about Venice and card A does not mention Venice
   • Eisenstein, because it shows copies were trusted at once
   • Johns, because it shows trust had to be built, though it is one case
8. 7.

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

   • As arguments about the evidence, to compare with sources from the 1400s
   • As eyewitness reports, since they describe how printing affected Europe
   • As settled facts, since books are checked before they are printed
   • As worthless, because historians were not alive in the 1400s
9. 8.

   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
   • Copies were made, trust was built by printers, then learning changed
   • Trust in books led to the invention of the press in the 1450s
   • A press made copies; they changed learning at once; trust followed afterward
10. 9.

    A student says, "Card C shows printing changed nothing." How strong is that claim, Ren asks?

    • Strong: card C and card B both say that printing had no effects on Europe
    • Weak: card C says effects depended on people, not that there were none
    • Strong: card C says printing was not trusted, so it changed nothing
    • Weak: Johns wrote in 1998, so he cannot say anything about the 1400s
11. 10.

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

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