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
   • 4 years
   • 5 years
   • 14 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?

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

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

   • Strong: presses appeared in Italy in 1465 and 1469, so Italians must have wanted them
   • 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: card A says Italian towns asked for presses before Mainz had one
5. 4.

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

   • The cards cannot be used together, since one is a list and one is an opinion
   • Printing reached Italy in the 1450s, which fits Eisenstein's idea
   • Printing reached each place in Europe, which shows Eisenstein right
   • Printing reached many places within about 25 years, fitting Eisenstein
6. 5.

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

   • Each names a real cause, and the cards do not rank the two
   • Eisenstein is right, because Johns's view leaves out the copies
   • Johns is right, because he wrote later and so knew more
   • Neither can be used, because historians disagree about the same events
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
   • Johns, because it shows trust had to be built, though it is one case
   • Eisenstein, because it shows copies were trusted at once
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 settled facts, since books are checked before they are printed
   • As worthless, because historians were not alive in the 1400s
   • As eyewitness reports, since they describe how printing affected Europe
   • As arguments about the evidence, to compare with sources from the 1400s
9. 8.

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

   • Weak: Johns wrote in 1998, so he cannot say anything about the 1400s
   • Weak: card C says effects depended on people, not that there were none
   • Strong: card C and card B both say that printing had no effects on Europe
   • Strong: card C says printing was not trusted, so it changed nothing
10. 9.

    Why might Eisenstein stress many copies of one text, Tala asks?

    • Because copies cost nothing to make and so each reader could own one
    • Because copies were hard to compare, so scholars could not use them
    • Because printers wanted to open presses in many towns
    • Identical copies let scholars compare texts and share ideas
11. 10.

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

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