According to the passage, why did paper become popular?

Before paper was invented, people wrote on clay tablets, stone, bamboo strips or animal skins. These materials were heavy, expensive or hard to make. According to Chinese records, an official named Cai Lun presented a new kind of paper to the emperor in the year 105. It was made from tree bark, old rags and fishing nets pounded into a pulp, spread on a screen and left to dry. The knowledge of papermaking spread slowly westward. In the eighth century, Muslim craftsmen in Samarkand and later in Baghdad set up paper mills. Paper was cheaper than parchment, and its spread helped books to be copied and shared in large numbers.

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. It was cheaper than the other writing materials.

  1. Step 1: The passage says paper was cheaper than parchment.
Answer
It was cheaper than the other writing materials.
Why not the others: It could only be made in the city of Baghdad., It was first invented by Muslim craftsmen in Samarkand. and It was heavier and stronger than any other material. do not fit.

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