Which statement best describes the historians' disagreement?
Before the fifteenth century, books in Europe were copied by hand, a slow process that made them rare and costly. When Johannes Gutenberg developed a printing system using movable metal type around 1450, the production of books became faster and cheaper. Within a few decades, printing workshops had opened in many cities. Historians disagree about how quickly literacy spread as a result. Some argue that more books encouraged more people to learn to read, while others point out that most people could not afford books for many generations and that literacy rose mainly when schools became widely available. What is clear is that printed texts allowed ideas to travel further and be compared more easily.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. They differ over whether printing or schooling did more to raise literacy.
- Step 1: The passage says some historians believe more books increased literacy, while others emphasise schools. Step 2. So the disagreement is about the main cause of rising literacy. Answer: They differ over whether printing or schooling did more to raise literacy. Why not the others: The date is given as 'around 1450' without dispute; the costly nature of early books is stated as a fact; the final sentence says it is clear that ideas travelled further.
Practise more Reading Comprehension.
Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed Iraqi National English Proficiency Test (INPT) mock tests.
More Reading Comprehension questions
- What is the main idea of the passage?
- According to the passage, why do cities stay warm at night?
- The word 'attracted' in 'has attracted attention' is closest in meaning to:
- What can be inferred about green roofs from the last sentence?
- The author mentions 'planting trees along streets' mainly in order to:
- According to the passage, what changed after movable metal type was developed?