The main idea of the text is "The significant historical importance of the printing press." The passage discusses how Gutenberg's invention revolutionized book production, increased access to literature, and had a lasting impact on culture and education, highlighting its transformative role in the information age.
(From "Books Before and After Johannes Gutenberg, Illuminate) Question: Read the passage. What is the main idea of this text? Books Before and After Johannes Gutenberg 1 Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in Mainz, Germany, in 1440. With the printing press, multiple copies of books could be produced efficiently and with consistent quality. Before Gutenberg’s invention, there were perhaps 30,000 books in all of Europe. Fifty years later, there were as many as 10 to 12 million. Books Before the Printing Press 2 To understand how Gutenberg’s invention revolutionized European culture, it is “illuminating” to understand how books were made before the printing press. Intellectual and cultural life in Medieval Europe was limited, for the most part, to religious communities called monasteries. Large monasteries had rooms called scriptoria where monks copied manuscripts—all by hand. A scribe prepared each page by outlining the margins and drawing a straight line for each line of text. Then the scribe wrote with a goose quill dipped in ink. After the scribe was finished, a person called a rubicator checked for errors and added the titles and large initial letters. Finally, a person called an illuminator added the illustrations and other artwork. This time-consuming process was used for each page of every book before the printing press was invented. The Invention That Changed Books 3 The invention of the printing press is really the invention of three things: movable type, ink, and the press itself. Movable type consists of small pieces of metal with raised letters, which can be arranged and re-arranged to form words. Once the movable type is arranged, the page can be printed over and over again. Printing also requires ink. The scribe’s ink was water based and did not stick to the type. Gutenberg had to invent ink that was thicker and stuck to the type. Finally, the actual printing press was an adaptation of a wine press. Gutenberg was likely familiar with the wine press because he grew up in a winemaking region of Germany. Books After the Printing Press 4 In 1452 and 1453, Gutenberg published the Gutenberg Bible, his first major project. It looked like a handwritten bible, but it differed in that each page had 42 regularly spaced lines of text, and there were no variations from copy to copy. This made reading the book much easier. One hundred and eighty copies of the Gutenberg Bible were printed. Only 21 complete copies of the Gutenberg Bible exist today. 5 For the 350 years that followed the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the printing process remained much the same. But significant changes took place in the intellectual and cultural life of society. 6 Gutenberg’s invention is, in fact, often described as the beginning of the information age. As the number of books increased, the types of books increased as well. In Medieval times, books were about religious topics only; the printing press enabled the printing of the so-called lost works of classical Greece and Rome. This renewed interest in the ancient world contributed to the rise of the Renaissance. 7 More than 240 printing shops had been established throughout Europe by the beginning of the sixteenth century. The spread of the printing press made it possible for more and more people to read books. Books began to be written in local languages, not just in Latin. This decline in the use of Latin for written communication both strengthened local languages and improved the educational opportunities for a wider range of society. The Books of Today 8 Although virtual books are replacing more and more printed books, the influence of Gutenberg’s invention is still felt today. When we read a book, whether printed or electronic, we expect the consistency first established with the Gutenberg Bible. We expect that books are widely available, and not the domain of a privileged few. Gutenberg’s invention is so important that the first major effort to put all books online bears his name: “Project Gutenberg.” (From "Books Before and After Johannes Gutenberg, Illuminate) Question: Read the passage. What is the main idea of this text? (1 point) Responses The significant historical importance of the printing press. The significant historical importance of the printing press. The very first publication produced using a printing press, the Gutenberg Bible. The very first publication produced using a printing press, the Gutenberg Bible. The structure of the printing press, comprising three smaller innovations. The structure of the printing press, comprising three smaller innovations. Giving credit to Gutenberg for the fifteenth-century invention of the printing press. Giving credit to Gutenberg for the fifteenth-century invention of the printing press. Skip to navigation.
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(From "Before Before and After Johannaes Gutenberg", Illuminate) Question: How does the part labeled "Books Before the Printing Press" help the main idea of the text? (1 point) Responses by telling us the problems Gutenberg faced when making the printing press by telling us the problems Gutenberg faced when making the printing press by telling us why Gutenberg wanted to make the printing press by telling us why Gutenberg wanted to make the printing press by showing us the first thing that happened when they were making the printing press by showing us the first thing that happened when they were making the printing press by giving us details that show how exceptional the printing press is
The part labeled "Books Before the Printing Press" helps the main idea of the text by giving us details that show how exceptional the printing press is. It describes the time-consuming and labor-intensive process of producing books by hand in monasteries, emphasizing the limitations of book production before Gutenberg's invention. This comparison highlights the revolutionary impact of the printing press, illustrating why it was such a significant advancement in the history of bookmaking and access to information.
ur still using info from the story right?
Yes, the response relies on the information provided in the passage. The section "Books Before the Printing Press" outlines how books were created laboriously by hand in monasteries, which emphasizes the challenges and limitations of that process. By contrasting this with Gutenberg's printing press, the text illustrates the exceptional nature and transformative impact of the printing press on book production and access to literature. If you’d like me to clarify or elaborate further, please let me know!
(From "Books Before and After Johannes Gutenberg, Illuminate) Question: Which sentence in the passage explains why there weren't many books before Gutenberg? (1 point) Responses Before Gutenberg's invention, there were perhaps 30,000 books in all of Europe. Before Gutenberg's invention, there were perhaps 30,000 books in all of Europe. Large monasteries had rooms called scriptoria where monks copied manuscripts — all by hand. Large monasteries had rooms called scriptoria where monks copied manuscripts — all by hand. Gutenberg's invention is, in fact, often described as the beginning of the information age. Gutenberg's invention is, in fact, often described as the beginning of the information age. In Medieval times, books were about religious topics only; the printing press enabled the printing of the so-called “lost works” of classical Greece and Rome. In Medieval times, books were about religious topics only; the printing press enabled the printing of the so-called “lost works” of classical Greece and Rome.
The sentence that explains why there weren't many books before Gutenberg is: "Large monasteries had rooms called scriptoria where monks copied manuscripts — all by hand." This indicates that the labor-intensive, manual process of copying books by hand was a primary reason for the low number of books available before the invention of the printing press.
(From "Books Before and After Johannes Gutenberg, Illuminate) Question: What can we learn from the text about how medieval books were related to the process in which they were made? (1 point) Responses Monks in monasteries made the books, so they were usually about religion. Monks in monasteries made the books, so they were usually about religion. The books had hand-drawn pictures, so they were mostly about things that could be shown in pictures. The books had hand-drawn pictures, so they were mostly about things that could be shown in pictures. Because the books were in Latin, they talked about things that interested Romans. Because the books were in Latin, they talked about things that interested Romans. Scribes copied each book by hand, so they were about things that could be explained shortly. Scribes copied each book by hand, so they were about things that could be explained shortly.
The response that best captures the relationship between medieval books and the process in which they were made is: "Monks in monasteries made the books, so they were usually about religion." This highlights the context in which the books were created and reflects the predominant subject matter of the books during that time, as they were primarily produced by monks who focused on religious texts.
(From "Books Before and After Johannes Gutenberg, Illuminate) Question: Read this sentence from paragraph 2. "To understand how Gutenberg’s invention revolutionized European culture, it is “illuminating” to understand how books were made before the printing press." As it appears in the text, what does the word revolutionized most likely mean? (1 point) Responses Rewarded with riches Rewarded with riches Intelligently informed Intelligently informed Drastically changed Drastically changed Minorly harmed
As it appears in the text, the word "revolutionized" most likely means "drastically changed." In this context, it refers to the significant transformation that Gutenberg’s invention brought to European culture and the way books were produced and distributed.
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