Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

The Roman Catholic Church began maintaining an Index of Prohibited Books from 1558 because print had made it easy for people to access and spread ideas that questioned Church authority. Cases like Menocchio — a miller who reinterpreted the Bible and was ultimately executed — showed how printed books led people to form heretical and independent views of faith. The Church imposed controls over publishers and booksellers to repress such ideas.

This tells us that the Church viewed print culture as a threat to its religious authority. It feared that unrestricted reading would encourage dissent, heresy, and rebellious thinking among common people, undermining the Church's control over belief.

Source: Chapter 5, Section 3.3 — Print and Dissent

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• The examiner expects two parts: (1) the reason for the Index, and (2) what it reveals about the Church's attitude. Address both clearly.
• Key facts to include: year 1558, the example of Menocchio, the terms heresy/heretical, and control over publishers.
• Avoid writing a long narrative — keep it tight and factual. The example of Menocchio strengthens the answer and shows you've read the source.