Between 1450 and 1550, printing presses were set up across most of Europe, and the number of printed book cop…

Question

Between 1450 and 1550, printing presses were set up across most of Europe, and the number of printed book copies rose from about 20 million in the latter half of the fifteenth century to around 200 million in the sixteenth century. Which of the following best explains the primary driver behind the rapid geographic spread of printing presses during this period?

(A) European monarchs funded the establishment of presses in every country to promote literacy among common people.
(B) German printers travelled to other countries seeking work, actively helping to set up new presses across Europe.
(C) The Catholic Church sponsored the production of religious texts in all European languages to counter heresy.
(D) Italian merchants imported Chinese woodblock technology and adapted it for use across European trade routes.

Accepted Answer

## Model Answer **(B) German printers travelled to other countries seeking work, actively helping to set up new presses across Europe.** The passage states: *"Printers from Germany travelled to other countries, seeking work and helping start new presses."* This directly explains the rapid geographic spread of printing presses across Europe between 1450 and 1550. Source: Chapter 5, Section 2.1 — Gutenberg and the Printing Press --- ## Explanation The answer is directly stated in the source passage — examiners expect you to identify the explicit reason given in the textbook. Option B matches almost word-for-word. Avoid options A, C, and D as they are not supported by the passage: monarchs and the Church are not mentioned as funders of presses, and the technology spread came from German printers, not Italian merchants or book fairs.

Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question