Q1. [3] medium thorough-understanding
Johann Gutenberg did not invent his printing press from scratch — he adapted technologies already familiar to him. Identify any TWO existing crafts or tools that directly shaped the design of his printing press, and explain what specific element of the press each one contributed to.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 15:00 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Gutenberg adapted two existing crafts/tools to design his printing press:
- Olive/Wine Press → Gutenberg had seen olive and wine presses on the agricultural estate where he grew up. He used this as the model for the mechanical pressing mechanism — the screw-and-platen system that pressed paper onto the inked type block.
- Lead Moulds (Goldsmith craft) → Having trained as a master goldsmith, Gutenberg had expertise in creating lead moulds used for making trinkets. He adapted this skill to cast metal types for the letters of the alphabet.
Source: Chapter 5, Section 2.1 — Gutenberg and the Printing Press
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Explanation
- The question asks for TWO crafts/tools + what specific element each contributed. Examiners want both parts for full marks.
- The key phrase from the textbook is: "The olive press provided the model for the printing press, and moulds were used for casting the metal types." Quote or closely paraphrase this.
- Don't confuse the pressing mechanism (from olive press) with metal type casting (from goldsmith/mould work) — these are two distinct contributions.
- At 3 marks, keep it concise: one line identifying each craft, one line explaining its contribution.