AI-generated practice question — model-generated for extra practice, not a previous-year CBSE board question.
The fundamental property of print was its ability to widely circulate ideas beyond the control of any single authority, enabling anyone to persuade large numbers of people to think differently and move them to action.
Martin Luther welcomed it because this mass circulation spread his Ninety-Five Theses rapidly across Europe, fuelling the Protestant Reformation. His translation of the New Testament sold 5,000 copies within weeks; he called print "the ultimate gift of God."
The Roman Catholic Church feared it because unrestricted circulation could spread rebellious and irreligious thoughts, undermining Church authority and destroying the influence of 'valuable' established literature.
Source: Print Culture and the Modern World, Section 3.2 — Religious Debates and the Fear of Print
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The examiner wants you to name the single property (wide/mass circulation of ideas) and then use it to explain both reactions — not just one. A common mistake is describing Luther's reaction and then adding the Church's as an afterthought without linking both back to the same root cause. Structure your answer clearly: state the property → Luther's reaction + reason → Church's reaction + reason. Use textbook phrases like "rebellious and irreligious thoughts" and "persuade people to think differently" to signal you are drawing directly from the source.