Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

Yes, I agree with the historian's argument.

With the rise of print, publishers produced popular ballads, folk tales, and illustrated books to reach common people. Even those who could not read could listen to books being read aloud at village gatherings and taverns. As the textbook states: "Oral culture thus entered print and printed material was orally transmitted. The line that separated the oral and reading cultures became blurred. And the hearing public and reading public became intermingled." Thus, print bridged the gap between the literate and the illiterate.

Source: Chapter 5, Section 3.1 – A New Reading Public

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• The examiner expects you to agree and back it up with the specific textbook evidence about oral culture entering print — this is the core point of the passage.
• The key phrase to quote or paraphrase is: "The line that separated the oral and reading cultures became blurred."
• Mention ballads, folk tales, illustrations, and public recitation as concrete examples — these show how the boundary blurred.
• Do not confuse this with the question about print and enlightenment (Section 4.1) — that is a different theme. Stay focused on literacy/illiteracy divide.