Martin Luther posted his '95 Theses' in 1517 and his ideas were widely circulated through print. Which major…

Question

Martin Luther posted his '95 Theses' in 1517 and his ideas were widely circulated through print. Which major religious upheaval in Europe did the mass circulation of Luther's printed ideas directly contribute to?

Options:
(A) The Crusades
(B) The Counter-Reformation
(C) The Protestant Reformation
(D) The Inquisition

Accepted Answer

## Model Answer **(C) The Protestant Reformation** Martin Luther's 95 Theses, reproduced in vast numbers through print, challenged the Roman Catholic Church and directly led to a division within it, giving rise to the Protestant Reformation. Source: Chapter 5, Section 3.2 — Religious Debates and the Fear of Print --- ## Explanation The passage explicitly states: *"This lead to a division within the Church and to the beginning of the Protestant Reformation."* The Crusades and the Inquisition predate Luther; the Counter-Reformation was the *Catholic Church's response* to the Protestant Reformation, not what Luther's ideas directly caused. Always pick the option directly supported by the source text.

Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question