Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

The Roman Catholic Church felt threatened by the spread of print, as it led to individual interpretations of religious texts that challenged Church authority. When Menocchio, an Italian miller, read books and reinterpreted the Bible with his own views of God and Creation, the Church was enraged. It launched the Inquisition to repress such heretical ideas — Menocchio was tried twice and ultimately executed. Additionally, the Church imposed severe controls over publishers and booksellers and began maintaining an Index of Prohibited Books from 1558 to curb the spread of dissenting religious ideas.

Source: Chapter 5, Section 3.3 – Print and Dissent

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• Examiners expect three distinct points for 3 marks: (1) the threat from individual interpretation, (2) the Inquisition/Menocchio example, and (3) the Index of Prohibited Books from 1558.
• The example of Menocchio is crucial — it is the specific case study from the textbook and shows practical application of the Church's response.
• Avoid vague statements; name the Index of Prohibited Books and the year 1558 for full marks.
• Do not add outside information — stick to what the passage states.