History · Level 2 · 109 words
The Press That Spread Ideas
Original passage © Team AM, written for Hone Literacy.
Long ago, every book had to be copied by hand. A single copy could take a writer many months to finish, so books were rare and very costly. Most people never owned one.
In the 1400s, a craftsman in Germany named Johannes Gutenberg built a machine called the printing press. It used small metal letters that could be arranged, inked, and pressed onto paper. The same letters could then be rearranged to print a new page. Because of this, many copies of a book could be made quickly.
As printing spread across Europe, books became cheaper. More people learned to read, and new ideas traveled faster than ever before.
Comprehension questions
1. What is the passage mainly about?
- A A machine that made books faster and cheaper to produce
- B How metal is shaped into letters
- C Why books are expensive today
- D The life story of one writer
Show answer
A. A machine that made books faster and cheaper to produce
The passage explains how the printing press changed book-making and spread ideas.
2. Before the printing press, how were books made?
- A By machines
- B Copied by hand
- C Printed on cloth
- D Carved into stone
Show answer
B. Copied by hand
The text says every book had to be copied by hand.
3. Why did more people learn to read after printing spread?
- A Reading became required by law
- B Books became cheaper and easier to get
- C Writers stopped making mistakes
- D Paper was newly invented
Show answer
B. Books became cheaper and easier to get
The passage says books became cheaper, which led more people to read.
Source: Written for Hone Literacy. Original passage © Team AM, written for Hone Literacy.