Printing Press & Renaissance · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

The Printing Press and the Dawn of the Renaissance

History · Medieval Times · ages 9-11
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Who brought the printing press to England?

    • Johannes Gutenberg
    • William Caxton
    • King Henry VIII

  2. Before the printing press, how were most books made?

    • Copied by hand by monks
    • Printed on machines
    • Typed on typewriters

  3. The printing press could make copies of a book much faster than a person copying by hand.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Which of these is a way printed books changed society?

    • More people could learn to read
    • Books became rarer
    • Only monks were allowed to read

  5. What did Gutenberg's printing press use to print pages quickly?

    • A giant paintbrush
    • Carved stone tablets
    • Movable metal letters

  6. Caxton set up his printing press in England in 1476. Gutenberg's press was built around 1440. How many years passed between the two?

    Answer: ______________

  7. A village in the 1400s could not afford handwritten books, but by the 1500s many villagers owned a printed book. What best explains this change?

    • The village became richer for other reasons
    • Handwriting became illegal
    • Printed books were cheaper and faster to make than hand-copied ones

  8. Tomas says the printing press was not a big deal because rich people already had books. What is wrong with his thinking?

    • He is right, nothing changed
    • The press made books cheap enough for many more people, not just the rich
    • Only kings could read before the press
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

The Printing Press and the Dawn of the Renaissance W1-mt_rf23aL6KwH-s1

  1. William Caxton · William Caxton set up England's first printing press in 1476, after learning the trade in Europe.
  2. Copied by hand by monks · Before printing, monks wrote out every page by hand. That took months, so very few books existed.
  3. True · A printing press could stamp out many pages at once, while a hand copy took one letter at a time.
  4. More people could learn to read · Cheaper, faster books meant more people outside of the wealthy and the church could learn to read.
  5. Movable metal letters · Gutenberg's press used small metal letters that could be rearranged and reused for every new page.
  6. 36 · Caxton's press arrived in 1476, about 36 years after Gutenberg's press around 1440.
  7. Printed books were cheaper and faster to make than hand-copied ones · Faster, cheaper printing is what let ordinary villagers afford books that used to take months to copy by hand.
  8. The press made books cheap enough for many more people, not just the rich · Before the press, only the wealthy could afford books. Cheaper printing let far more people own one.
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