From "Books Before and After Johannes Gutenberg, Illuminate)
Question: Which sentence in the passage explains why there weren't many books before Gutenberg?
(1 point)
Responses
Before Gutenberg's invention, there were perhaps 30,000 books in all of Europe.
Before Gutenberg's invention, there were perhaps 30,000 books in all of Europe.
Large monasteries had rooms called scriptoria where monks copied manuscripts — all by hand.
Large monasteries had rooms called scriptoria where monks copied manuscripts — all by hand.
Gutenberg's invention is, in fact, often described as the beginning of the information age.
Gutenberg's invention is, in fact, often described as the beginning of the information age.
In Medieval times, books were about religious topics only; the printing press enabled the printing of the so-called “lost works” of classical Greece and Rome.
The sentence that explains why there weren't many books before Gutenberg is: "Large monasteries had rooms called scriptoria where monks copied manuscripts — all by hand."
The sentence that explains why there weren't many books before Gutenberg is: "Large monasteries had rooms called scriptoria where monks copied manuscripts — all by hand."
To find the sentence that explains why there weren't many books before Gutenberg, we can analyze each option and see which one provides this explanation.
Option 1: "Before Gutenberg's invention, there were perhaps 30,000 books in all of Europe."
This sentence provides factual information about the number of books in Europe before Gutenberg, but it does not explain the reason behind the limited number.
Option 2: "Large monasteries had rooms called scriptoria where monks copied manuscripts — all by hand."
This sentence reveals one method of book production before Gutenberg - monks manually copying manuscripts. This suggests that the labor-intensive process of copying books by hand contributed to the scarcity of books.
Option 3: "Gutenberg's invention is, in fact, often described as the beginning of the information age."
This sentence highlights the significance of Gutenberg's invention but does not directly explain why there were not many books before him.
Option 4: "In Medieval times, books were about religious topics only; the printing press enabled the printing of the so-called 'lost works' of classical Greece and Rome."
This sentence indicates that books in Medieval times were mainly limited to religious topics. The introduction of the printing press allowed for a wider range of topics, expanding the availability of books.
Based on the explanations provided above, the sentence that explains why there weren't many books before Gutenberg is: "In Medieval times, books were about religious topics only; the printing press enabled the printing of the so-called 'lost works' of classical Greece and Rome."