The Importance of Printing

Question 1

In the late 15th century there was a growth in literacy. Which groups did this involve?

Answer 1

• nobility
• gentry
• merchants

Question 2

Give two reasons for the growth in literacy

Answer 2

• increase in grammar schools

- growth of the printing press and availability of books

Question 3

What did grammar schools teach and to whom?

Answer 3

Latin grammar to sons of nobility, gentry, and the occasional bright peasant boy

Question 4

If you were literate, what four options did you have to pursue?

Answer 4

• enter one of England’s two universities
• enter the Church
• enter the legal profession
• enter a career as a merchant

Question 5

Religious books, including Bibles, were very popular. Why weren’t they translated from Latin to English?

Answer 5

It would be seen as heresy

Question 6

Where did books come to England from and who brought them?

Answer 6

From the continent, brought by merchants in the woollen cloth trade

Question 7

What did having cheaper and more readily available books mean?

Answer 7

The wealthy could have their own Bible/ Book of Hours, read it and question it

Question 8

Aside from religious books, what else was popular? Give a couple of examples

Answer 8

Narrative:

• Canterbury Tales
• King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table