Before the printing press, books could be purchased only in expensive manuscript copies. The printing press produced ...
MrLawNovember 3, 2019
Why C
The conclusion I attempted to invalidate was that "many more people learned how to read." Perhaps demand picked up because books were now affordable. Thus I picked D because if the books were being used more frequently with friends or at libraries, it showed they were cheaper to obtain. Why would D be wrong, and C be correct?
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You are correct in realizing that the increase in public demand may not necessarily translate to an increase in the number of people who have learned how to read. The correct answer choice will weaken the passage's conclusion by casting light on this disconnect.
(C) states that the people who primarily purchased books printed by the printing press were the same people who had previously bought and read manuscripts before the printing press was invented. (C) also notes that these people could now afford a greater number of books for the same amount of money. Therefore, (C) is correct because it discounts the concept of an increase in literacy by showing that the consumer base has previously been able to read and it offers an alternative economic cause for the increase in demand.
(D) states that books printed by the printing press circulated around friend groups. This does not significantly impact the passage. Perhaps manuscripts also circulated around friend groups pre-printing press. Perhaps the friends in these informal reading clubs or libraries were not literate until they joined the group. Perhaps only a few copies of the books are "circulated" and borrowed by various members in the group, rather than each reader purchasing a copy. We cannot assume that the books are being used "more frequently" as you suggested, nor can we say that a more frequent use necessarily correlates to a decrease in price as opposed to an increase in literacy. There, (D) is incorrect.
Does this make sense? Please let us know if you have any additional questions.
