MCQs:

1. What caused the rise of a reading mania in Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries?

   – A) The invention of the typewriter

   – B) Increased literacy rates and availability of printed materials

   – C) Decrease in book prices due to digital printing

   – D) Restriction of oral storytelling traditions

2. What were “chapbooks”?

   – A) Large encyclopedias for scholars

   – B) Pocket-sized books sold by pedlars

   – C) Manuscripts written on parchment

   – D) Religious texts only available in Latin

3. What role did pedlars play in the spread of printed materials?

   – A) They acted as book critics

   – B) They wrote popular novels

   – C) They distributed books in rural areas

   – D) They translated books into multiple languages

4. How did periodical presses contribute to the reading mania?

   – A) By focusing only on scientific journals

   – B) By combining current affairs with entertainment

   – C) By restricting access to foreign literature

   – D) By eliminating folk tales and ballads

Answers and Explanations:

1. B) Increased literacy rates and availability of printed materials – Literacy spread alongside printed materials, creating a high demand for reading content.

2. B) Pocket-sized books sold by pedlars – Chapbooks were affordable, small books that made literature accessible to the common people.

3. C) They distributed books in rural areas – Pedlars traveled to villages, making books available even in remote locations.

4. B) By combining current affairs with entertainment – Periodicals kept readers engaged with a mix of news and leisure content.