1. What do you think such attention to detail would do to the prices of manuscripts?
A. Raise the prices
B. Lower the prices
Correct! Copiers wanted to be compensated for the amount of time and effort spent on creating such a rare and precious product.
I don't think so! Wouldn't you want to be paid more for all the time and effort you spent on creating such a rare and precious good?
Most manuscripts were copied by monks and students of the church. Manuscripts were therefore written in Latin, the language of the Catholic church and unfamiliar to most people in the 1400s. It was a sad state of affairs for the common person. Manuscripts were too costly and not at all readable. As a result, knowledge and ideas were only accessible to the wealthy and privileged classes of Europe.
2. If manuscripts were costly and hardly readable for the common person, what impact do you think that might have on the spread of knowledge and ideas?
A. It expanded the spread of knowledge and ideas
B. It limited the spread of knowledge and ideas
Not really. The common people would not have access to ideas and knowledge written in the manuscripts. Therefore, ideas would be limited to the wealthy and privileged classes.
Correct! New knowledge and ideas would be available only to the wealthy and privileged classes. Without access to knowledge and ideas, the majority of the population remained illiterate and thus, opportunities for invention and innovation were severely limited.