The Printing Press – 5th Grade Reading Worksheet (Free Printable)

This free 5th grade reading comprehension worksheet covers the invention of the printing press and its impact on history.

Reading Passage

Before Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press around 1440, books had to be copied by hand. This took months of work and made books very expensive. Only the wealthy and educated could afford them. Gutenberg's press used moveable metal type to print pages quickly and cheaply. Within fifty years of its invention, millions of books had been printed across Europe. The printing press helped spread new ideas during the Renaissance and the Reformation. Many historians believe it was one of the most important inventions in history.

Questions

  1. Why were books very expensive before the printing press? (They had to be copied by hand / Paper was rare / Ink was hard to make / The government taxed them)
  2. Gutenberg's press used moveable metal ___ to print pages.
  3. The printing press was invented around 1440.
  4. Which of these was an effect of the printing press? (New ideas spread more quickly across Europe / Books became harder to find / Only monks could read / Wars stopped in Europe)
  5. Before the printing press, anyone could easily afford a book.

About This Worksheet

The printing press is one of the most important inventions in human history. This worksheet challenges 5th graders with a nonfiction passage that requires them to understand cause and effect and draw conclusions.

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