Question

read the following paragraph: the invention of the printing press revolutionized the spread of information. before its creation, books were painstakingly handwritten, making them expensive and scarce. with the printing press, however, books could be produced quickly and in large quantities. this led to increased literacy rates and a wider dissemination of knowledge. consequently, the renaissance and the scientific revolution were greatly accelerated. which sentence serves as the topic sentence?
before its creation, books were painstakingly handwritten, making them expensive and scarce.
the invention of the printing press revolutionized the spread of information.
this led to increased literacy rates and a wider dissemination of knowledge.
with the printing press, however, books could be produced quickly and in large quantities.

in the paragraph above (question 7), which of the following sentences functions as a major supporting detail explaining the impact of the printing press?
consequently, the renaissance and the scientific revolution were greatly accelerated.
before its creation, books were painstakingly handwritten, making them expensive and scarce.
with the printing press, however, books could be produced quickly and in large quantities.
this led to increased literacy rates and a wider dissemination of knowledge.

Explanation:

A topic - sentence states the main idea of a paragraph. The paragraph is about the impact of the printing press on information - spread. The first sentence, "The invention of the printing press revolutionized the spread of information", sets the main theme. For the second question, a major supporting detail about the impact of the printing press is that it led to increased literacy rates and wider knowledge dissemination. This shows a direct result of the printing press's invention.

Answer:

1. B. The invention of the printing press revolutionized the spread of information.
2. D. This led to increased literacy rates and a wider dissemination of knowledge.