NEW TOEFL Reading Practice Test #6

NEW TOEFL 2026 Reading Official Academic Passage 6

NEW TOEFL Reading Academic Passage #6 - The Printing Press [Passage]

When Johannes Gutenberg developed movable type printing in Europe around 1440, he likely did not anticipate the profound social and political consequences of his invention. The printing press is often celebrated for democratizing knowledge and enabling the Reformation and Scientific Revolution. However, the relationship between printing and freedom of information is more complicated than this triumphalist narrative suggests.

In its early decades, printing was subject to strict controls by religious and political authorities who recognized its potential to spread ideas they considered dangerous. The Catholic Church established the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, a list of banned books, in 1559. Governments required printers to obtain licenses and subjected publications to censorship before distribution. Unauthorized printing could result in severe punishment, including execution. These controls were not always effective, as the proliferation of printing presses made comprehensive censorship increasingly difficult, but they demonstrate that authorities understood printing as a technology that required management.

Moreover, printing had complex effects on knowledge itself. While it made certain texts more widely available, it also standardized information in ways that could eliminate local variations and minority perspectives. Oral traditions and manuscript cultures, which had preserved diverse interpretations and regional knowledge, were sometimes displaced by standardized printed texts. The authority of printed text also created new forms of credibility that could be exploited. Misinformation and propaganda have existed since ancient times, but printing allowed false information to spread more widely and persist longer than oral rumors. The printing press was not inherently liberating or oppressive; rather, it was a tool whose effects depended on who controlled it and for what purposes.

NEW TOEFL Reading Academic Passage #6 - The Printing Press [Quiz]

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New Toefl 2026 Reading Official Academic Passage 6 Printing Press

New TOEFL Reading Academic Passage #6 - The Printing Press

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1. Question 1: The word "triumphalist" in paragraph 1 most nearly means:

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2. Question 2: According to the passage, how did authorities initially respond to the printing press?

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3. Question 3: The passage suggests that censorship of printed materials was:

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4. Question 4: According to the passage, how did printing affect local knowledge and oral traditions?

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5. Question 5: What is the main argument of the passage regarding the printing press?

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