The Medieval Manuscript

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"The Medieval Manuscript"

Multiple Choice

What is the main idea of this passage?

• Many types of medieval

  manuscripts still exist today.

• Creating medieval manuscripts was a detailed and artistic process.

• Illuminators significantly improved medieval manuscripts.

• The handwriting styles of medieval manuscripts changed over time.

Multiple Choice

Reread this section of the text and answer the question:

"Within the walls of these religious communities, the monks could spend

long hours daily in the scriptorium. This was the room set aside for copying books as

well as composing letters and documents. The scriptorium was usually cold, and the

monks worked by natural light since candles were a fire risk."

Monks did not use candlelight in the scriptorium because...

• wax was not yet invented.

• fire was not allowed there.

• the smoke damaged the manuscripts.

• candles were too expensive to purchase.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence from the passage is an opinion?

• "For most of the European Middle Ages (the time period from approximately 500 to 1500 CE), books were produced and copied by hand."

• "After a scribe created the written text, he passed the manuscript on to an illuminator."

• "Books of hours were devotional books containing a calendar, psalms, meditations, and prayers for specific hours of the day."

• "In a world of mass-produced books, the artistry of bookmaking has long been forgotten."

Multiple Choice

The words in italic print in the passage...

• provide definitions for challenging words.

• refer readers to a glossary for the selection.

• call out new and unusual terms and Latin words.

• list reference materials to use with the selection.

Multiple Choice

Based on the passage, what can you conclude about medieval manuscripts?

• They were a system of mass-produced books.

• They were underappreciated by their readers.

• They were not popular until modern times.

• They were the products of talented teams.

Multiple Choice

After rereading the last paragraph titled "The Legacy," how you think the author views medieval manuscripts? 

• The author doesn't really care about the manuscripts because they are from the past and not relevant to today's needs.

• The author thinks medieval manuscripts are of low quality compared to today's mass-printing of books that are on the market. 

• The author thinks that the artistry and attention for detail of the manuscripts are a part of a lost quality in modern day book printing.