Text 1: Historian Dr. Sarah Mitchell studies the printing press revolution. "Print democratized knowledge by making books affordable," Mitchell writes. "Mass literacy and the Reformation followed. Technology transformed society."
Text 2: Media historian Dr. Paul White examines technology determinism. "The printing press didn't single-handedly cause social change," White argues. "Political, economic, and religious contexts shaped how printing was used. Technology enables but doesn't determine outcomes."
What conceptual framework does White challenge in Mitchell's analysis?
That the printing press was invented
That technology alone determines social outcomes
That books contain information
That the Reformation occurred in history
Correct Answer: B
Choice B is the correct answer. Mitchell implies printing → social transformation (technological determinism). White challenges this: "Technology enables but doesn't determine." Context shapes technology's effects.
- Evidence: White: printing "didn't single-handedly cause social change."
- Reasoning: Mitchell's causal chain oversimplifies context's role.
- Conclusion: White challenges technological determinism as explanatory framework.
Choice A is incorrect because White accepts the printing press existed. Choice C is incorrect because information transmission isn't disputed. Choice D is incorrect because both acknowledge the Reformation.