In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
Imagine a world without books, newspapers, magazines and all the other printed material we take (1) ________ granted today. People (2) ________ none of these things (3) ________ Johann Gutenberg of Strasbourg invented the printing press. The Gutenberg Press (4) ________ the first printing press of Europe. It was invented (5) ________ Johannes Gutenberg. He grew up in a large agricultural estate and had knowledge and experience in operating olive and wine presses.
Understanding the Passage and the Blank
The question asks us to fill in the blank number 5 in the provided passage. The passage is about the invention of the printing press and its significance. The specific sentence containing the blank is: "It was invented (5) ________ Johannes Gutenberg." We need to choose the correct word to indicate who invented the printing press.
Analyzing Blank Number 5
The blank requires a preposition that correctly links the action (invention) to the person who performed the action (Johannes Gutenberg). We are talking about the inventor of the printing press.
Let's look at the options:
- after: This indicates time, suggesting the invention happened later than Gutenberg, which doesn't make sense.
- if: This is a conjunction used for conditional statements and is grammatically incorrect here.
- by: This preposition is commonly used to indicate the agent or doer of an action, especially in passive voice sentences. For example, "The book was written by the author." This fits perfectly here: the printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg.
- before: This indicates time, suggesting the invention happened prior to Gutenberg, which is illogical.
Identifying the Correct Preposition
The sentence "It was invented (5) ________ Johannes Gutenberg" uses the passive voice. In the passive voice, the preposition "by" is used to introduce the agent, which is the person or thing performing the action.
Therefore, the correct word to fill in the blank is "by", indicating that Johannes Gutenberg was the one who invented the printing press.
Contextual Confirmation
The passage explicitly states that "The Gutenberg Press... It was invented (5) ________ Johannes Gutenberg." The name "Gutenberg Press" itself strongly implies Johannes Gutenberg as the inventor. Using "by" clearly establishes this relationship.
Final Answer Explanation
The most appropriate option to fill in blank number 5 is 'by' because it correctly identifies Johannes Gutenberg as the agent who invented the printing press, fitting the grammatical structure of the passive voice sentence.
Important Questions from Cloze Test
- Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 1.
- Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 2.
- Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 3.
- Select the most appropriate option to fill in blank number 4.
Select the most appropriate option for blank No. 1.
