The Island Of Glass
Written by Studio AM.
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In 1291, Venice ordered glass furnaces out of the main city, concentrating much of the industry on Murano, an island in the lagoon. Fire prevention was an important reason. Hot furnaces posed a risk among crowded workshops and timber buildings.
The concentration also brought skilled glassmakers close together. Their work had high commercial value, and the Republic tried to control the spread of materials and technical knowledge. Restrictions limited glassmakers' work abroad, although some obtained permission to travel and others left despite the rules.
Over generations, workshops developed new formulas and techniques. In the fifteenth century, they produced the clear, nearly colourless glass called cristallo. Careful selection and treatment of ingredients reduced the green tint caused by impurities. This was a change in materials and processing, not simply a matter of making a hotter fire. Fine glasses and other objects from Murano sold widely.
Workers who moved elsewhere helped spread Venetian techniques and combine them with local styles. Murano's history therefore includes both attempts to protect knowledge and exchanges that carried it beyond the island.
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Questions
Choose an answer. The explanation appears after you answer.
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Question 1 of 4
Which statement best expresses the main idea?
The answer is D: Moving furnaces concentrated Venetian glassmaking, while valuable knowledge developed under controls that could not prevent all exchange.
The passage connects relocation, skilled production, restrictions, and the eventual movement of techniques.
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Question 2 of 4
What reason for moving the furnaces does the passage identify?
The answer is A: the fire risk among crowded workshops and timber buildings
The first paragraph identifies fire prevention and the risk posed by hot furnaces.
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Question 3 of 4
The passage suggests that the Republic restricted the masters' travel because
The answer is B: it wanted to keep their methods from spreading to other countries
The second paragraph links restrictions on work abroad with control of valuable technical knowledge.
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Question 4 of 4
In this passage, 'tint' means
The answer is A: a faint colour in something
The passage contrasts the green tint with nearly colourless glass, identifying tint as a faint colour.
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