Origins of writing MCQs 50 Score: 0 Attempted: 0/50 Subscribe 1. What is considered the earliest known form of writing? (A) Hieroglyphics (B) Cuneiform (C) Alphabetic script (D) Pictographs 2. Which civilization is credited with developing cuneiform writing? (A) Ancient Egypt (B) Sumerians (C) Indus Valley (D) Phoenicians 3. Around what time did cuneiform first emerge? (A) 5000 BCE (B) 3200 BCE (C) 1500 BCE (D) 800 BCE 4. The main material used for early cuneiform writing was: (A) Papyrus (B) Clay tablets (C) Animal skins (D) Stone carvings 5. Egyptian hieroglyphics are an example of: (A) Alphabetic script (B) Logographic and pictorial script (C) Only ideograms (D) Numeric system 6. Which ancient script influenced the development of the modern alphabet? (A) Sumerian (B) Phoenician (C) Indus script (D) Mayan glyphs 7. The Phoenician alphabet was significant because: (A) It had over 1000 symbols (B) It was the first full writing system (C) It used a small set of characters representing sounds (D) It was only for numbers 8. Which writing system remains undeciphered? (A) Cuneiform (B) Hieroglyphics (C) Indus Valley script (D) Linear B 9. The Rosetta Stone was crucial in deciphering: (A) Cuneiform (B) Hieroglyphics (C) Linear A (D) Mayan script 10. What type of writing system uses symbols to represent entire words or morphemes? (A) Alphabetic (B) Syllabic (C) Logographic (D) Phonetic 11. The first known use of writing was primarily for: (A) Religious texts (B) Trade and record-keeping (C) Literature (D) Personal letters 12. The term âproto-writingâ refers to: (A) Fully developed alphabets (B) Early symbolic systems before true writing (C) Cryptographic systems (D) Printing techniques 13. Which civilization used quipu (knotted strings) as a recording system? (A) Mayans (B) Inca (C) Chinese (D) Mesopotamians 14. The Chinese writing system is primarily: (A) Alphabetic (B) Logographic (C) Syllabic (D) Pictographic only 15. The earliest Chinese writing was found on: (A) Bamboo scrolls (B) Silk cloth (C) Oracle bones (D) Bronze vessels 16. What does the term “script” mean in writing studies? (A) Only handwritten forms (B) A system of symbols for representing language (C) A spoken dialect (D) A printing style 17. Linear B, used by the Mycenaeans, was a script for which language? (A) Phoenician (B) Ancient Greek (C) Sumerian (D) Etruscan 18. The invention of writing marks the transition from: (A) Prehistoric to historic periods (B) Oral to electronic culture (C) Iron Age to Bronze Age (D) Rural to urban life 19. Which is considered the first known alphabet? (A) Greek (B) Phoenician (C) Aramaic (D) Latin 20. How many letters did the original Phoenician alphabet have? (A) 12 (B) 22 (C) 33 (D) 46 21. Which script evolved from the Phoenician alphabet? (A) Cuneiform (B) Greek alphabet (C) Hieroglyphics (D) Mayan script 22. Which feature distinguished the Greek alphabet from Phoenician? (A) Addition of vowels (B) More symbols for numbers (C) Complex pictographs (D) Use of clay tablets 23. Writing was independently invented in: (A) Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and Mesoamerica (B) Only Mesopotamia (C) Mesopotamia and Europe (D) Africa alone 24. The earliest Mesoamerican script was: (A) Aztec glyphs (B) Maya script (C) Olmec writing (D) Inca quipu 25. Which of the following is NOT a primary function of early writing? (A) Taxation (B) Literary fiction (C) Trade documentation (D) Political administration 26. A syllabary is a writing system where: (A) Each symbol represents a sound (phoneme) (B) Each symbol represents a syllable (C) Each symbol represents an idea (D) Each symbol represents a sentence 27. Which writing system was primarily syllabic? (A) Cuneiform (B) Linear B (C) Phoenician (D) Alphabetic Latin 28. The Latin alphabet primarily evolved from: (A) Greek and Etruscan alphabets (B) Egyptian hieroglyphs (C) Indus script (D) Cuneiform 29. Which is considered a logographic writing system today? (A) Arabic (B) Korean Hangul (C) Chinese characters (D) Greek alphabet 30. Hieratic script in Egypt was: (A) A simplified cursive form of hieroglyphics (B) A code language (C) An alphabetic script (D) Used only by kings 31. Demotic script in Egypt was mainly used for: (A) Religious inscriptions (B) Everyday administrative and legal texts (C) Monumental inscriptions (D) Poetry 32. What is the primary difference between proto-writing and true writing? (A) Use of color (B) Representation of full language structure (C) Use of stone materials (D) Number of symbols 33. The Mayan writing system combined: (A) Only alphabetic characters (B) Logograms and syllabic signs (C) Numbers only (D) Phoenician letters 34. The term âepigraphyâ refers to: (A) The study of ancient coins (B) The study of inscriptions and writing systems (C) The art of calligraphy (D) Oral storytelling 35. The earliest evidence of writing in Mesopotamia was used for: (A) Religious hymns (B) Economic transactions (C) Epic poetry (D) Diplomatic treaties 36. Which writing medium was used in ancient Egypt? (A) Clay tablets (B) Papyrus scrolls (C) Animal hides only (D) Wooden blocks 37. The word âalphabetâ comes from: (A) Latin (B) Greek letters Alpha and Beta (C) Phoenician word for writing (D) Sumerian symbol for language 38. What is an abjad? (A) A script with symbols for consonants only (B) A script with symbols for syllables (C) A pictorial writing system (D) A fully phonetic alphabet 39. Which writing system is an abjad? (A) English (B) Arabic (C) Greek (D) Korean 40. Which ancient civilization developed the earliest known numbering system alongside writing? (A) Mesopotamians (B) Egyptians (C) Mayans (D) Greeks 41. In linguistic anthropology, writing is seen as: (A) The natural evolution of speech (B) A secondary representation of language (C) Independent from spoken language (D) The origin of language itself 42. Which term describes the use of pictures to tell a story before formal writing? (A) Logography (B) Petroglyphs (C) Epigraphy (D) Calligraphy 43. Why is writing considered a major milestone in human history? (A) It replaced all spoken languages (B) It enabled record-keeping, administration, and cultural transmission (C) It started oral traditions (D) It simplified speech 44. Which is the oldest known literary text written in cuneiform? (A) The Code of Hammurabi (B) Epic of Gilgamesh (C) Rosetta Stone (D) Dead Sea Scrolls 45. What is the primary purpose of early writing in China? (A) Taxation and fortune telling (B) Fictional storytelling (C) Agricultural songs (D) Philosophy 46. Which development came after the origin of writing? (A) Oral tradition (B) Printing press (C) Symbolic cave paintings (D) Spoken language 47. The concept of ârebus writingâ involves: (A) Using symbols for sounds of unrelated words (B) Using images only (C) Only numerals for communication (D) Combining two alphabets 48. Which civilization used Linear A script, still undeciphered today? (A) Sumerians (B) Minoans (C) Phoenicians (D) Babylonians 49. What is the relationship between writing and language? (A) Writing creates language (B) Writing is a tool to represent language (C) Language cannot exist without writing (D) Writing is superior to language 50. The study of the origin and history of writing systems is called: (A) Linguistics (B) Paleography (C) Morphology (D) Semiotics  1. Foundations of Linguistic Anthropology MCQsDefinition, scope, and history MCQsLanguage vs. communication MCQsHuman language vs. animal communication MCQsKey figures in linguistic anthropology MCQs2. 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