History

Historical Writing Systems

1,793 Questions

Historical writing systems represent the early methods of human communication and record keeping. This topic covers ancient scripts like Cuneiform, Brahmi, and Egyptian hieroglyphs, along with their historical usage. Knowledge of these scripts is essential for history and art culture preparation.

Ancient Indian scriptsCuneiform writingEgyptian hieroglyphsPhoenician alphabetGupta script

Historical Writing Systems Questions

Multiple choice

Which of the following scripts of ancient India was written from right to left?

  1. Brahmi

  2. Nandnagari

  3. Sharada

  4. Kharosthi
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Kharosthi script was deciphered by James Prinsep (1799—1840), using the bilingual coins of the Indo-Greek period. This in turn led to the reading of the Edicts of Ashoka, some of which, from the northwest of the Asian subcontinent, were written in the Kharosthi script.

Multiple choice

The Aryans’ written language is called?

  1. Cuneiform

  2. Hieroglyphics

  3. Sanskrit

  4. Hebrew
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Sanskrit is the ancient Indo-Aryan language in which the Vedas and other foundational texts of Indian civilization were written. Cuneiform and Hieroglyphics belong to Mesopotamia and Egypt, respectively.

Multiple choice history sources of medieval india sources of modern history introduction to medieval india sources of medieval history

What were Tamra patra?

  1. Bark of trees on which ancient books were written

  2. Text written on plates of copper

  3. Inscriptions engraved on papers

  4. Inscriptions engraved on stones
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Tamra-patra were inscriptions on copper plates. They  play an important role in the reconstruction of the history of India. They usually record grants of land or lists of royal lineages carrying the royal seal.

Multiple choice history sources of medieval india sources of modern history introduction to medieval india sources of medieval history

What were Bhoj-patras?

  1. Inscriptions engraved on papers

  2. Inscriptions engraved on stones

  3. Inscriptions engraved on woods

  4. The bark of a particular type of tree on which ancient books were written
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Bhoj-Patra tree was a particular type of tree which was widely found in the Himalayas. The bark of this particular type of tree was used for writing in ancient India. 

The bark is distinguished by its white to brownish colour. This distinctive bark peels off in very thin, almost, in transparent strips.  

Thus, it is clear that Bhoj-Patras was the bark of a particular type of tree on which ancient books were written.

Thus, the correct answer is D.

Multiple choice ancient world history world history general knowledge

The scripts of the Indus Valley Civilisation was ________.

  1. Boustrophedon, still not satisfactorily deciphered

  2. Brahmi

  3. Nagri

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Harappan script is regarded as pictographic since its signs represent birds, fish and a verity of human forms. The script was boustrophedon, written from right to left on one line and then from left to right in the next line. The number of signs of the Harappan script is known to be between 400 and 600. It is not deciphered yet.

Multiple choice ancient world history world history general knowledge

A system of writing evolved by Sumerians is known as ____.

  1. Pictograms

  2. Cuneiform

  3. Hieroglyphic

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Cuneiform is the system of writing developed by the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia, characterized by wedge-shaped marks made on clay tablets.

Multiple choice history heritage management conservation and preservation of heritage sources of modern history introduction to medieval india

The inscriptions of Ashoka are mostly in ______ script.

  1. Tamil

  2. Arabic

  3. Brahmi

  4. Devanagari
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

 Edicts of Ashoka are the earliest deciphered epigraphic inscriptions made in the 3rd century BCE. They are written in forms of Prakrit in the Brahmi script. The inscriptions and edicts of Asoka refer to a collection of 33 inscriptions on the Pillars of Asoka, as well as boulders and cave walls. They are spread over modern-day Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Multiple choice

Which written text would a Renaissance scholar MOST likely study?

  1. an Egyptian papyrus sheet written in ancient hieroglyphics

  2. a biblical scroll written in Hebrew

  3. a book of poetry written in Chinese

  4. an essay on philosophy written in Greek or Latin
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Renaissance scholars focused on the study of classical antiquity, which primarily involved texts written in Greek and Latin.

Multiple choice

Sanskrit

  1. The most important language of ancient Egypt

  2. The most important language of ancient India

  3. The most important language of ancient Greek
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Sanskrit is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that served as the primary liturgical and scholarly language of ancient India.

Multiple choice evs we are special defects of eye disorders of nervous system braille script

Which of the following is not true about Braille Script?

  1. The system of raised dots used for reading and writing who are blind or severely visual impaired.

  2. It was developed by Louis Braille.

  3. It involves the usage of 10 dots.

  4. Each letter or symbol is formed by a special pattern of dots known as a Braille cell.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation
A. It is a tactile writing system used by the people who are visually impaired. It helps them to read and write because of raised dots.
B. Braille was named after the creator, Louis Braille, a Frenchman who lost his sight as a result of childhood accident.
C. It involves the usage of 6 dots and the direction is left to right.
D. The characters have rectangular blocks called cells that have tiny bumps called raised dots.
So, the correct answer is 'it involves the usage of 10 dots'.
Multiple choice evs we are special defects of eye disorders of nervous system braille script

How many languages did Helen learnt through brail script.

  1. five

  2. eight

  3. two

  4. three
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation
Helen Keller was born on June 20, 1880. She was an author, lecturer, and crusader for the handicapped. She was born physically normal in Tuscumbia, Alabama. She lost her sight and hearing at the age of nineteen months ( 1 year 7 months) due to an illness and had high fever called scarlet fever. Helen accomplished many things. She graduated from Radcliffe Collage. She learned five languages. Three of them were Latin, French and German. She learned to read and write in Braille. She learned to speak by feeling vibrations and feeling the lips for the shape of the sounds. She was the first deaf-blind person to receive a BA degree.

So, the correct answer is 'five'.
Multiple choice evs we are special defects of eye disorders of nervous system braille script

Which of the following does not have separate symbols in Braille Script?

  1. Capital letters

  2. Small letters

  3. Numbers

  4. Punctuations
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

  • Braille is a system of reading and writing by touch used by the blind. The basic Braille symbol, called the Braille cell, consists of six dots arranged in the formation of a rectangle, three dots high and two across. 
  • Other symbols consist of only some of these six dots. It consists of arrangements of dots which make up letters of the alphabet, numbers, and punctuation marks. 
  • The basic Braille symbol, called the Braille cell, consists of six dots arranged in the formation of a rectangle, three dots high and two across. There are no different symbols for capital letters in Braille. Hence, Capital letter does not have separate symbols in Braille Script
  So, the correct answer is 'Capital letters'.

Multiple choice social studies language, writing and great books importance of transport system importance of transportation system introduction to transport and communication

What is calligraphy?

  1. Poetry

  2. Texbooks

  3. Flowers arrangement

  4. Stylized form of writing
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Calligraphy is the stylized form of writing. It looks very beautiful. Calligraphy reached its pinnacle of development in Chinese and Japanese art. Also some remarkable achievements took place in Islamic art and certainly traditional Indian art.

Multiple choice social studies language, writing and great books importance of transport system importance of transportation system introduction to transport and communication

What is Braille Script?

  1. Language used by deaf people for communication

  2. Language used by blind people for communication

  3. Language used by normal people for communication

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Braille is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired or blind to read and write.