Historical Writing Systems

Gurmukhi is the script used to write Punjabi. The name derives from Sanskrit meaning 'from the mouth of the Guru' and was standardized by Guru Angad Dev in the 16th century.

Russian uses the Cyrillic script, which was developed in the 9th century and is named after Saint Cyril. It differs from Latin, Coptic, and Baltic scripts.

The Bible has been translated into the most languages and scripts - over 700 languages as of recent counts. This widespread translation work has been carried out by missionary organizations and Bible societies worldwide, making it the most translated book in human history.

The Bible is widely recognized as the most translated book in human history, having been translated into over 3,000 languages and numerous scripts worldwide. This includes complete translations and partial portions. No other book comes close to this global reach, making 'The Bible' the correct answer.

The Bible has been translated into more languages and scripts than any other book. It has been fully translated into over 700 languages. Portions exist in over 3,000 languages, making it the most widely distributed book.

The Brahmi script is the earliest known Indian script, dating back to the 3rd century BCE during the Mauryan period. It was used to write Prakrit and Sanskrit. Devanagari developed later, Kharosti was used in northwest India, and the Vedas were oral texts initially transcribed in Brahmi.

Hastakshar is a Sanskrit/Hindi word derived from 'hasta' (hand) and 'akshar' (letter/character), referring to a signature or official handwritten mark. The term is commonly used in legal and official contexts in India. While 'Handwriting' might seem related, a signature is specifically a person's formal mark for identification purposes.

The Tamil script has a 'Ha' sound (ஹ), but it was borrowed from Sanskrit/Grantha script and is not part of the original Tamil alphabet, which traditionally had only 18 consonants. This makes option B correct. Option A is incorrect because it doesn't acknowledge the borrowed origin. Option C is wrong since only one option (B) is true, and option D is incorrect because option B is indeed true.

This is the correct answer. James Prinsep, an officer in the mint of the East India Company, deciphered Brahmi and Kharosthi.

This is the correct answer. The earliest inscriptions were found in Prakrit, a name for languages used by the ordinary people.

This is the correct answer. Both the Aramaic and Greek scripts were used for Ashokan inscriptions in Afghanistan.

This is the correct answer as statement b is the correct statement. James Prinsep, an officer in the mint of the East India Company, deciphered Brahmi and Kharosthi, two scripts used in the earliest inscriptions and coins.

This is the correct answer as this statement is correct. Inscriptions are virtually permanent records, some of which carry dates. Others are dated on the basis of palaeography styles of writing, with a fair amount of precision.

This is the correct answer as Prakrit, Pali and Tamil were the languages that were probably used by ordinary people. Sanskrit was a language meant almost exclusively for priests and elites.

The Indus Valley script is pictographic - it uses pictures and symbols to represent concepts. While it remains undeciphered (scholars haven't fully decoded its meaning), the writing system itself is pictographic in nature, using visual symbols similar to hieroglyphs rather than an alphabet.