The Origin of Ancient Writing Reading Answers

Feb 1, 2023

The Origin of Ancient Writing Reading Answers contains a write up about the development of writing. The Origin of Ancient Writing Reading Answers contains a total of 10 paragraphs. Related to the paragraphs are 13 questions. Candidates in this IELTS Section will be shown various question types with clear instructions. The paragraphs contain information about the early evidence of writings at the sites of Mesopotamian. The different signs and symbols and their interpretation.

The Origin of Ancient Writing Reading Answers is an IELTS Reading passage which comprises two types of questions: Choose the correct option and complete the summary.Each paragraph must be carefully and attentively read by candidates. No more than two words may be used in the response. Answers must be drawn from the paragraph and be based on the statements in the questions. To complete the summary the details of the paragraph must be remembered. Some information has not been mentioned in the paragraph which must be answered as not given. To gain proficiency, candidates can practice from IELTS reading practice test.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

The Origin of Ancient Writing Reading Answers

The Sumerians, an ancient people of the Middle East, had a story explaining the invention of writing more than 5,000 years ago. It seems a messenger of the King of Uruk arrived at the court of a distant ruler so exhausted that he was unable to deliver the oracle message. So the king set down the words of his next messages on a clay tablet. A charming story, whose retelling at a recent symposium at the University of Pennsylvania amused scholars. They smiled at the absurdity of a letter which the recipient would not have been able to read.

They also doubted that the earliest writing was a direct rendering of speech. writing more likely began as a separate, symbolic system of communication and only later merged with spoken language.

Yet in the story the Sumerians, who lived in Mesopotamia, in what is now southern Iraq, seemed to understand writing’s transforming function. s Dr Holly Pittman, director of the University’s Center for Ancient Studies, bserved, writing “arose out of the need to store and transmit information…over time and space”.

In exchanging interpretations and information, the scholars acknowledged that they still had no fully satisfying answers to the questions of how and why writing developed. Many favored an explanation of writing’s origins in the visual arts, pictures becoming increasingly abstract and eventually representing spoken words. Their views clashed with a widely held theory among archaeologists that writing developed from the pieces of clay that Sumerian accountants used as tokens to keep track of goods.

Archaeologists generally concede that they have no definitive answer to the question of whether writing was invented only once, or arose independently in several places, such as Egypt, the Indus Valley, China, Mexico and Central America. The preponderance of archaeological data shows that the urbanizing Sumerians were the first to develop writing, in 3,200 or 3,300 BC. These are the dates for many clay tablets in an early form of cuneiform, a script written by pressing the end of a sharpened stick into wet clay, found at the site of the ancient city of Uruk. The baked clay tablets bore such images as pictorial symbols of the names of people, places and things connected with government and commerce. The Sumerian script gradually evolved from the pictorial to the abstract, but did not at first represent recorded spoken language.

Dr Peter Damerow, a specialist in Sumerian cuneiform at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin, said, It is likely that there were mutual influences of writing systems around the world. However, their great variety now shows that the development of writing, once initiated, attains a considerable degree of independence and flexibility to adapt to specific characteristics of the sounds of the language to be represented. Not that he accepts the conventional view that writing started as a representation of words by pictures. New studies of early Sumerian writing, he said, challenge this interpretation. The structures of this earliest writing did not, for example, match the structure of spoken language, dealing mainly in lists and categories rather than in sentences and narrative.

For at least two decades, Dr Denise Schmandt-Besserat, a University of Texas archaeologist, has argued that the first writing grew directly out of a system practiced by Sumerian accountants. They used clay tokens, each one shaped to represent a jar of oil, a container of grain or a particular kind of livestock. These tokens were sealed inside clay spheres, and then the number and type of tokens inside was recorded on the outside using impressions resembling the tokens. Eventually, the token impressions were replaced with inscribed signs, and writing had been invented.

Though Dr Schmandt-Besserat has won much support, some linguists question her thesis, and others, like Dr Pittman, think it too narrow. They emphasize that pictorial representation and writing evolved together.‘There’s no question that the token system is a forerunner of writing’. Dr Pittman said, but I have an argument with her evidence for a link between tokens and signs, and she doesn’t open up the process to include picture making.

Dr Schmandt-Besserat vigorously defended her ideas.‘My colleagues say that pictures were the beginning of writing’, she said,‘but show me a single picture that becomes a sign in writing. They say that designs on pottery were the beginning of writing, but show me a single sign of writing you can trace back to a pot — it doesn’t exist’. In its first 500 years, she asserted, cuneiform writing was used almost solely for recording economic information, and after that its uses multiplied and broadened.

Yet other scholars have advanced different ideas. Dr. Piotr Michalowski, Professor of Near East Civilizations at the University of Michigan, said that the proto-writing of Sumerian Uruk was so radically different as to be a complete break with the past’. It no doubt served, he said, to store and communicate information, but also became a new instrument of power. Some scholars noted that the origins of writing may not always have been in economics. In Egypt, most early writing is high on monuments or deep in tombs. In this case, said Dr Pascal Vernus from a university in Paris, early writing was less administrative than sacred. It seems that the only certainty in this field is that many questions remain to be answered.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 27-30

Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D

The researchers at the symposium regarded the story of the King of Uruk as ridiculous because

writing probably developed independently of speech.
clay tablets had not been invented at that time.
the distant ruler would have spoken another language.
evidence of writing has been discovered from an earlier period.

Answer: A
Supporting Statement: It seems a messenger of the King of Uruk arrived at the court of a distant ruler so exhausted that he was unable to deliver the oracle message.They smiled at the absurdity of a letter which the recipient would not have been able to read. They also doubted that the earliest writing was a direct rendering of speech. writing more likely began as a separate, symbolic system of communication and only later merged with spoken language.
Keywords: Uruk,. Symbolic system
Keyword Location: Paragraph A and B
Explanation: As per paragraph A and B, it appears that a messenger from the King of Uruk was too fatigued to deliver the oracle message when he reached at the court of a distant king. They laughed at the folly of sending a letter to someone who couldn't read it. They also questioned whether the earliest writing represented speech directly. More than likely, spoken language and writing did not coexist at first but rather developed independently as a symbolic method of communication. So, the correct answer is A.

According to the writer, the story of the King of Uruk

is a probable explanation of the origins of writing.
proves that early writing had a different function to writing today.
provides an example of symbolic writing.
shows some awareness amongst Sumerians of the purpose by writing.

Answer: D
Supporting Statement: Yet in the story the Sumerians, who lived in Mesopotamia, in what is now southern Iraq, seemed to understand writing’s transforming function.
Keywords: Sumerians, Mesopotamia
Keyword Location: Paragraph C
Explanation: As per paragraph C, it has been stated that the Sumerians from Mesopotamia, who were present in what is now southern Iraq, appeared to comprehend the transformative power of writing in the tale. So, the correct answer is D.

There was disagreement among the researchers at the symposium about

the area where writing began.
the nature of early writing materials.
the way writing began.
the meaning of certain abstract images.

Answer: C
Supporting Statement: In exchanging interpretations and information, the scholars acknowledged that they still had no fully satisfying answers to the questions of how and why writing developed. Many favored an explanation of writing’s origins in the visual arts, pictures becoming increasingly abstract and eventually representing spoken words. Their views clashed with a widely held theory among archaeologists that writing developed from the pieces of clay that Sumerian accountants used as tokens to keep track of goods.
Keywords: exchanging interpretations
Keyword Location: Paragraph D
Explanation: As per paragraph D, it has been mentioned that the academics admitted that they still lacked comprehensive responses to the problems of how and why writing originated while exchanging interpretations and data. Many people preferred the idea that writing originated in the visual arts, with visuals later mirroring spoken words as they became more abstract. So, the correct answer is C.

The opponents of the theory that writing developed from tokens believe that it

grew out of accountancy.
evolved from pictures.
was initially intended as decoration.
was unlikely to have been connected with commerce.

Answer: B
Supporting Statement: These are the dates for many clay tablets in an early form of cuneiform, a script written by pressing the end of a sharpened stick into wet clay, found at the site of the ancient city of Uruk. The baked clay tablets bore such images as pictorial symbols of the names of people, places and things connected with government and commerce.
Keywords: Pictorial symbols, Uruk
Keyword Location: Paragraph E
Explanation: As per paragraph E, it has been mentioned that these are the dates recorded on several clay tablets that were written in an early form of cuneiform script created by pressing the tip of a sharpened rod into wet clay and were discovered at the Uruk archaeological site. The images on the baked clay tablets included pictorial representations for the names of persons, places, and things related to commerce and government. So, the correct answer is B.

Questions 31-36

Look at the following statements (Questions 31-36) and the list of people below. Match each statement with the correct person, A-E. Write the correct letter, A-E, in boxes 31-36 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

List of People

Dr Holly Pittman
Dr Peter Damerow
Dr Denise Schmandt-Besserat
Dr Piotr Michalowski
Dr Pascal Vernus

There is no proof that early writing is connected to decorated household objects.

Answer: C
Supporting Statement: For at least two decades, Dr Denise Schmandt-Besserat, a University of Texas archaeologist, has argued that the first writing grew directly out of a system practiced by Sumerian accountants. They
used clay tokens, each one shaped to represent a jar of oil, a container of grain or a particular kind of livestock.
Keywords: First writing, tokens
Keyword Location: Paragraph G
Explanation: As per paragraph G, it has been mentioned that Dr. Denise Schmandt-Besserat, an archaeologist at the University of Texas, has maintained for at least 20 years that the earliest writing originated from a system used by Sumerian accountants. They utilized clay tokens that were individually designed to resemble an oil jar, a grain container, or a specific type of animal. So, the correct answer is C.

As writing developed, it came to represent speech.

Answer: B
Supporting Statement: Dr Peter Damerow, a specialist in Sumerian cuneiform at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin, said, It is likely that there were mutual influences of writing systems around the world. However, their great variety now shows that the development of writing, once initiated, attains a considerable degree of independence and flexibility to adapt to specific characteristics of the sounds of the language to be represented.
Keywords: writing systems, considerable degree
Keyword Location: Paragraph F
Explanation: As per paragraph F, it has been mentioned that there were probably cross-cultural influences on writing systems, according to Dr. Peter Damerow, an expert on Sumerian cuneiform at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin. Their wide variety currently demonstrates, however, that writing development, once started, achieves a significant degree of independence and flexibility to adapt to particular qualities of the sounds of the language to be expressed. So, the correct answer is B.

Sumerian writing developed into a means of political control.

Answer: D
Supporting Statement: Yet other scholars have advanced different ideas. Dr. Piotr Michalowski, Professor of Near East Civilizations at the University of Michigan, said that the proto-writing of Sumerian Uruk was so radically different as to be a complete break with the past’. It no doubt served, he said, to store and communicate information, but also became a new instrument of power.
Keywords: Proto-writing, Sumerian.
Keyword Location: Paragraph J
Explanation: As per paragraph J, it has been mentioned that the proto-writing of Sumerian Uruk was so drastically different from earlier writing that it represented a complete break with the past, according to Dr. Piotr Michalowski, professor of Near Eastern Civilizations at the University of Michigan. He claimed that while it undoubtedly functioned to communicate and preserve information, it also evolved into a new tool of power. So, the correct answer is D.

Early writing did not represent the grammatical features of speech.

Answer: B
Supporting Statement: Not that he accepts the conventional view that writing started as a representation of words by pictures. New studies of early Sumerian writing, he said, challenge this interpretation. The structures of this earliest writing did not, for example, match the structure of spoken language, dealing mainly in lists and categories rather than in sentences and narrative.
Keywords: Language, structures.
Keyword Location: Paragraph F
Explanation: As per paragraph F, it has been mentioned that he agrees with the widely held belief that pictures were first used to represent words in writing. He asserted that fresh research on early Sumerian writing refutes this interpretation. This earliest writing's forms, for instance, did not correspond to the structure of spoken language because it primarily dealt in lists and categories rather than sentences and narrative. So, the correct answer is B.

There is no convincing proof that tokens and signs are connected.

Answer: A
Supporting Statement :Dr Pittman said, but I have an argument with her evidence for a link between tokens and signs, and she doesn’t open up the process to include picture making.
Keywords: Argument, tokens and signs
Keyword Location: Paragraph H
Explanation: As per paragraph H, it has been stated that But I disagree with her evidence for a connection between tokens as well as signs, and she doesn't expand the process to include picture-making, Dr. Pittman added. So, the correct answer is A.

The uses of cuneiform writing were narrow at first, and later widened.

Answer: C
Supporting Statement: Dr Schmandt-Besserat vigorously defended her ideas.‘My colleagues say that pictures were the beginning of writing’, she said,‘but show me a single picture that becomes a sign in writing. They say that designs on pottery were the beginning of writing, but show me a single sign of writing you can trace back to a pot — it doesn’t exist’.
Keywords: Sign in writing, Dr Schmandt-Besserat
Keyword Location: Paragraph I
Explanation: As per paragraph I, it has been clearly mentioned that She aggressively defended her beliefs, Dr. Schmandt-Besserat. She remarked, "My colleagues claim that pictures were the origin of writing, but show me one picture that turns into a sign in writing." Show me one instance of writing that can be directly linked to a pot since, despite claims to the contrary, it didn't originate with ceramic patterns. So, the correct answer is C.

Questions 37-40

Complete the summary using the list of words, A-M, below. Write the correct letter, A-M, in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet

The earliest form of writing Most archaeological evidence shows that the people of 37 ……………….. invented writing in around 3,300 BC. Their script was written on 38 ……………….. and was called 39 ……………….. Their script originally showed images related to political power and business, and later developed to become more 40 ………………..

cuneiform
pictorial
tomb walls
urban
legible
stone blocks
simple
Mesopotamia
abstract
papyrus sheets
decorative
clay tablets Uruk
Egypt

Question 37)

Answer: H
Supporting Statement: Yet in the story the Sumerians, who lived in Mesopotamia, in what is now southern Iraq, seemed to understand writing’s transforming function. s Dr Holly Pittman, director of the University’s Center for Ancient Studies, bserved, writing “arose out of the need to store and transmit information…over time and space”.
Keywords: Sumerians, Mesopotamia
Keyword Location: Paragraph C
Explanation: As per paragraph C, it has been mentioned that the Sumerians from Mesopotamia, who were present in what is now southern Iraq, appeared to comprehend the transformative power of writing in the tale. s Writing arose out of the necessity to preserve and convey information...over time and place. So, the correct answer is H.

Question 38)

Answer: L
Supporting Statement: It seems a messenger of the King of Uruk arrived at the court of a distant ruler so exhausted that he was unable to deliver the oracle message. So the king set down the words of his next messages on a clay tablet.
Keywords: Messenger, clay tablets, Uruk
Keyword Location: Paragraph A
Explanation: As per paragraph A, it has been mentioned that it appears that a messenger from the King of Uruk was too fatigued to deliver the oracle message when he reached at the court of a distant king. The king thus inscribed his subsequent messages on a clay tablet. So, the correct answer is L.

Question 39)

Answer: A
Supporting Statement: . These are the dates for many clay tablets in an early form of cuneiform, a script written by pressing the end of a sharpened stick into wet clay, found at the site of the ancient city of Uruk.|
Keywords: Uruk, cuneiform
Keyword Location: Paragraph E
Explanation: As per paragraph E, it has been mentioned that the dates recorded on several clay tablets that were written in an early form of cuneiform script created by pressing the tip of a sharpened rod into wet clay were discovered at the Uruk archaeological site. So, the correct answer is A.

Question 40)

Answer: I
Supporting Statement: The baked clay tablets bore such images as pictorial symbols of the names of people, places and things connected with government and commerce. The Sumerian script gradually evolved from the
pictorial to the abstract, but did not at first represent recorded spoken language.
Keywords: Baked clay, pictorial and abstract
Keyword Location: Paragraph E
Explanation: As per paragraph E, it has been mentioned that the images on the baked clay tablets included pictorial representations for the names of persons, places, and things related to commerce and government. Although it did not initially represent recorded spoken language, the Sumerian alphabet gradually transitioned from the visual to the abstract. So, the correct answer is I.

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