Worksheet: Evolution of Writing and Communication System
A. Fill in the Blanks
1. Early humans expressed their feelings by drawing on the walls of ________.
2. The earliest form of writing was called ________, developed by the ________.
3. The ________ script was used in ancient Egypt and is also known as picture writing.
4. The concept of ________ was discovered in ________.
5. The first printing press was invented by ________ in ________.
B. Multiple Choice Questions (Tick the correct answer)
1. What did people use for counting before numbers were invented?
a) Stones and shells
b) Fingers, pebbles, and sticks
c) Coins and money
2. What is the name of the number system we use today?
a) Roman system
b) Egyptian system
c) Hindu-Arabic system
3. What was the first book printed by Gutenberg?
a) Ramayana
b) Bible
c) Mahabharata
4. Which script is used to write Hindi?
a) Arabic
b) Brahmi
c) Devanagari
5. Which country first developed the art of printing?
a) India
Worksheet: Evolution of Writing and Communication System
b) Germany
c) China
C. Important Questions and Answers
1. What did early human beings do to pass on their knowledge?
Ans: Early human beings passed on their knowledge to the next generation orally.
2. How did early humans express their feelings before writing was invented?
Ans: Early humans expressed their feelings by drawing on the walls of caves using burnt wood.
3. What is cuneiform? Who developed it?
Ans: Cuneiform is the earliest form of writing developed by the Sumerians. It used wedge-shaped
symbols made on wet clay.
4. What is the meaning of the word 'cuneiform'?
Ans: The word 'cuneiform' means wedge-shaped.
5. What is hieroglyphics? Who used it?
Ans: Hieroglyphics is a system of picture writing used by the Egyptians. It was used in tombs and
temples.
6. Which is the oldest script found in India?
Ans: The Indus Valley script is the oldest script found in India.
7. What is the Brahmi script?
Ans: The Brahmi script came after the Indus Valley script. Most Indian scripts, including Devanagari,
are derived from it.
8. What is the Devanagari script?
Ans: The Devanagari script is used to write Hindi and is based on sounds.
Worksheet: Evolution of Writing and Communication System
9. How did people count before numbers were invented?
Ans: People used pebbles, sticks, and fingers for counting.
10. Who discovered the concept of zero?
Ans: The concept of zero was discovered in India.
11. What is the Hindu-Arabic number system?
Ans: It is the number system from 0 to 9, developed in India and later spread to Europe by the
Arabs.
12. What did Romans use to write numbers?
Ans: The Romans used seven letters (M, D, C, L, X, V, I) of their alphabet to write numbers.
13. Why were books rare and costly in ancient times?
Ans: Books were handwritten by scribes, which was a slow and difficult process, making them rare
and costly.
14. Who invented the first printing press?
Ans: The first printing press was invented by Johann Gutenberg in Germany.
15. What was the first book printed by Gutenberg?
Ans: The Bible was the first book printed by Gutenberg.
16. What changes did the printing press bring?
Ans: The printing press allowed books to be produced faster and cheaper, leading to a revolution in
knowledge.
