The languages spoken by early Europ

The languages spoken by early Europeans are still shrouded in mystery. There is no linguistic continuity between the languages of Old Europe (a term sometimes used for Europe between 7,000 and 3,000 B.C.) and the languages of the modern world, and we cannot yet translate the Old European script. Scholars have deciphered other ancient languages, such as Sumerian, Akkadian, and Babylonian, which used the cuneiform script, because of the fortuitous discovery of bilingual inscriptions. When cuneiform tablets were first discovered in the 18th century, scholars could not decipher them. Then inscriptions found in Iran at the end of the 18th century provided a link: these inscriptions were written in cuneiform and in two other ancient languages, Old Persian and New Elamite – languages that had already been deciphered. It took several decades, but scholars eventually translated the ancient cuneiform script via the more familiar Old Persian language.
Similarly, the hieroglyphic writing of the Egyptians remained a mystery until French troops unearthed the famous Rosetta stone in the late 18th century. The stone carried the same message written in ancient Greek, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Egyptian hieratic, a simplified form of hieroglyphs. The Rosetta stone thwarted scholars’ efforts for several decades until the early 19th century when several key hieroglyphic phrases were decoded using the Greek inscriptions. Unfortunately, we have no Old European Rosetta stone to chart correspondences between Old European script and the languages that replaced it.
The incursions of Indo-European tribes into Old Europe from the late 5th to the early 3rd millennia B.C. caused a linguistic and cultural discontinuity. These incursions disrupted the Old European sedentary farming lifestyle that had existed for 3,000 years. As the Indo-Europeans encroached on Old Europe from the east, the continent underwent upheavals. These severely affected the Balkans, where the Old European cultures abundantly employed script. The Old European way of life deteriorated rapidly, although pockets of Old European cultural remained for several millennia. The new peoples spoke completely different languages belonging to the Indo-European linguistic family. The Old European language or languages, and the script used to write them, declined and eventually vanished.

Question 51. What is the main topic of the passage?
A. Reason for the failure to understand the written records of Old European culture.
B. Influences on the development of Old European script.
C. Similarities between Old European script and other ancient writing systems.
D. Events leading to the discovery of Old European script.
Question 52. According to the passage, New Elamite is _________.
A. a language that was used in Europe about 3,000 years ago
B. a modern language that came from Old Persian
C. one of the languages spoken by the Old Europeans
D. a language that was understood by the late 18th century
Question 53: When does the passage suggest that ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic script was finally deciphered?
A. At around the same time as cuneiform script was deciphered.
B. Shortly before the Rosetta stone was unearthed.
C. As soon as additional bilingual inscriptions became available to scholars.
D. A few decades after the hieratic script was decoded.
Question 54: According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE of the Rosetta stone?
A. It was found by scholars trying to decode ancient languages.
B. It contains two versions of hieroglyphic script.
C. Several of its inscriptions were decoded within a few months of its discovery.
D. Most of its inscriptions have still not been decoded.
Question 55: According to the passage, scholars were able to decipher cuneiform form with the help of _________.
A. the Sumerian, Akkadian, and Babylonian languages B. Old Persian
C. tablets written in Old European D. languages spoken in 18th century Iran
Question 56: The word “fortuitous” in the 1st paragraph is closest in meaning to _________.
A. important B. immediate C. early D. lucky
Question 57:The word “them” in the 1st paragraph refers to _________.
A. Sumerian, Akkadian, and Babylonian B. bilingual inscriptions
C. cuneiform tablets D. scholars
Question 58: The word “thwarted” in the 2nd paragraph is closest in meaning to _________
A. continued B. influenced C. encouraged D. frustrated
Question 59:According to the passage, Indo-European incursions caused Old European population to ________.
A. separated into different tribes B. move eastward
C. change their ways of living and obtain food D. start recording historical events in writing
Question 60: . The author mentions the Balkans in the passage in order to explain why _________.
A. Indo-European languages were slow to spread in Old Europe
B. the inhabitants of Old Europe were not able to prevent Indo-European incursions
C. the use of the Old European script declined
D. the Old European culture survived for a time after the Indo-European incursions