The following text discusses a historical discovery.
The Rosetta Stone, discovered in Egypt in 1799, provided the key to understanding ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. The stone contains the same text in three scripts: hieroglyphics, Demotic, and ancient Greek. Because scholars could read Greek, they were able to work backward and decode the other scripts. French scholar Jean-François Champollion finally cracked the code in 1822, opening an entire civilization's written record to modern study.
What was the primary significance of the Rosetta Stone?
It proved that Greeks had conquered Egypt
It enabled scholars to understand Egyptian hieroglyphics
It was the oldest stone ever discovered
It contained the laws of ancient Egypt
Correct Answer: B
Choice B is the correct answer. The text explicitly states the stone "provided the key to understanding ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics," enabling decoding of an entire civilization's records.
- Evidence: Enabled decoding by comparing to known Greek text.
- Reasoning: The stone's significance was unlocking hieroglyphics.
- Conclusion: Understanding hieroglyphics was its primary importance.
Choice A is incorrect because conquest isn't discussed. Choice C is incorrect because age isn't mentioned as significant. Choice D is incorrect because the text's content isn't the focus—its utility for decoding is.