Which dynasty's writing appeared on oracle bones?

• A. Zhou Dynasty
• B. Han Dynasty
• C. Shang Dynasty
• D. Qin Dynasty

Answer: (C)

The key idea is recognizing where the earliest Chinese writing appears and the artifacts that show it. Oracle bones—the turtle shells and ox shoulder blades used for divination—come from the late Shang Dynasty. People would inscribe questions on these bones and then interpret the cracks that formed after heating them, recording the results. This writing is the earliest form of Chinese characters, known as oracle bone script, and it shows the beginnings of a system of writing that later evolved into the scripts used in later dynasties. The bones were found in Anyang, the Shang capital, which confirms the association with that dynasty. Later dynasties like Zhou, Han, and Qin had their own writing developments, but they are not linked to oracle bone inscriptions.