Question

which of the following does not describe the ancient mayan writing system?

• symbols showed how to sound out words.
• a symbol could represent what something meant.
• each symbol had its own sound.

Explanation:

The ancient Mayan writing system (hieroglyphics) is a logographic - syllabic system. Symbols can represent meanings (logographic) and also show how to sound out words (syllabic). However, the statement "Each symbol had its own sound" is incorrect because a single symbol in Mayan writing could be part of a syllabic representation (combining with others to make sounds) or represent a whole concept, and not every symbol has a unique, independent sound in that way.

Answer:

C. Each symbol had its own sound. (assuming the options are labeled A, B, C with A: Symbols showed how to sound out words, B: A symbol could represent what something meant, C: Each symbol had its own sound)