Which of the following statements about the runestone discovery is supported by the text?

• A. It provides clear evidence of a previously unknown alphabet.
• B. It confirms trade routes across the Baltic Sea.
• C. It demonstrates a unique metalworking technique.
• D. It may provide insights into early written language in Scandinavia.

Answer: (D)

Runestones with inscriptions provide direct clues about how language and writing appeared and was used in that region. The statement that the discovery may provide insights into early written language in Scandinavia is the best fit because inscriptions from these stones serve as tangible evidence of language use, showing how people wrote, read, and communicated at the time, even if they don’t reveal a fully developed alphabet. The other ideas go beyond what such stones typically demonstrate: a clearly unknown alphabet would require identifiable, distinct signs recognized as a new script; evidence of Baltic trade routes would need signs of exchange or interaction described in the text; and metalworking techniques aren’t what inscriptions on stones primarily reveal. So, the most supported idea is that the discovery can illuminate early written language in Scandinavia.