What term describes societies that do not have a written record?

• A. Oral cultures
• B. Nomadic cultures
• C. Mythic cultures
• D. Verbal cultures

Answer: (A)

Think about how knowledge and stories are kept alive when there’s no writing. In societies without a written record, information about history, laws, genealogies, and culture travels through spoken word and performance—stories, songs, memorized histories, and rituals that are shared from generation to generation. That method of passing information is what defines an oral culture: communities that rely on speech and memory rather than written documents to preserve their traditions. While a group can be nomadic or have mythic traditions, those features don’t specifically describe the absence of writing. Verbal cultures isn’t the standard term used in this context, so the best fit is oral cultures.