The early Buddhist scriptures were composed in

The correct answer is: B. Pali texts

Pali is a Middle Indo-Aryan language that was used to write the early Buddhist scriptures. It is a vernacular language that was spoken by the people of the time, and it is not as formal as Sanskrit. The Pali texts are the oldest surviving records of the Buddha’s teachings, and they are considered to be the most authoritative version of the Buddhist canon.

The other options are incorrect because:

• Prakrit is a group of Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were spoken in India at the time of the Buddha. It is not as formal as Sanskrit, and it is not the language that was used to write the early Buddhist scriptures.
• Sanskrit is a classical Indo-Aryan language that was used to write religious texts, literature, and philosophy. It is a formal language that is not as widely spoken as Prakrit.
• Pictographical texts are texts that are written using pictures or symbols. They are not the same as the early Buddhist scriptures, which were written using the Pali language.