Final answer:
Writing is the basic civilization feature used by governments and religious leaders to keep records, with cuneiform being one of the earliest forms developed in Mesopotamia for economic records, legal codes, and historical events.
Step-by-step explanation:
The basic civilization feature used by governments and religious leaders to keep records of important information was C. Writing. The development of writing was one of the most significant cultural developments during the first part of the Early Urban Phase. Forms of writing may date back to 11,000 years ago, but it became crucial in early cities for various purposes. Writing was used for keeping economic records such as tallies of different livestock, measures of grain, legal documents, royal inscriptions, religious texts, and recording historical and political events. The Mesopotamians developed cuneiform, which evolved from a pictographic system to a phonetic script. This allowed them to document commercial exchanges, taxes, payrolls, and laws. Cuneiform records became highly durable once inscribed on baked clay tablets.