Q 01/05

The word 'cannon' comes from the Old Italian cannone, meaning what?

A) Thunder

B) Fire stick

C) Iron mouth

D) Large tube

Answer · why

D) Large tube

It traces back through the Latin canna to the Greek kanna, 'reed'; both 'cannons' and 'cannon' are correct plurals.

Q 02/05

In which country did the cannon most likely first appear, possibly as early as the 12th century?

A) Italy

B) Turkey

C) Egypt

D) China

Answer · why

D) China

It probably evolved from the fire lance, a gunpowder tube on a polearm; a Dazu rock carving from 1128 may show one.

Q 03/05

Which gun, dated 1298, is considered the earliest confirmed extant cannon because it carries an inscribed production date?

A) The Loshult gun

B) The Xanadu Gun

C) The Wuwei Bronze Cannon

D) The Heilongjiang hand cannon

Answer · why

B) The Xanadu Gun

It is just 34.7 cm long and weighs 6.2 kg; the other early Chinese guns are dated only by context.

Q 04/05

In 1288, troops of which dynasty are recorded using hand cannons in battle against the rebel prince Nayan?

A) Song

B) Yuan

C) Tang

D) Ming

Answer · why

B) Yuan

The Jurchen commander Li Ting led them; the Heilongjiang hand cannon was found near the battle site.

Q 05/05

The earliest known European depiction of a gun appears in a 1326 manuscript by which author?

A) Roger Bacon

B) Walter de Milemete

C) Konrad Kyeser

D) Giovanni Villani

Answer · why

B) Walter de Milemete

It shows a vase-shaped gun firing a large arrow, lit through a touch hole with a long stick.