Q 01/05

Fireworks were invented in which country?

A) China

B) Italy

C) India

D) Egypt

Answer · why

A) China

China is still the world's biggest maker and exporter of fireworks today.

Q 02/05

Under which Chinese ruling house did the earliest true fireworks appear, between 960 and 1279?

A) The Qing

B) The Song

C) The Ming

D) The Tang

Answer · why

B) The Song

Song-era vendors sold firecrackers in the markets, and a military display entertained the emperor in 1110.

Q 03/05

Long before gunpowder, what did Han-dynasty Chinese throw into fires to make a loud bang?

A) Clay pots

B) Salt crystals

C) Bamboo stems

D) Chestnuts

Answer · why

C) Bamboo stems

Air trapped in the hollow stems bursts with heat; the word for firecracker, baozhu, literally means 'exploding bamboo'.

Q 04/05

Which three ingredients make up traditional gunpowder?

A) Charcoal, lime and phosphorus

B) Saltpeter, magnesium and iron

C) Sulfur, chalk and salt

D) Sulfur, charcoal and saltpeter

Answer · why

D) Sulfur, charcoal and saltpeter

Sulfur and charcoal are the fuel; saltpeter, potassium nitrate, supplies the oxygen so it can burn fast without air.

Q 05/05

Which colour is notoriously the hardest to produce in fireworks?

A) Blue

B) Green

C) Red

D) Gold

Answer · why

A) Blue

Copper compounds have to burn at a very precise temperature; a deep, rich blue is considered the mark of an expert maker.