Q 01/05

Which Han dynasty court official is traditionally credited with inventing paper in 105 CE?

A) Zhang Heng

B) Bi Sheng

C) Sima Qian

D) Cai Lun

Answer · why

D) Cai Lun

Cai Lun, a palace eunuch, reported his recipe of bark, hemp and old fishnets to the emperor, but paper fragments more than two centuries older show he...

Q 02/05

The word 'paper' comes from the name of which ancient writing material?

A) Papyrus

B) Vellum

C) Amate

D) Parchment

Answer · why

A) Papyrus

Papyrus lent paper its name, yet the two are unrelated technologies: papyrus is strips of plant pith pressed together in layers, while paper is pulped...

Q 03/05

The Egyptian writing material that gave paper its name was made from the pith of what kind of plant?

A) A wetland sedge

B) A giant bamboo

C) A flax plant

D) A palm tree

Answer · why

A) A wetland sedge

A wetland sedge taller than a person, the plant was sliced into strips of pith that were laid crosswise, pressed and hammered into a single sheet.

Q 04/05

Before wood pulp took over in the 1800s, Europe's paper mills ran mainly on what raw material?

A) Discarded rags

B) Tree bark

C) Wheat straw

D) Dried reeds

Answer · why

A) Discarded rags

Discarded rags, mostly worn-out linen, ran so short by the 1700s that mills advertised publicly for them, a squeeze that sent inventors hunting for a ...

Q 05/05

Before paper, Chinese scribes wrote on heavy bamboo strips or on which cloth?

A) Hemp

B) Silk

C) Linen

D) Wool

Answer · why

B) Silk

Silk was light but far too expensive for everyday records, while bamboo was heavy and awkward to store, and that gap is what pushed Han craftsmen towa...