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About This Quiz
Are you charged up for action on the battlefield? Take the marvelous military weapons quiz to find out more about how ingenious people can be when it comes to war.
Military weapons have been around for as long as humans have had to protect or conquer someone or something. What were some of the earliest close-combat weapons ever made?
knives
bows
clubs
Because any well-made -- or found -- big stick is a weapon, the earliest military weapons were based on the design of a club. When the Copper Age began, copper maces became a high-demand combat weapon.
slings
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Before gunpowder, what was the common weapon for one-on-one combat?
spear
sword
Swords are a natural evolution of clubs. All you have to do is add an edge to a club, and you have a sword. Of course, a sword only became truly practical once humans found a material that could keep its edge, like obsidian or hard metals.
crossbow
knife
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We know that a thrown stone could probably have been the first weapon, but what weapon would make a thrown stone more useful?
a catapult
a bow
a throwing mace
a sling
Slings, and their cousin, slingshots, have been around for so long that even ancient middle-eastern civilizations used them. Remember David and Goliath? Getting a stone up to killing speed with a length of leather or twine makes it a cost-effective military weapon.
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Fast-forward to the future, and let's prepare to meet our robot soldiers. What was the MAARS robot originally designed to do?
extending communications
reconnaissance
environmental testing
bomb disposal
The Modular Advanced Robotic System (MAARS) is great for bomb disposal, since no human lives will be at risk when it's defusing a bomb. However, all you have to do is switch out equipment, and it becomes a remote military weapons platform. It can be armed with a machine gun, a grenade launcher, or non-lethal weapons, like beanbag guns and pepper spray.
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What modern weapon made it easy for the common man to go to war?
the gun
Guns have been the great social equalizer for military weapons. In some cultures, it effectively removed military social classes, allowing anyone to be part of the military.
the pike
the spear
the axe
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This weapon was the deadliest ranged weapon in ancient times, barring large-scale military weapons like the catapult. What was it?
the spear
the sling
the throwing star
the bow
The bow is probably the most deadly "simple" military ranged weapon. With a properly made arrow, it is accurate, and can, in some cases, pierce heavy armor. It is an improvement over a sling, since an arrow's flight is more controlled and longer in range than even the best sling ammunition.
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It was probably created as a hunting weapon, but ended up as a handheld range weapon that could be thrown. What is this?
hammer
sword
knives
spear
The spear was probably a parallel or next-stage development of using longer and longer clubs. Its usefulness as a defensive and offensive weapon made it an all-around weapon.
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"The Punisher" is a new kind of grenade launcher that was designed for the US Army. What makes it so high-tech?
you can make grenades bounce like a ball
you can set the range at which the grenade explodes
The XM25 "Punisher" grenade launcher has technology that allows the user to set the distance at which the shot grenade will explode. This is very useful if forces are pinned down by enemy fire. The punisher can shoot a grenade on top, or near, the enemy's defended position, and then explode at the set distance.
you can make it punch holes through walls
you can make the grenade curve around objects
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Before guns, this mechanical weapon made it easier for people to participate in war. What is it?
crossbow
The crossbow is a mechanical weapon that is based on the bow. The basic idea behind pistols and rifles probably came from how crossbows were designed. Though they still took some skill to use, they were easier to master than bows.
slingshot
repeating bow
folding sword
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What is mostly known as a construction tool, but has been used in the past as a weapon, when supersized?
pike
chisel
hammer
The hammer has been used as an upgrade to a club. It is more destructive, thanks to the added weight on the head. It was usually used by soldiers or warriors who could lift and swing these heavy military weapons.
nail
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Which other military weapon — that started out as a tool — is still in use today as part of a soldier's equipment?
hammer
bayonet
fork
axe
The survival gear of some soldiers still includes an axe, often a fold-up, mechanical one. It works as a weapon somewhere between a sword, a hammer, and a knife.
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In terms of large military weapons, this is the latest for launching things super-fast. What is this cannon-like weapon?
Modernized catapult
Rail gun
Ever since people found out you can move objects at high speeds using electromagnets, the idea of an electromagnetic rail gun had been toyed with. The U.S. Navy plans to mount rail guns on their latest destroyers. Smaller versions are being developed for soldiers.
Anti-aircraft cannon
Large-bore rifle
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After the medieval ages, this military weapon has steadily replaced the bow as the ranged weapon of the infantry. What is this weapon, which soldiers today usually carry?
rifle
The rifle firearm is so named for the fact that their barrels are rifled. Having swirled lines in their barrel makes the bullets spin, making them more accurate over longer distances. The use of rifles changed how close soldiers engaged each other on the battlefield.
handgun
long saber
horse pikes
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Grenades have been around since ancient times. Originally, however, they didn't explode. What was in them?
hot metal
ants
acid
fire-making chemicals
When grenades were first used, they had what was called "Greek fire," which was an ancient version of napalm. Supposedly, it was the Chinese who started packing gunpowder into their grenades.
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What is the difference between a spear and a pike?
the blade stuck on the end
length of the shaft
Pikes are specialized spears that are particularly long. They are normally used in mass troop movements as a combination of offense and defense, both against other infantry and cavalry.
the weight
the balance
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We know that "Greek fire" was like napalm, but what is it made of?
no one really knows
"Greek fire" was similar to napalm. Most historians and researchers agree that it must have contained a form of crude oil.
quicklime
saltpeter
acid
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In the evolving battlefield, what will replace most aerial military vehicles?
long-range cannons
orbital weapons
drones
Many military aircraft roles can now be served by drones, as technology develops real-time remote control systems for them. Some drones have already been used to drop bombs or fire missiles in battlefields.
long-range missiles
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What specialized rifle can be used to slow down enemies at a long range?
anti-armor rifles
sniper rifles
Sniper rifles are specialized long-range firearm military weapons. In the hands of a trained user, a sniper rifle can pin down large groups of people. It's rare for a sniper to kill everyone in a unit, but the idea is that he can whittle them down, or slow down their progress.
shotguns
grenade launchers
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What military weapon is better off being attached to a rifle?
a second pistol weapon
a smoke launcher
a grenade launcher
a bayonet
Bayonets are knives or spikes that can be attached to the barrel of a rifle, turning the rifle into a short spear, which can be used for blocking and attacking in very close combat. They can also be removed and used as handheld weapons.
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What is the military weapon that isn’t a true weapon, but a very effective addition to rifles, and even large handguns?
scopes
silencers
tracking bullets
They are not weapons but the weapon needs them to be effective.
extended magazines
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What were land mines in their original form?
booby traps
underground tunnels
Land mines take their name from the fact that in the past, forces would literally dig mine tunnels under a battlefield or area. If enemies crossed it, they could collapse the tunnels, taking the enemies with them. Later, they would fill the mines with explosives, and the idea evolved from that to explosives that can be triggered to explode on contact.
hidden spikes
pits
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What are catapults?
large-scale throwing weapons
Catapults describe a wide range of large military weapons that are the prequel to cannons. Some are gigantic crossbows, others look like wind-up throwing arms. In any case, they are meant to fire large objects ranging from spears to boulders, straight at enemy forces or fortresses.
spear launchers
harpoon launchers
construction tools
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Why was the fire-lance such an important military weapon in ancient history?
it is the first practical use of gunpowder
it is the first flame weapon
it is the first time gunpowder was used in weapons
it is the prototype firearm
A Chinese fire-lance was basically a hollow tube with gunpowder and some "bullets" in it, strapped to a spear-like weapon. In close military formation combat, the tubes were lit, and the gunpowder would belch fire, and whatever else was in the tube, straight at attacking forces.
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What was the Davy Crockett weapon system?
it was a long-range grenade mortar launcher
it was a heavy caliber long-range sniper rifle
it was a nuclear recoil-less gun
The Davy Crockett recoil-less rifle was designed to fire one of the smallest nuclear weapons in the U.S. Arsenal. With a range of two to four kilometers, anything within 600 meters of impact would either be dead from the explosion or radiation poisoning.
it was a high-powered one-man recoil-less rifle
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What is this ancient military weapon that was made by folding metal sheets or blocks a few times?
a gladius
a katana
Katanas are the required weapon of the Japanese samurai warrior class. The tradition of folding the metal was to make the carbon distribution more even, since at the time, the iron ore that was available wasn't that good.
a damascean blade
a claymore
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For what is a rocket-propelled grenade primarily used?
to defeat armored vehicles
Rocket-propelled grenades are primarily used to destroy armored targets, usually military vehicles. This military weapon destroys normally through a specially designed warhead that can cut through armor by ejecting hot metal forward from the head itself, cutting through the armor, before exploding.
to blow up machine gun nests
to kill large groups of soldiers
to hit bridges
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Which rifle is the new standard service rifle in the U.S. Army?
M16 Assault Rifle
M1 semi-automatic rifle
M14 rifle
M4 carbine short rifle
The M4 is an updated version of the M-16 rifle, and is the main military weapon for soldiers in the U.S. Army. Due to changing times, it has been designed for close-quarter operations, where longer rifles would be a problem.
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Why was the stick grenade an effective design?
it could be used as a club, too
it could be thrown farther
The stick form of the German stick grenades could be thrown farther, around 30 to 40 yards. By contrast, normal grenades could only get up to around 20 yards at most.
it couldn't get lost easily
it had interchangeable heads
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What is the combat use of shotguns?
easier "point-and-shoot" weapon
Shotguns are effective military weapons in that you don’t have to really aim dead-on to hit a target, as long as the target is in the general cone of the shot or pellet spread. Shotguns can also be used to breach door locks more effectively.
shock and awe
trap-clearing
smoking out hidden enemies
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What makes a mini gun such a fearsome military weapon?
the maintenance required
the roaring sound
a very high rate of fire
The mini gun is a ferocious weapon, as it can spit out thousands of bullets in a minute. It has many gun barrels firing and reloading in sequence, so the barrels have a little time to cool down before shooting again.
the recoil
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Why is the new M26 modular accessory shotgun system named that way?
it can be integrated with the M4 rifle
The M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System can be mounted under the main barrel of the M4 rifle, much like a grenade launcher. It can also be fitted with parts to make it a standalone unit.
it can fire different kinds of ammunition
it is easy to maintain
spare parts come in sets
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What makes a mortar different from a normal cannon?
mortars fire high-curve paths for the shells
Mortars fire low-speed rounds, and with a short range. However, the high, curving path of the fired rounds makes for good support bombardment against enemy positions.
mortars can't fire big shells
mortars are for smaller units
mortars are for special forces
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Why was the Roman gladius sword such a feared weapon?
it was a good throwing weapon
it was concealable
it was made of high-quality steel
it was perfect for close-quarters combat
The Roman gladius was less than three feet in length, grip included. This made it perfect for stabbing and slashing motions in cramped spaces or close-quarter combat.
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Why was the .45 caliber handgun, the Colt M1911, a staple U.S. military weapon, developed?
to stop Muslim rebels
Muslim rebels in the Philippine-American War (1899-1902) were hard to kill. Heavier bullets were needed to stop them, and so evolved the use of .45 caliber M1911 handgun.
to pierce body armor
to shoot through armored vehicles
to have more range
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What was the primary use of flamethrowers, aside from being terror weapons?
triggering traps
lighting up night operations
destroying fortifications and enemy positions
to project a long, controllable stream of fire
Flamethrowers are an old weapon of warfare. They were first used by the ancient Greeks. They were introduced to modern battle during World War I.
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