Question

part a: history of gunpowder and firearms
more than one thousand years ago, the chinese invented gunpowder. gunpowder is potassium nitrate (saltpeter), charcoal, and sulfur. when ignited, it expands to six times its original size, producing a violent explosion. the chinese used it to make fireworks and to shoot balls of flaming material at their enemies.
years later, in 14th - century europe, inventors learned they could direct the explosive force of gunpowder down a cylinder to move a deadly projectile, an object that is launched through the air. the projectiles launched from these early firearms were very effective in piercing suits of armor and wounding the enemy at a great distance.
for a firearm to work reliably, it must effectively ignite the gunpowder. the earliest firearms, matchlock weapons (16th - century), had wicks to carry a flame to the gunpowder. later, matchlock weapons were replaced by flintlock weapons (17th - century), which used sparks from a chip of flint instead of wicks to ignite the powder, allowing them to work even in damp weather. these weapons were muzzle - loaders, which meant that the user put the gunpowder and the projectile down the firearms barrel (muzzle) and packed them into position.
percussion firing replaced the flintlock method with the introduction of the cartridge, a shell case that holds a bullet (a pointed projectile), a small amount of primer powder, and the gunpowder. a hammer hit the primer powder, which exploded, igniting the gunpowder. from the late 1500s, firearms that used this method were more effective than flintlocks in shooting the bullet in the desired direction. cartridges were loaded into the gun from the opposite end of the barrel—the breech. these breech - loading firearms could be loaded for firing more quickly than the older, muzzle - loading firearms.
part a: indicate whether the statement is true or false. if the statement is false

1. the chinese invented gunpowder more than two thousand years ago.
2. gunpowder is made up of potassium nitrate (saltpeter), charcoal, and sulfur.
3. the chinese used it to make fireworks and to shoot balls of flaming material at their enemies.
4. in 14th - century europe, inventors learned they could not direct the explosive force of gunpowder down a cylinder to move a deadly projectile.
5. to work reliably, a firearm must effectively ignite the gunpowder.
6. the earliest firearm was the flintlock
7. wicks were used to carry the flame to the gunpowder in matchlock weapons
8. sparks were used to carry the flame to the gunpowder in flintlock weapons
9. the cartridge consists of a bullet, primer powder, and gunpowder.
10. percussion firearms replaced the flintlock weapons.

Explanation:

1.

The passage says "More than one thousand years ago, the Chinese invented gunpowder", but the statement claims "more than two thousand years ago", so it's false.

The text states "Gunpowder is potassium nitrate (saltpeter), charcoal, and sulfur", matching the statement.

The passage says "The Chinese used it to make fireworks and to shoot balls of flaming material at their enemies", same as the statement.

Answer:

False

2.