0331 Machine Gun Practice Test

This question tests understanding of the different stoppages in the firing cycle: feeding versus extraction. In a belt-fed weapon, the round must first be moved from the belt into the chamber and then the bolt seals and fires. A failure to feed occurs when that round never makes it into the chamber—the bolt may cycle, but the chamber remains empty, so no round is chambered and the weapon won’t fire. A failure to extract, on the other hand, happens after a round has been chambered and fired but the spent cartridge is not removed by the extractor; the spent case stays in the chamber after the cycle, causing a stoppage that requires clearing. So the best description is that the first condition means the round did not enter the chamber, while the second means the spent cartridge remains in the chamber after the cycle.