Which type of bow has limbs that curve away from the belly of the bow?

• A. Recurve bow
• B. Longbow
• C. Compound bow
• D. Reflex bow

Answer: (A)

Limbs that curve away from the belly describe a recurve bow. The belly is the inner face facing the archer, and in a recurve bow the limbs bend outward at the tips, curving away from that belly toward the back of the bow. This shape stores more energy in a shorter limb and releases it with a quicker, more powerful impulse to the arrow, giving higher speed and power than a straight, longbow. By contrast, a longbow has mostly straight limbs, a compound bow uses a system of cams and cables to manage draw rather than limb curvature, and a reflex bow has limbs that bend toward the archer, not away.