Question 1

-Why didn't the "plants in operation" curve in the diagram increase to the same level that the "plants on order" curve peaked?

Accepted Answer

A) Because of the increased concerns about reactor safety and waste disposal 
B) Because some people were still supportive of nuclear power 
C) Because nuclear power does not contribute to the greenhouse effect 
D) Because there is a lag time between ordering and operating a nuclear plant 
E) Because many utilities cancelled their orders 
A) Because of the increased concerns about reactor safety and waste disposal 
B) Because some people were still supportive of nuclear power 
C) Because nuclear power does not contribute to the greenhouse effect 
D) Because there is a lag time between ordering and operating a nuclear plant 
E) Because many utilities cancelled their orders E

Question 2

Secondary recovery techniques are ways to

Accepted Answer

A) Force more oil out of a drying well 
B) Extract new types of fuels from an empty well 
C) Recover nonfuel materials from an oil well 
D) Distill usable fuels from raw petroleum 
E) Recover the oil that spills when an oil well gushes 
A) Force more oil out of a drying well 
B) Extract new types of fuels from an empty well 
C) Recover nonfuel materials from an oil well 
D) Distill usable fuels from raw petroleum 
E) Recover the oil that spills when an oil well gushes A

Question 3

Which of the following statements regarding nuclear energy is true?

Accepted Answer

A) In a nuclear power plant, electricity is collected directly from electrons splitting off from fuel atoms. 
B) Nearly all nuclear power plants worldwide are built far from water sources to prevent contamination. 
C) Decommissioning a nuclear power plant costs up to ten times as much as building it. 
D) The Pressurized Water Reactor and the Boiling Water Reactor are essentially the two main designs for a nuclear power plant. 
E) In a nuclear power plant, electricity is collected directly from the combination of electrons. 
A) In a nuclear power plant, electricity is collected directly from electrons splitting off from fuel atoms. 
B) Nearly all nuclear power plants worldwide are built far from water sources to prevent contamination. 
C) Decommissioning a nuclear power plant costs up to ten times as much as building it. 
D) The Pressurized Water Reactor and the Boiling Water Reactor are essentially the two main designs for a nuclear power plant. 
E) In a nuclear power plant, electricity is collected directly from the combination of electrons. C

Question 4

Currently the most common way to extract natural gas is by __________.

Accepted Answer

A) Collecting it from abandoned deep mines 
B) Hydraulic fracturing 
C) Separating it from crude oil pockets 
D) Collecting it from deep ocean thermal vents 
A) Collecting it from abandoned deep mines 
B) Hydraulic fracturing 
C) Separating it from crude oil pockets 
D) Collecting it from deep ocean thermal vents

Question 5

Hydraulic fracturing breaks what kind of rock layer to release methane?

Accepted Answer

A) Shale 
B) Limestone 
C) Granite 
D) Slate 
A) Shale 
B) Limestone 
C) Granite 
D) Slate

Question 6

Black lung disease results from

Accepted Answer

A) The radioactivity in coal 
B) The radioactivity around coal-fired power plants 
C) Careless strip-mining methods 
D) Coal dust literally filling lungs like dust in a vacuum cleaner bag 
E) Coal dust causing inflammation and fibrosis in lungs 
A) The radioactivity in coal 
B) The radioactivity around coal-fired power plants 
C) Careless strip-mining methods 
D) Coal dust literally filling lungs like dust in a vacuum cleaner bag 
E) Coal dust causing inflammation and fibrosis in lungs

Question 7

A caller who wondered why no one was discussing nuclear power berated panelists discussing the problems of global warming on a radio show.How would you react to this caller? Make sure you provide at least three arguments that support your position.

Accepted Answer

Answers should conta

Question 8

A fuel assembly in a nuclear power plant consists of

Accepted Answer

A) Fuel pellets packed into a hollow rod 
B) About one hundred pellet-filled rods bundled together 
C) Fuel pellets arranged in a cube and encased in plastic 
D) About a thousand fuel rods 
E) Neutron-absorbing material such as cadmium 
A) Fuel pellets packed into a hollow rod 
B) About one hundred pellet-filled rods bundled together 
C) Fuel pellets arranged in a cube and encased in plastic 
D) About a thousand fuel rods 
E) Neutron-absorbing material such as cadmium

Question 9

The chemical industry is the second-largest industrial consumer of fossil fuels with ________ used for energy generation and ____________ used for raw materials in manufacturing.

Accepted Answer

A) Half; half 
B) Three quarters; one quarter 
C) One quarter; three quarters 
D) One third; two thirds 
E) Two thirds; one third 
A) Half; half 
B) Three quarters; one quarter 
C) One quarter; three quarters 
D) One third; two thirds 
E) Two thirds; one third

Question 10

Under normal operating conditions _______________ power plants release radioactivity as well as toxic metals.

Accepted Answer

A) Coal-fired 
B) Hydroelectric 
C) Nuclear 
D) Wind-generated 
E) All of these are correct 
A) Coal-fired 
B) Hydroelectric 
C) Nuclear 
D) Wind-generated 
E) All of these are correct

Question 11

During a meltdown, nuclear power plants explode like a bomb, releasing huge amounts of radioactive material into the environment.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Oil wells are usually able to extract ______ of the petroleum present in an oil reservoir.

Accepted Answer

A) All 
B) About 90 percent 
C) About 75 percent 
D) 30 to 40 percent 
E) Less than 10 percent 
A) All 
B) About 90 percent 
C) About 75 percent 
D) 30 to 40 percent 
E) Less than 10 percent

Question 13

Nuclear waste storage in the United States is currently handled

Accepted Answer

A) In temporary storage at individual plants 
B) In a permanent storage depot managed by the federal government 
C) By dumping at sea 
D) By shipping overseas to Surinam and Venezuela 
E) By dumping at sea and by shipping overseas to Surinam and Venezuela 
A) In temporary storage at individual plants 
B) In a permanent storage depot managed by the federal government 
C) By dumping at sea 
D) By shipping overseas to Surinam and Venezuela 
E) By dumping at sea and by shipping overseas to Surinam and Venezuela

Question 14

Radioactive waste dumping in oceans has been

Accepted Answer

A) Considered by many governments but not carried out 
B) Common worldwide until last year 
C) Continued by the Soviet government until very recently 
D) Banned worldwide since 1957 
E) Proved to be safe because the wastes are sinking to very deep oceanic trenches 
A) Considered by many governments but not carried out 
B) Common worldwide until last year 
C) Continued by the Soviet government until very recently 
D) Banned worldwide since 1957 
E) Proved to be safe because the wastes are sinking to very deep oceanic trenches

Question 15

Nuclear fission occurs when a high-energy subatomic particle, a neutron, strikes a uranium atom, releases energy, and

Accepted Answer

A) Breaks in half, causing another atom to break 
B) Releases an electron in a gamma wave 
C) Releases protons 
D) Releases neutrons 
E) Combines with another neutron to release even more energy 
A) Breaks in half, causing another atom to break 
B) Releases an electron in a gamma wave 
C) Releases protons 
D) Releases neutrons 
E) Combines with another neutron to release even more energy

Question 16

Under normal operating conditions, you are likely to get a higher dose of radiation, living next to a nuclear plant than a coal-burning plant.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Norway, Denmark, and Japan have higher standards of living by most measures than America.

Accepted Answer

A) Because their energy consumption is much greater 
B) Because they are closer to energy supplies 
C) Even though their energy use is about equal to ours 
D) Even though their energy use is about half as much as ours 
E) Because they don't use any fossil fuels 
A) Because their energy consumption is much greater 
B) Because they are closer to energy supplies 
C) Even though their energy use is about equal to ours 
D) Even though their energy use is about half as much as ours 
E) Because they don't use any fossil fuels

Question 18

The liquid sodium that must be used to cool a breeder reactor

Accepted Answer

A) Is explosive in contact with water 
B) Burns intensely when exposed to oxygen 
C) Is highly corrosive 
D) All of these are correct 
E) None of these is correct 
A) Is explosive in contact with water 
B) Burns intensely when exposed to oxygen 
C) Is highly corrosive 
D) All of these are correct 
E) None of these is correct

Question 19

In the process of getting energy to power your television, which of the following stages is the most energy efficient?

Accepted Answer

A) Mining the coal to run the power plant 
B) Burning the coal to run the power plant 
C) Thermal conversion of the energy from coal in the power plant 
D) Transmission to your house 
E) Actually powering your television set 
A) Mining the coal to run the power plant 
B) Burning the coal to run the power plant 
C) Thermal conversion of the energy from coal in the power plant 
D) Transmission to your house 
E) Actually powering your television set

Question 20

Oil shale and tar sands are examples of ________ oil.

Accepted Answer

A) Unrecoverable 
B) Unproven 
C) Unknown 
D) Unconventional 
E) Recoverable 
A) Unrecoverable 
B) Unproven 
C) Unknown 
D) Unconventional 
E) Recoverable

Exam 19: Conventional Energy

-Why didn't the "plants in operation" curve in the diagram increase to the same level that the "plants on order" curve peaked?

Secondary recovery techniques are ways to

Which of the following statements regarding nuclear energy is true?

Currently the most common way to extract natural gas is by __________.

Hydraulic fracturing breaks what kind of rock layer to release methane?

Black lung disease results from

A caller who wondered why no one was discussing nuclear power berated panelists discussing the problems of global warming on a radio show.How would you react to this caller? Make sure you provide at least three arguments that support your position.

A fuel assembly in a nuclear power plant consists of

The chemical industry is the second-largest industrial consumer of fossil fuels with ________ used for energy generation and ____________ used for raw materials in manufacturing.

Under normal operating conditions _______________ power plants release radioactivity as well as toxic metals.

During a meltdown, nuclear power plants explode like a bomb, releasing huge amounts of radioactive material into the environment.

Oil wells are usually able to extract ______ of the petroleum present in an oil reservoir.

Nuclear waste storage in the United States is currently handled

Radioactive waste dumping in oceans has been

Nuclear fission occurs when a high-energy subatomic particle, a neutron, strikes a uranium atom, releases energy, and

Under normal operating conditions, you are likely to get a higher dose of radiation, living next to a nuclear plant than a coal-burning plant.

Norway, Denmark, and Japan have higher standards of living by most measures than America.

The liquid sodium that must be used to cool a breeder reactor

In the process of getting energy to power your television, which of the following stages is the most energy efficient?

Oil shale and tar sands are examples of ________ oil.

Understanding Our Environment

Principles of Science and Systems

Matter, Energy, and Life

Evolution, Biological Communities, and Species Interactions

Biomes

Population Biology

Human Populations

Environmental Health and Toxicology

Food and Hunger

Farming: Conventional and Sustainable Practices

Biodiversity

Biodiversity: Preserving Landscapes

Restoration Ecology

Geology and Earth Resources

Climate Change

Air Pollution

Water Use and Management

Water Pollution

Sustainable Energy

Solid, Toxic, and Hazardous Waste

Urbanization and Sustainable Cities

Ecological Economics

Environmental Policy, Law, and Planning

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The chemical industry is the second-largest industrial consumer of fossil fuels with used for energy generation and ____ used for raw materials in manufacturing.