Question 1

A system of pipes painted black that have water circulating on the wall in a glass greenhouse on the south side of a building is an example of

Accepted Answer

A)  parabolic collection.
B)  an active solar heating system.
C)  passive heat absorption.
D)  eutectic heat exchange.
E)  charging fuel cells to increase efficiency in energy use. B

Question 2

A geyser is an example of geothermal energy.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 3

Which of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  World coal reserves are substantially smaller than petroleum reserves.
B)  The fossil fuel most readily available and abundant in the United States and Canada is petroleum.
C)  The United States has only enough proven oil supplies to last 4 years at current rates of consumption.
D)  World coal reserves are only large enough to provide power for about 100 years.
E)  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. C

Question 4

Worldwide,coal deposits are

Accepted Answer

A)  widespread but rarely in economic quantities.
B)  relatively difficult to find.
C)  highly unusual formations.
D)  widespread and extensive.
E)  decreasing at alarming rates.

Question 5

Solar photovoltaic energy is highly versatile and can be used in a variety of dispersed settings.Which of the following would not be a good location to harness large amounts of this form of energy?

Accepted Answer

A)  roof tops of commercial buildings
B)  airports
C)  agricultural fields
D)  residential neighborhoods
E)  base-load power facilities

Question 6

A reason to encourage green building designs would be that

Accepted Answer

A)  it would eliminate the need for fossil fuels.
B)  it would save money that would be spent on energy needs.
C)  it would utilize natural gas.
D)  it would eliminate brownfields.

Question 7

The most likely disaster in a nuclear power plant is that

Accepted Answer

A)  the plant would explode like a nuclear bomb.
B)  cooling systems could fail,causing rapid overheating.
C)  fuel rods could fail to maintain chain reactions.
D)  nuclear fusion would get out of control and cause explosions.

Question 8

The United States,making up less than 5 percent of the world's population,uses more than ________ of the world's commercial energy production.

Accepted Answer

A)  9/10
B)  2/3
C)  1/2
D)  1/4
E)  1/3

Question 9

A major factor in the conversion from fossil fuels to renewable forms of energy is

Accepted Answer

A)  money.
B)  infrastructure.
C)  access to renewable forms.
D)  a lack of technology to develop renewable forms.

Question 10

________ is an alternative fuel that can be made from any fat or vegetable oil.It can be used in any diesel engine with few or no modifications.Although it does not contain petroleum,it can be blended with diesel at any level or used in its pure form.

Accepted Answer

A)  Coal
B)  Biomass
C)  Oil
D)  Biodiesel
E)  Nuclear

Question 11

Which of the following statements is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  Improving standards of living have been repeatedly demonstrated to require increased energy consumption.
B)  An average house built today requires only half the energy used by a new home in 1974.
C)  For an average home,standby appliances consume up to 25% of the electricity used in a month.
D)  Most potential heat from fuel is lost as waste heat.

Question 12

The majority of energy produced for electricity generation and transportation is "rejected energy" in the energy flow diagram for the United States.What does this mean?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is energy not used because it is lost through leakage and inefficiency.
B)  It is energy that wasn't needed for these sectors.
C)  It was the energy used directly for electricity generation or transportation.
D)  It is the energy from nonrenewable resources.
E)  It is the energy from renewable resources.

Question 13

Energy is the capacity to do work.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

Most of our energy waste in North America results from

Accepted Answer

A)  a failure to turn off lights.
B)  technological inefficiency.
C)  the fact that more efficient energy conversion is not possible.
D)  overwhelming public ignorance of conservation issues.
E)  the fact that energy conservation techniques are quite expensive.

Question 15

________ is derived from ancient swamps and bogs,where standing water prevented decay and allowed plant matter to accumulate and ________ is derived from plankton and algae,mixed with mud and sand on ancient sea beds.

Accepted Answer

A)  Oil,coal
B)  Methane,oil
C)  Natural gas,coal
D)  Coal,oil
E)  Methane,natural gas

Question 16

Cogeneration is the combined production of methane and coal.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Where is the greatest wind resource in the United States?

Accepted Answer

A)  the great plains and Rocky Mountain states
B)  the southeastern states
C)  the southwestern states
D)  the Ohio River Valley
E)  the northeastern states

Question 18

Nuclear power provides about ________ percent of the US energy supply.

Accepted Answer

A)  3
B)  9
C)  12
D)  23
E)  37

Question 19

Sweden,Denmark,and Switzerland have higher standards of living by most measures than Americans or Canadians

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 much less than ours.
E)  Sweden,Denmark,and Switzerland do not have higher standards of living compared to Americans or Canadians.

Question 20

Most useful oil deposits are usually found

Accepted Answer

A)  in a liquid pool under a layer of impermeable shale.
B)  saturating porous rocks,like water in a sponge.
C)  locked in the mineral structure of a rock formation.
D)  in pools on the earth's surface,where geologic pressures have forced them to collect.
E)  in small pools directly above the bedrock.

Exam 13: Energy