Environmental Science Test 17A
 
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Environmental Science Test 17A

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
 

 1. 

What is the main reason why fewer nuclear power plants are being built today compared to 40 years ago?
a.
Nuclear fusion power plants are being built instead.
b.
Federal laws were passed prohibiting the development of new nuclear power plants.
c.
Nuclear power plants have become too expensive to generate electricity at a reasonable cost.
d.
Supplies of U235 are exhausted.
 

 2. 

Which of the following accurately describes the use of fossil fuels for energy?
a.
At the present rate, we will run out of fossil fuels in about 250 years.
b.
Burning fossil fuels releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
c.
Fossil fuels account for 69 percent of the electricity generated in the United States.
d.
All of the above
 

 3. 

Electric generators work by
a.
converting oil into electricity.
b.
turning turbines in a dam.
c.
converting mechanical energy into electrical energy.
d.
rubbing copper against a substance that does not conduct electricity.
 

 4. 

Oil and natural gas result from
a.
the migration of complex carbohydrate molecules to nonporous rock formations.
b.
the decay of tiny marine organisms that accumulated on the ocean floor millions of years ago.
c.
the burning of high-sulfur, low-grade uranium.
d.
the decay of plants that lived in swamps hundreds of thousands of years ago.
 

 5. 

Inside the combustion chamber of a coal-fired power plant,
a.
steam is directed against turbine blades and causes the blades to turn.
b.
the turbine sets the generator in motion.
c.
electricity is generated.
d.
burning fossil fuels release energy in the form of heat.
 

 6. 

Most of the energy consumed in the United States is used for
a.
residential electrical needs.
c.
transportation.
b.
commercial electrical needs.
d.
industrial purposes.
 

 7. 

The energy needs for the United States in the 1990s
a.
rose dramatically.
c.
rose slightly.
b.
fell dramatically.
d.
fell slightly.
 

 8. 

A nuclear reactor is
a.
powered by a combustion chamber in which uranium is burned.
b.
surrounded by a thick pressure vessel that is filled with a cooling fluid.
c.
superheated by water until the control rods are set into motion.
d.
constructed from thick aluminum walls that can control the nuclear reactions.
 

 9. 

New nuclei and neutrons result from
a.
nuclear fusion.
b.
the release of electrons from a positively charged atom.
c.
the splitting of an atom’s nucleus.
d.
the splitting of an atom’s neutron.
 

 10. 

Nuclear fusion
a.
must take place at extremely high temperatures.
b.
does not release a great amount of energy.
c.
must take place in low-density containers.
d.
results in nuclei that are lighter in weight than the nuclei that existed before the reaction.
 

 11. 

Storage sites for nuclear wastes
a.
can only be located only in mountain ranges.
b.
will always leak lethal amounts of radioactivity.
c.
should be located only in areas that are extremely geologically stable.
d.
should be able to undergo the process of transmutation.
 

 12. 

Solar energy, or energy from the sun, is contained in
a.
uranium.
c.
fossil fuels.
b.
radioactive waste.
d.
all nonrenewable resources.
 

 13. 

A fuel’s suitability is dependent on all the following factors, except
a.
energy content.
c.
availability.
b.
cost.
d.
magnetism.
 

 14. 

How is electrical energy generated in a coal-fired power plant?
a.
The heat generated from burning coal turns water into steam, which turns a turbine, thus running the electric generator.
b.
The coal is burned, which heats the air. The hot air rises and turns the electric generator’s turbine.
c.
The turbine breaks down the coal into a liquid fuel that powers the electric generator, thus producing an electric current.
d.
The coal is heated until it vaporizes. The coal vapor is distilled in the combustion chamber, which powers the electric generator.
 

 15. 

Which country uses the least amount of energy per person?
a.
Argentina
c.
United States
b.
Japan
d.
Canada
 

 16. 

Coal is formed when
a.
sediments cover dead marine organisms and heat converts them into complex, energy-rich carbon molecules.
b.
deposits of methane are subjected to high pressure until they condense into crystals.
c.
swamplands are buried by sediment. The added weight creates heat and pressure that converts the plants to coal.
d.
organic remains get trapped in nonporous rock and merge into large bodies of complex, energy-rich carbon molecules.
 

 17. 

Which of the following is an advantage of using fossil fuels for energy?
a.
the resulting air pollution
c.
limited quantities
b.
versatility in their uses
d.
toxic by-products
 

 18. 

Which of the following factors does not help predict future oil production?
a.
the number of oil refineries operating in the past
b.
changes in technology
c.
cost of obtaining fuels
d.
number of oil deposits discovered
 

 19. 

During the process of nuclear fission,
a.
a neutron splits a uranium-235 atom, forming new elements and releasing several neutrons, plus energy.
b.
a neutron splits a daughter nucleus, thus creating uranium-234.
c.
radioactivity causes the neutron of a uranium-235 atom to split in two.
d.
a lightweight atom combines with another lightweight atom to create a single, heavy atom.
 

 20. 

In a nuclear power plant,
a.
three pipe circuits pump water through the reactor, turbine, and cooling tower.
b.
solid uranium pellets are bombarded with steam in the control rods.
c.
nuclear fusion superheats water in the reactor, causing steam to power the turbine.
d.
solid neutron pellets undergo a chain reaction and release massive amounts of heat.
 

 21. 

Which of the following is an advantage of nuclear energy?
a.
It does not produce solid waste.
c.
It poses no safety risks.
b.
It is cost-efficient.
d.
It does not produce air pollution.
 

 22. 

Which of the following is not a main use of fuel?
a.
transportation
c.
heating and cooling buildings
b.
manufacturing
d.
cooking
 

 23. 

The energy in fossil fuels is often converted into
a.
electrical energy.
c.
uranium.
b.
magnetic fields.
d.
power plants.
 

 24. 

Much of the oil and natural gas in the United States is located in
a.
Alaska, Minnesota, New York, and Texas.
b.
Alaska, California, Michigan, and Nevada.
c.
Texas, Colorado, New York, and the Gulf of Mexico.
d.
Alaska, Texas, California, and the Gulf of Mexico.
 

 25. 

Oil production is still increasing, but it
a.
will start decreasing in the next year.
b.
is increasing much more dramatically than it did in the past.
c.
will start decreasing in the next five years.
d.
is increasing much more slowly than it did in the 1960s.
 



 
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