Unit 6 Quiz

The half-life of radon gas is approximately four days. Four weeks after the introduction of radon into a sealed room, the fraction of the original amount remaining is closest to

1/128

A family of four lives in a three-bedroom house and uses an average of 900kWh900kWh of electricity per month. The family cools their house for three months during the summer with two window-unit air conditioners that each use 350kWh350kWh of electricity per month. Which of the following is the percentage of the family's total annual electricity that is used to run the two air conditioners for the three summer months? Responses

19.4%

In what year was the fraction of energy supplied by coal the greatest?

1910

In approximately what year did oil and gas become the dominant fuels for the United States?

1940

What was the approximate percent increase in consumption from 1986 to 1997 ?

20%

Burning one gallon of gasoline in a car releases approximately 20 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere. One person drives 60,000 miles in a car that averages 30 miles per gallon (mpg), while another person drives 60,000 miles in a car that averages 20 mpg. Over the course of the 60,000 miles, how many fewer pounds of CO2 are released by the 30 mpg car than by the 20 mpg car? Responses

20,000

The Chernobyl nuclear disaster led to the release of massive radiation, specifically iodine-131iodine-131 and cesium-137cesium-137, which has been connected to a variety of environmental problems in the 3030 years following the disaster. Question A soil sample near Chernobyl was found to contain 187kBq/m2187kBq/m2 of cesium-137cesium-137. If the half-lifehalf-life of cesium-137cesium-137 is approximately 3030 years, how much cesium-137cesium-137 will remain in the sample after 9090 years?

23.38kBq

A sample of radioactive waste has a half-life of 10 years and an activity level of 2 curies. After how many years will the activity level of this sample be 0.25 curie?

30 years

were consumed in the United States in 2017 by consumers that used petroleum as a fuel source?

36 quadrillion BTUs

After 200 million years, only 1/16 of the original amount of a particular radioactive waste will remain. The half-life of this radioactive waste is how many million years?

50

At the 1997 rate of consumption, about how long will the estimated 2,000 billion barrels of oil last? Responses

75 years

Which of the structures in the diagram is the site where the nuclear power plant accidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl occurred?

A

Which of the following is the best example of cogeneration?

A coal-fired power plant captures waste heat and uses it to heat adjacent buildings.

Which of the following is an environmental problem associated with abandoned coal mines?

Acid drainage due to leaching of spoil heaps by rainwater

Rock layer that must be porous and have enough permeability for fluid to move through the layer

C

Which of the following describes an environmental problem that can result from the combustion of fossil fuels to generate electricity?

Carbon dioxide is a product of the combustion fossil fuels, and it can lead to global climate change when released into the atmosphere.

Which of the following countries has the largest coal reserves?

China

Which three sources supply the majority of commercial energy in the world today?

Coal, oil, and natural gas

An industry uses natural gas for manufacturing and uses the waste heat to produce electricity. This is an example of which of the following processes?

Cogeneration

In an apartment building, exhaust from a gas-powered electrical generator is captured to produce hot water to heat a swimming pool. Which of the following is illustrated by this process?

Cogeneration

Rock layer that must be rich in organic matter that was subjected to heat and pressure over time during the formation of oil and natural gas.

D

Which of the following is the primary environmental problem associated with the use of nuclear power to generate electricity?

Disposal of radioactive waste

This region has been the largest petroleum exporter for the past four decades.

E ???

Which of the following is the most valid inference regarding electricity production, based on the graph above?

Electricity production from coal began to decrease in 2008 because of the increasing use of natural gas and renewable energy.

A cost-benefit analysis done to investigate a proposed mine site would likely take which of the following into account?

I, II, and III

Some automobiles in the United States are fueled by natural gas. What is the primary environmental advantage of natural gas relative to gasoline as a transportation fuel?

Natural gas combustion emits fewer pollutants.

Which of the following is a characteristic of nonrenewable energy sources that distinguishes them from renewable energy sources?

Nonrenewable energy sources typically take a longer time to replenish than renewable energy sources do.

Select the choice that best fits each statement. The following question(s) refer to the following energy sources. Biomass Wind Tidal energy Nuclear fission Sunlight Question The source that produces long-lived hazardous wastes

Nuclear fission

The source that is not renewable

Nuclear fission

Nuclear power is a component of the line labeled "Other" in the graph. Why is it impossible for nuclear energy to completely replace oil and gas in the future?

Nuclear power can supply electricity, but it cannot replace other uses of oil and gas.

The Chernobyl nuclear disaster led to the release of massive radiation, specifically iodine-131iodine-131 and cesium-137cesium-137, which has been connected to a variety of environmental problems in the 3030 years following the disaster. Question Which of the following best describes the process of electricity generation at a nuclear power plant?

Nuclear power is generated through fission, which releases a large amount of heat. The heat is used to generate steam, which turns a turbine that powers a generator.

Of the following sources, which supplies the most commercial energy in the world today?

Oil

Which of the following best describes the conditions under which peat is formed?

Partially decayed vegetation is placed under high-pressure, anaerobic, acidic conditions.

The Chernobyl nuclear disaster led to the release of massive radiation, specifically iodine-131iodine-131 and cesium-137cesium-137, which has been connected to a variety of environmental problems in the 3030 years following the disaster. Question A meltdown in which of the following structures at a nuclear power plant, such as Chernobyl, would most likely lead to the accidental release of radiation?

Reactor core

Which of the following has the largest proven coal reserves?

The United States

The separation of the various components of crude oil in refineries is accomplished primarily by taking advantage of differences in which of the following?

The boiling points of the components

According to the data plotted in the graph above, which of the following is true about the increase in world fossil fuel consumption between 1965 and 1980 ?

The increase in oil consumption outpaced the increases in coal and natural gas consumption.

Which of the following best describes acid mine drainage?

The leakage of water containing toxic materials from coal and metal mines

Although nuclear energy is considered a cleaner energy source than fossil fuels, some scientists argue this does not support the claim that nuclear energy is renewable. Which of the following claims best supports the argument that nuclear energy is a nonrenewable energy source?

The uranium deposits on Earth are finite.

Which of the following is considered an advantage of using nuclear power to generate electricity?

There is no CO2 emitted from the nuclear reaction.

Which of the following is a true statement concerning the production of electricity in conventional nuclear power plants using fission reactors?

Thermal energy is converted into mechanical energy and then to electrical energy, as in coal-burning power plants.

Which of the following would be most likely to be used as a fuel source for electricity generation in the plant displayed in the diagram?

Uranium-235

Which of the following gases is released from the structure labeled C in the diagram?

Water vapor

All of the following substances are derived from petroleum EXCEPT

cellulose

An advantage of using natural gas, rather than oil, as a fuel is that natural gas is

cleaner because it burns more completely

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the pumping of highly pressurized water with a mixture of sand and chemicals into boreholes to

create cracks within the rock in order to provide pathways for the release of gas and oil

One solution for reducing the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide would be to

decrease the use of fossil fuels

In contrast to low-level radioactive waste, most high-level radioactive waste is currently

stored at reactor sites