APES Ch. 12

Which of the following energy sources is responsible for the largest fraction of electricity generation in the United States? a) Natural gas b) Coal c) Uranium d) Oil e) Wood

a) Natural gas

Which of the following is the MOST fuel-efficient mode of transportation in terms of joules per passenger-kilometer? a) Train b) Bus c) Airplane d) Car with one passenger e) Car with three passengers

a) Train

Nuclear power plants produce electricity using energy from the radioactive decay of a) uranium-235 b) uranium-238 c) uranium-239 d) plutonium-235 e) plutonium-238

a) uranium-235

A radioactive isotope has a half-life of 40 years and a radioactivity level of 4 curies. How many years will it take for the radioactivity level to become 0.25 curies? a) 80 b) 120 c) 160 d) 200 e) 240

c) 160

In 1969, M. King Hubbert published a graph known as the Hubbert curve. This graph shows a) the amount of nuclear fuel available in North America b) the amount of nuclear fuel available in the world c) the point at which world oil production will reach a maximum and the point at which we will run out of oil d) the point at which world oil production will increase e) the coal reserves found in the United States, China, and Russia

c) the point at which world oil production will reach a maximum and the point at which we will run out of oil

Which of the following is NOT associated with the surface extraction of coal? a) Low death rates among minors b) Land subsidence and collapse c) Large piles of tailings d) Underground tunnels and shafts e) Acid runoff into streams

d) Underground tunnels and shafts

Which of the following is NOT a nonrenewable energy resource? a) Oil b) Coal c) Natural Gas d) Wind e) Nuclear fuels

d) Wind

The fact that global transfer of energy from fuels to electricity is about 35 percent efficient is mostly a consequence of a) the Hubbert curve b) the law of conservation of matter c) the first law of thermodynamics d) the second law of thermodynamics e) the law of limiting factors

d) the second law of thermodynamics

Which of the following statements regarding petroleum is CORRECT? I It is formed from the decay of woody plants II It contains natural gas as well as oil III It migrates through pore spaces in rocks a) I, II, and III b) I and III c) II only d) I and II e) II and III

e) II and III

Currently, most high-level radioactive waste from nuclear reactors in the United States is a) stored in deep ocean trenches b) buried in Yucca Mountain c) reprocessed into new fuel pellets d) chemically modified into safe materials e) stored at the power plant that produced it

e) stored at the power plant that produced it