Nuclear Energy MC

In addition to cooling a nuclear reactor's core, a fluid known as coolant serves the additional purpose of (A) transferring heat out of the core for electricity generation (B) keeping radioactive gases from escaping into the environment (C) keeping fuel from chemically reacting with the cooling rods (D) adding neutrons to nonfissionable material to create new nuclear fuel (E) absorbing neutrons to control the rate of fusion

A

In order for uranium ore to be enriched for use as nuclear power plant fuel, it is first chemically converted to (A) uranium hexafluoride (B) uranium hexachloride (C) uranium hexabromide (D) plutonium-239 (E) uranium hexaiodide

A

In the United States, the government agency currently charged with overseeing the safety and licensing of nuclear reactors and their fuel is known as the (A) U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (B) U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (C) U.S. Union of Concerned Scientists (D) U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration (E) U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration

A

Most of the world's nuclear reactors and all of the United States' nuclear reactors are (A) light-water reactors (B) fusion reactors (C) pebble-bed modular reactors (D) high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (E) breeder reactors

A

The open nuclear fuel cycle does NOT involve (A) reprocessing spent fuel into usable fissionable material (B) burying radioactive wastes underground for thousands of years (C) mining uranium-containing ore from the earth (D) decommissioning old reactors (E) temporarily storing spent fuel in dry casks or pools of water

A

A fusion reactor-based power plant would make electricity from heat released by the fusion of nuclei of light elements such as (A) nitrogen (B) hydrogen (C) lithium (D) beryllium (E) boron

B

After the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated some of Japan's east coast, the Fukushima Daiichi power plant experienced an uncontrolled fission reaction when coolant stopped circulating around fuel rods, and emergency control measures did not adequately halt the process. Thus, the plant experienced a partial (A) enrichment (B) meltdown (C) conversion (D) fission explosion (E) nuclear fusion reaction

B

Inside a reactor, a neutron strikes a uranium atom nucleus, which splits, releasing a great deal of energy and sending fragments of the nucleus speeding away in different directions. This single sequence of events is best described as an example of (A) fusion (B) fission (C) enrichment (D) meltdown (E) beta radiation

B

The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident occurred in (A) Russia (B) Ukraine (C) Lithuania (D) France (E) Belarus

B

The half-life of element X is 40 years. Starting from a mass of 50 grams, how much element X will have undergone radioactive decay in 120 years? (A) 50 grams (B) 43.75 grams (C) 25 grams (D) 12.5 grams (E) 6.25 grams

B

The planned Yucca Mountain long-term, underground storage facility for high-level radioactive waste is located in the state of (A) Wyoming (B) Nevada (C) Utah (D) Idaho (E) Colorado

B

The uranium oxide pellets used in typical nuclear reactors are primarily composed of the nonfissionable isotope (A) uranium-235 (B) uranium-238 (C) uranium-258 (D) uranium-255 (E) uranium-245

B

Which three of the following are components of the open nuclear fuel cycle? I. decommissioning of old power plants II. mining uranium ore III. generating electricity with a steam-driven turbine IV. reprocessing of radioactive waste into fuel V. pumping of coolant through the core VI. temporary storage of high-level radioactive waste (A) I, II, and III (B) I, II, and VI (C) II, III, and IV (D) III, IV, and V (E) II, IV, and VI

B

After operating for up to 60 years, conventional nuclear plants must be either renovated or decommissioned for which two main reasons? I. Many parts become radioactive. II. Spent fuel rods cannot be removed from the core. III. Many parts become brittle or corroded. IV. Pressure inside the core increases until it reaches the facility's limit. (A) I and II (B) II and III (C) I and III (D) II and IV (E) I and IV

C

Among the following U.S. regions, which has the highest concentration of nuclear power plants? (A) Mountain West (B) Southwest (C) Midwest (D) Gulf Coast (E) Pacific Coast

C

Of the following power plant components, which one is found ONLY in nuclear power plants? (A) turbine (B) cooling tower (C) control rod (D) condenser (E) water pump

C

Pure uranium ore, or "yellowcake," is composed of the element uranium chemically bonded to the element (A) fluorine (B) chlorine (C) oxygen (D) boron (E) hydrogen

C

To safeguard the environment and people living in it, high-level radioactive waste from fission reactors must be stored for (A) 1 to 10 years (B) 50 to 5,000 years (C) 10,000 to 250,000 years (D) 1 million to 10 million years (E) 500 million to 1 billion years

C

Transuranium elements be obtained only by (A) mining deposits located deep under the ocean (B) refining petroleum using high-pressure processes (C) bombarding heavy elements with neutrons (D) treating uranium ores with corrosive chemicals (E) gathering and refining uranium decay products

C

Whether or not an atom's nucleus is unstable depends mostly on its number of (A) protons (B) electrons (C) neutrons (D) quarks (E) pi orbitals

C

A nuclear reactor that makes more fissionable fuel is specifically known as a (A) fusion reactor (B) tokamak reactor (C) moderator reactor (D) breeder reactor (E) light-water reactor

D

Coal compares favorably to nuclear energy in few areas, including (A) land disruption due to mining (B) air pollution (C) contribution to acid rain (D) difficulty of plant construction and maintenance (E) contribution to global warming

D

Fusion reactors are not used for energy production because they (A) produce dangerous amounts of radiation (B) can explode with the force of a hydrogen bomb in an accident (C) produce a large amount of high-level radioactive waste compared with fission reactors (D) have not yet produced more energy from fuel than they consume (E) require fuel that is not economically effective to produce

D

In the closed nuclear fuel cycle, decommissioned reactors are (A) processed into fissionable fuel (B) reused in the construction of new power plants (C) simply discarded in a landfill, since they are not radioactive (D) buried or otherwise disposed of safely, since they are radioactive (E) reduced to ash through incineration

D

Of the following lists of radioactive decay products, which is arranged from heaviest to lightest? (A) gamma particles, alpha particles, beta particles (B) beta particles, alpha particles, gamma particles (C) gamma particles, beta particles, alpha particles (D) alpha particles, beta particles, gamma particles (E) alpha particles, gamma particles, beta particles

D

Radioactive materials are dangerous to organisms such as humans because (A) they neutralize the electrical charges of biological molecules, rendering them inert (B) cells will substitute radioactive elements for oxygen and suffocate (C) they cause proteins to replicate themselves uncontrollably (D) they release particles that ionize biological molecules, splitting them (E) they absorb crucial electrolytes, shutting down ion transfer across cell membranes

D

When spent nuclear fuel rods are stored temporarily at a nuclear reactor, they are often put into pools of boron-treated water to prevent them from (A) undergoing an uncontrollable chain reaction resulting in a nuclear explosion (B) turning to difficult-to-manage radioactive dust after further decay (C) spreading throughout the facility as they melt into liquid form (D) heating up, catching fire, and releasing contaminants into the environment (E) combining with nitrogen in the air to become a high-pressure radioactive gas

D

Which of the following is NOT a drawback of nuclear energy? (A) highly dangerous waste products (B) potential for catastrophic plant accident (C) cannot compete economically without government subsidies (D) high air pollution from normal operations (E) plants and waste storage facilities seen as terrorist targets

D

Fissionable uranium-235 contains a total of 235 (A) protons (B) neutrons (C) electrons (D) Higgs bosons (E) protons and neutrons

E

What proportion of the United States' high-level radioactive waste is stored in long-term underground facilities? (A) all of it (B) 75% (C) 50% (D) 25% (E) none of it

E