apes unit 6 multiple choice exam
The largest hydroelectric dam in the world is located on one of the world's longest rivers in this area.
(E)
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?
19.4% ; The family uses a total of 10800kWh10800kWh of electricity for the year (12months×900kWh)(12months×900kWh). It takes 2100kWh2100kWh to run the two air conditioners for three months (2units×350kWh×3months=2100kWh)(2units×350kWh×3months=2100kWh). 2100kWh/10800kWh×100=19.4%2100kWh/10800kWh×100=19.4%.
In what year was the fraction of energy supplied by coal the greatest?
1910
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?
20,000
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
How many BTUsBTUs were consumed in the United States in 2017 by consumers that used petroleum as a fuel source?
3636 quadrillion BTUs
Uranium-235 has a half-life of 710 million years. If it is determined that a certain amount of stored U-235 will be considered safe only when its radioactivity has dropped to 0.10 percent of the original level, approximately how much time must the U-235 be stored securely to be safe?
7.1 × 109 years
At the 1997 rate of consumption, about how long will the estimated 2,000 billion barrels of oil last?
75 years
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.
Purity is a major factor in determining the type of coal used for energy. Which of the following types of coal are correctly paired with a description of its purity and common use?
Anthracite is considered the highest grade coal because it is almost pure carbon, and it is often used for domestic heating. ; This is the highest grade of coal and it is very dense. The coal burns with the least amount of smoke, which is best for domestic use.
Which of the following will be the most likely consequence from the daily operation of a typical hydroelectric power plant?
Beach erosion will increase where the river meets the ocean downstream from the hydroelectric dam project.
In the majority of less developed countries, the major source of energy for domestic use is which of the following?
Biomass
The source whose use is a direct cause of deforestation
Biomass
Which of the following best describes the energy resource used most often for heating and cooking in less developed countries?
Biomass is the predominant fuel source because it is easily obtained locally.
Which of the following best describes an advantage of burning biomass rather than burning fossil fuels in developing countries?
Biomass production is cheaper than fossil fuel extraction, making it more readily available for use.
Which of the following is the most successful solution to the problem of fish mortality caused by dams?
Building fish ladders around the dam
Which of the following is the current recommendation of Congress for the permanent storage of high-level radioactive waste in the United States?
Burial deep underground at sites remote from population centers
This is the location of the world's largest hydroelectric dam, with a generating capacity of 22,500MW
C; In 2012, the Three Gorges Dam in China became the largest hydroelectric dam in the world, replacing the Itaipú Hydroelectric Dam in Brazil and Paraguay.
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.
Based on the diagram, which processes would provide the energy used to generate electricity at the power plant?
Fission in radioactive fuel
Which of the following most likely had a direct influence on the trend shown in the graph for the electricity generation from wind?
Increased subsidies for renewable energy
How New York City Is Turning Its Thousands of Roofs Into Power Providers- Based on the article, which of the following best identifies the author's claim?
Increased tax breaks and other financial incentives have been an important factor for increasing the number of installations of solar panels on New York City rooftops.
Many environmentalists consider Egypt's Aswan High Dam on the Nile River to be an ecological disaster. Which of the following is the best evidence to support this viewpoint?
Most of the nutrient-rich silt that the Nile annually deposited downstream is now deposited behind the dam.
Which of the following PVPV panel systems is least effective at producing energy?
No tracking, tilted east ; PVPV panels tilted to the east have the lowest daily and annual energy outputs of the tested tilted panels.
If peak electricity use occurs around 2p.m.2p.m. in the Los Angeles area and avoiding brownouts is more important to the installers of the PVPV panels than annual energy output, which of the following PVPV panel systems would be best to use in the area?
No tracking, tilted west ; Peak energy output for no-tracking, tilted-west panels is about 2p.m.2p.m. This would be the ideal system to use to meet these needs.
Which of the following best describes a benefit of increasing the number of offshore wind farms rather than onshore wind farms?
Offshore winds farms will produce up to three times as much electricity as wind farms on land because of increased wind speeds offshore.
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. 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 explains why some energy sources are renewable?
Renewable energy sources can be replenished naturally, at or near the rate of consumption ; Renewable energy sources can be replenished on a human timeline, whereas nonrenewable energy sources cannot.
Which of the following actions would reduce global greenhouse emissions?
Replacing coal-burning power plants with wind farms
The following questions refer to the energy sources listed. (A) Uranium-238 (B) Coal (C) Natural gas (D) Oil (E) Solar Is renewable
Solar
Which of the following is a disadvantage of using nuclear energy as a source of electricity
Spent fuel rods must be disposed of properly.
The source that is converted directly into electrical energy by photovoltaic cells
Sunlight
Which of the following is the best example of an energy storage element in a solar energy system?
The hot water tank in a solar hot water system
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 the method of vehicle transport that is the most environmentally sustainable?
The use of a vehicle powered by hydrogen fuel cells because there are no carbon emissions
Which of the following is an unintended consequence of the use of hydroelectric dams for electricity generation?
There will be more erosion than sediment deposition downstream from the hydroelectric dam. ; Sediments that can be transported to the coastline downstream in a free-flowing river settle out in the reservoir behind the dam. As a result, erosion will most likely outpace deposition along the coastline, leading to increased beach erosion.
Which of the following is the most practical solution to maximizing energy production at wind farms while minimizing the risk to wildlife?
Turn off turbines during periods of maximum migration ;If the turbines are not turning when birds and bats are passing by at their greatest numbers, mortality will be reduced. The maximum energy possible could be produced when animals, such as birds and bats, are not migrating.
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 structures in the diagram is the site where the nuclear power plant accidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl occurred?
a ;Structure A is nuclear reactor. The nuclear reactor is enclosed in the containment structure that is made of steel-reinforced concrete to contain any radioactive material that escapes. A partial meltdown of the reactor occurred at Three Mile Island in 1979. When one of the reactor cores exploded at Chernobyl, large amounts of radioactive material were released because there was no containment building.
All of the following substances are derived from petroleum EXCEPT
cellulose
In contrast to low-level radioactive waste, most high-level radioactive waste is currently
stored at reactor sites
Compared to a coal-fired power plant that produces the same amount of energy, a nuclear power plant generates more
thermal pollution
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%
Based on the provided data, which of the following best explains the change in energy resource use?
Renewable sources replaced nonrenewable sources for electricity generation but not for transportation.
Based on the data, which of the following policies would most likely make the greatest reduction in the ecological footprint for all of the cities shown in the graph?
Setting higher fuel efficiency standards for vehicles
Which of the following statements about geothermal energy is accurate?
The location of geothermal energy sources ranges from short distances below ground to miles below the surface.
Which of the following is a negative consequence associated with photovoltaic solar cells?
The manufacture of photovoltaic solar cells involves toxic metals that can be released into the environment.
