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Environmental Science: A Global Concern, 7/e
William P. Cunningham, University of Minnesota
Mary Ann Cunningham, Vassar College
Barbara Woodworth Saigo, St. Cloud State University

Conventional Energy

Practice Quizzing



1

Energy is defined as
A)the potential to do work.
B)calorie consumption per hour.
C)any kind of molecule that has the ability to cause objects to move.
D)force exerted per unit of time.
2

All of the following are examples of fossil fuels except
A)coal.
B)biomass.
C)oil.
D)natural gas.
3

The U.S. imports about ______ percent of its oil.
A)10
B)25
C)50
D)75
4

About ______ percent of commercial energy used in the world is provided by fossil fuel.
A)25
B)45
C)65
D)85
5

A number of European countries have higher standards of living than the U.S. and consume __________ Americans do.
A)half the energy
B)about the same amount of energy that
C)marginally less energy than
D)more energy than
6

It is estimated that the area around the Caspian Sea may contain enough oil to increase the world supply by 25 percent. That amount would last ______ years at current use rates.
A)10
B)100
C)200
D)500
7

By far the greatest amount of proven natural gas reserves are found in
A)Alaska.
B)Canada
C)the former USSR.
D)Iraq
8

From an environmental perspective the most desirable fuel of those listed is
A)coal.
B)petroleum.
C)natural gas.
9

The greatest amount of energy in the U.S is used for
A)industrial uses.
B)transportation.
C)heating and cooling buildings.
D)commercial uses.
10

_____ is by far the most plentiful of the fossil fuels.
A)Coal
B)Petroleum
C)Natural gas
11

Coal burning releases
A)radioactive material.
B)substantial amounts of carbon dioxide.
C)toxic metals including mercury.
D)all of the above.
12

_____ is associated with the greatest number of human deaths each year of those listed.
A)Coal mining and burning
B)Petroleum extraction and processing
C)Biomass production and use
D)Uranium mining and nuclear power generation
13

Mining and extraction of oil from oil shale may never be environmentally and economically acceptable. Associated problems include
A)its high cost.
B)its high potential for air pollution.
C)its high potential for water pollution.
D)all of the above.
14

If the U.S. stopped importing oil and used only its current proven reserves, we would run out of oil in about _____ years.
A)10
B)50
C)250
D)500
15

Bitter debate rages over whether the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should be opened to oil exploration. Geologists estimate that, at best, enough oil might be found that at current U.S. use rates would provide a _____ supply.
A)200 day
B)25 year
C)50 year
D)100 year
16

Methane hydrate is
A)found in permafrost and beneath deep ocean deposits.
B)present in incredibly large quantities.
C)difficult to exploit as an energy source.
D)characterized by all of the above.
17

Methane hydrate deposits are worrisome because
A)they contain twice as much carbon as that found in all the coal, oil, and natural gas combined.
B)global warming could cause this material to melt accelerating even more global warming.
C)the methane that would be released upon melting is ten times as powerful a greenhouse gas as is carbon dioxide.
D)of all of the above.
18

The chain reaction utilized in nuclear power generation refers to
A)a neutron emitted by one atom striking another causing release of other neutrons which in turn strike other atoms which release even more neutrons and so on.
B)atoms forcefully combining with each other progressively producing ever larger atoms, ultimately producing plutonium.
C)the series of events from mining to concentrating to fuel rod assembly and ultimately to power generation.
D)the ultimate safety failure of a nuclear power generator where heat causes atoms ultimately to explode.
19

Concerns about nuclear power generation include
A)the excessive cost of construction, operation, and eventually closure of such a plant compared to other options.
B)the difficulty of safely disposing of long-lived radioactive materials.
C)risks associated with power plant accidents.
D)all of the above.
20

Arguments in support of nuclear power include
A)it causes fewer annual deaths and disease than does coal mining.
B)it produces substantially less air pollution than fossil fuel fired power plants.
C)its use has no significant effect on global warming.
D)all of the above.
21

There is a positive correlation between standard of living and per capita energy consumption.
A)True
B)False
22

Air hand dryers in restrooms, by avoiding manufacture, use, and disposal of paper towels, are truly pollution-free.
A)True
B)False
23

Although the U.S. imports oil, it exports even more.
A)True
B)False
24

Commercially useful nuclear energy is produced when the nuclei of two very small atoms combine to form a single larger atom causing the release of a large amount of energy.
A)True
B)False
25

The main concern over nuclear power plant safety is that if safety equipment malfunctions, such plants would explode like small nuclear bombs.
A)True
B)False
26

In some uranium mines lung cancer from exposure to radioactive dust has claimed the lives of up to 70 percent of the miners.
A)True
B)False
27

Breeder reactors, because they produce more nuclear fuel than they consume, are regarded as the ultimate solution to our energy problems.
A)True
B)False
28

Public interest in nuclear power as an energy source has grown in recent years.
A)True
B)False