82) Which of the following products is NOT made from petroleum?
A) plastics
B) detergents
C) perfumes
D) tires
83) The petroleum fraction that has the lowest boiling point is
A) gasoline.
B) kerosene.
C) heating oil.
D) natural gas.
84) The number of hydrocarbons that make up the mixture called gasoline is
A) less than 100.
B) less than 1000.
C) more than 2000.
D) more than 1,000,000.
85) When petroleum is separated in a distillation tower, the fraction that does not vaporize is
A) petroleum jelly.
B) asphalt.
C) lubricants.
D) heating oil.
86) The EROEI for ethanol has been estimated to be between 1.67:1 to 0.78:1. Which of the following is
NOT a reason for the low ethanol EROEI values?
A) Ethanol has a lower fuel content than petroleum fuels.
B) Large amounts of energy are required to distill the ethanol after it is formed.
C) Some ethanol is changed to methane (CH4) during the distillation process, so less ethanol is recovered.
D) Ethanol is not easily available.
87) For most uses, the most convenient form of energy is
A) chemical.
B) electrical.
C) mechanical.
D) solar.
88) Approximately what percentage of the chemical energy of a fossil fuel electrical power plant is “lost”
as heat energy?
A) 20%
B) 40%
C) 60%
D) 80%
89) Liquefaction of coal produces a fuel that
A) increases the energy content of the coal.
B) is more conveniently transported.
C) contains less hydrogen than coal.
D) is mainly methanol.
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90) The basic process for converting coal to a synthetic gaseous fuel involves
A) the hydrogenation of carbon.
B) the reduction of carbon by hydrogen.
C) the oxidation of carbon.
D) the reduction of carbon by oxygen.
91) Which of the following forms of energy is the dirtiest?
A) coal
B) electricity
C) natural gas
D) petroleum
92) The conversion of coal to gas results in the production of synthesis gas. Synthesis gas is a mixture of
A) C and H2O.
B) CH4 and H2O.
C) CO and H2.
D) CH4 and H2.
93) At present, what approximate percentage of electricity generated in the United States comes from
nuclear energy?
A) 20%
B) 30%
C) 90%
D) 75%
94) Which country leads in percentage of electricity produced by nuclear energy?
A) China
B) France
C) India
D) Ukraine
95) Electricity produced from nuclear power is especially important in which part of the United States?
A) Southwest
B) eastern seaboard and the Upper Midwest
C) West
D) Plains
96) Control rods in a nuclear reactor are used to
A) absorb neutrons and slow down fission.
B) absorb neutrons and speed up fission.
C) release neutrons and slow down fission.
D) release neutrons and speed up fission.
97) Given the potential benefits and risks associated with nuclear power, the desirability quotient for
electrical generation by nuclear power is probably best described as
A) low.
B) moderate.
C) high.
D) uncertain.
98) Which problem do all power plants have in common?
A) excess capacity
B) release of radioactivity
C) sulfur dioxide emission
D) thermal pollution
99) Tailings are the name for
A) radioactive waste from spent nuclear fuel.
B) radioactive waste produced during the mining of uranium.
C) radioactive coolant water.
D) radioactive ash from coal fired power plants.
100) You cannot make a bomb from reactor grade uranium because it
A) is not radioactive enough.
B) is too well guarded.
C) would explode prematurely.
D) is not enriched enough in uranium-235.
101) A breeder reactor converts
A) nonfissionable U-238 to fissionable U-235.
B) nonfissionable U-238 to fissionable Pu-239.
C) fissionable U-235 to fissionable U–238.
D) fissionable U-235 to fissionable Pu–239.
102) Breeder reactors allow for the use of
A) abundant and naturally occurring U-235 as a nuclear fuel.
B) abundant and naturally occurring U-238 as a nuclear fuel.
C) abundant and naturally occurring Pu-238 as a nuclear fuel.
D) Breeder reactors allow for none of the above.
103) Which of the following is NOT a problem associated with nuclear power plants?
A) air pollution
B) disposal of spent nuclear fuel
C) tailings from the mining of uranium ore
D) thermal pollution
104) Which of the following statements about plutonium and breeder reactors is correct?
A) Plutonium has a high melting point, so the core would not melt if the cooling system failed.
B) Plutonium is relatively easy to separate from uranium because they are chemically different.
C) Plutonium is a beta emitter.
D) Fissionable uranium-235 is used to produce fissionable plutonium-239.
105) The principal fuel(s) for nuclear fusion would be
A) uranium-235 and uranium-238.
B) deuterium and tritium (2H and 3H).
C) plutonium-238.
D) water.
106) Which technology is NOT used at all today for the production of electricity?
A) nuclear fusion
B) nuclear fission
C) solar cells
D) geothermal power plants
107) The state of matter characterized by atomic nuclei and free electrons is called a
A) gas.
B) liquid.
C) solid.
D) plasma.
108) What percentage of the electricity produced in the world today comes from nuclear fusion?
A) 0%
B) 30%
C) 50%
D) 75%
109) Which of the following statements best describes the status of nuclear fusion as an energy source?
A) Nuclear fusion generates some electrical power today.
B) Nuclear fusion will be a viable source of energy by the year 2010.
C) Nuclear fusion will solve all of our energy problems in the 21st century.
D) Nuclear fusion may help solve our energy problems in the future.
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110) One of the major difficulties in developing nuclear fusion as a possible source of continuous energy
is that temperatures of ________ are needed to initiate fusion reactions.
A) 0 K
B) 300°C
C) 5000°C
D) over 100,000,000°C
111) Photovoltaic cells convert
A) solar energy into chemical energy.
B) solar energy into mechanical energy.
C) solar energy into electrical energy.
D) solar energy into heat energy.
112) Most solar cells are composed primarily of
A) arsenic.
B) sulfur.
C) nickel.
D) silicon.
113) If very pure silicon is doped with a small amount of arsenic, the resulting crystal is called a(n)
A) solar cell.
B) n-type semiconductor
C) p-type semiconductor
D) battery.
114) If very pure silicon is doped with a small amount of boron, the resulting crystal is called a(n)
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A) solar cell.
B) n-type semiconductor
C) p-type semiconductor
D) battery.
115) The efficiency of current solar cells is approximately
A) 3%.
B) 15%.
C) 25%.
D) 75%.
116) The use of biomass as a solution to all energy needs is limited by
A) a lack of appropriate plants.
B) a lack of technology to process and burn biomass.
C) the nonrenewability of biomass.
D) a shortage of land to grow plants for energy consumption.
117) Biomass does NOT produce
A) asphalt.
B) methane.
C) ethanol.
D) biodiesel.
118) Biomass may be burned directly or chemically converted to a more convenient form (liquid or gas).
Which of the following statements is true?
A) The conversion of biomass to a more convenient form improves the overall efficiency of the energy
conversion.
B) The conversion of biomass to a more convenient form decreases the overall efficiency of the energy
conversion.
C) The conversion of biomass to a more convenient form does not affect the overall efficiency. Energy is
conserved!
D) All of the above statements are false.
119) The overall efficiency of biomass as a method of harvesting solar energy is approximately
A) 3%.
B) 15%.
C) 40%.
D) 65%.
120) The most energy efficient method for converting biomass into useful energy is to
A) ferment sugars and starches from plants to form ethanol, which can be burned.
B) distill wood in the absence of air to form methanol, which can be burned.
C) use bacteria to break down plant material to produce methane.
D) burn the plant material directly.
121) Hydrogen gas has been proposed as a fuel of the future because
A) it can be obtained cheaply by drilling.
B) it can be extracted from seawater with no energy expenditure.
C) it is nonflammable.
D) it burns to produce water.
122) A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that
A) produces fuels from water.
B) burns gasoline to produce heat.
C) converts coal to a gas.
D) converts chemical energy directly to electrical energy.
123) One of the advantages of hydrogen fuel cells as an energy source for space travel is that
A) hydrogen is easily generated in space.
B) the water produced by the cell can be used for other purposes.
C) fuel cells are not limited by second law problems.
D) fuel cells produce more energy in the vacuum of space.
124) Which of the following is NOT an advantage of using hydrogen as a fuel for cars?
A) Water vapor is the only exhaust, so air pollution is not produced.
B) Liquid hydrogen must be stored at very low temperatures.
C) Hydrogen could reduce our reliance on foreign oil.
D) Hydrogen can be made from renewable resources.
125) Which of the following is NOT powered by the sun?