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A) the water cycle
B) the winds
C) geothermal energy
D) biomass production
126) Approximately what percentage of electricity generated in the United States is hydroelectric?
A) < 1%
B) 7%
C) 23%
D) 44%
127) The location of most of the hydroelectric power in the United States is in the
A) northeastern states.
B) mid-Atlantic states.
C) mountainous western states.
D) midwesternstates.
128) Which of the following alternative energy sources is not intermittent and does not require energy
storage?
A) solar cells
B) windmills
C) tides
D) All of the above are intermittent and requires energy storage.
129) The internal heat from the earth is due to
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A) absorbed solar radiation from the land.
B) absorbed solar radiation from the oceans.
C) radioactivity and gravitation forces in the earth’s mantle and core.
D) mysterious processes not well understood.
130) Geothermal energy cannot meet all of our energy needs because
A) the earth is not hot enough.
B) access to geothermal energy is limited to certain regions.
C) geothermal energy is intermittent.
D) geothermal sources do not have enough energy to generate electricity.
131) Which of the following statements about using ocean energy to generate electricity is NOT true?
A) Water will drive a turbine to generate electricity when it flows out of a reservoir at low tide.
B) Water will drive a turbine to generate electricity when it flows out of a reservoir at high tide.
C) The difference in temperature between surface water and the ocean depths can be used to evaporate a
liquid to a vapor that drives a turbine.
D) All of the above statements are true.
132) The fastest growing energy source in the United States is
A) biomass.
B) geothermal.
C) hydroelectric power.
D) wind power.
133) During past three decades, American industry has reduced its consumption of energy per product
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by nearly
A) 5%.
B) 15%.
C) 30%.
D) 50%.
134) Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is widely used to produce
A) coal.
B) natural gas.
C) pure water.
D) petroleum.
135) Consider the following EROEI values for different fuel processes. Which would result in the greatest
increase in CO2 emissions?
A) 17:1
B) 35:1
C) 5:1
D) 2:1
136) Fracking accounts for ________ percent of the natural gas production in the United States.
A) 25
B) 40
C) 60
D) 50
1) The United States has 5% of the world’s population and uses 20% of the world’s energy.
2) The United States uses energy more efficiently than other countries do.
3) Chemical reactions that release heat to the surroundings are endothermic reactions.
4) When two compounds react, the amount of energy released is independent of the amounts of the
compounds.
5) The use of gasoline is an endothermic reaction.
6) According to the first law of thermodynamics, energy can be converted from one form to another, but
it can neither be created nor destroyed.
7) When a liquid is converted to a gas there is an increase in entropy.
8) Microstates refers to the energy of molecular motion.
9) Entropy can be decreased by putting more work into the system.
10) The first fuels were plant materials.
11) Anthracite has a higher carbon content than wood.
12) A disadvantage of strip mining is that it leaves the soil exposed and erosion occurs more readily.
13) High quality coal has a higher content of carbon than low quality coal does.
14) Coal tar and coke are sources of organic chemicals for medical and industrial use.
15) The density of coal is higher than the density of most of its impurities.
16) Adding oxygen containing additives, such as methyl tert-butyl ether or ethanol, to gasoline improves
octane rating and reduces CO emissions in automobile engines.
17) Branched hydrocarbons have a higher octane rating than straight chain hydrocarbons do.
18) At the current rate of consumption and production, U.S. reserves of petroleum will run out sometime
in the 21st century.
19) Pesticides are made from petroleum.
20) Isooctane is the main component of lubricants.
21) EROEI stands for Energy Return on Energy Invested.
22) Coal liquefaction and gasification have the advantage of producing gases and liquids that are easy to
transport.
23) Nuclear power plants generate large amounts of air pollution.
24) Nuclear fusion is the source of energy that powers the sun.
25) Deuterium is an isotope of hydrogen that has 1 neutron.
26) A high EROEI value is desirable.
27) Used oil from fast food restaurants can be used in making biodiesel fuel.
28) Biomass is one of the most efficient sources of energy available.
29) Fuel cells are more efficient in converting chemical energy to electricity than internal combustion
engines are.
30) World-wide consumption of energy is expected to increase by nearly 50% between 2007 and 2035.
31) In hydraulic fracturing (fracking), high-pressure liquids are forced into fractures in rocks to remove
natural gas.
32) In 2010, approximately 60% of the natural gas in the United States was produced by the hydraulic
fracturing (fracking) method.
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15.3 Short Answer Questions
1) Burning 1.00 mol of methane to form carbon dioxide and water produces 192 kcal of energy. How
much energy is produced when 5.00 mol of methane is burned?
2) A student mixes compound A with compound B and notices that a chemical reaction occurs. The
temperature of the mixture decreases. The reaction is ________.
3) There are several factors that can cause a chemical reaction to proceed faster. One such factor is
________.
4) Raising the temperature of a reaction mixture is the same as increasing the ________ of the reacting
molecules.
5) Recycling of plastics is an example of the fact that ________ (decreasing/increasing) entropy is a(n)
________ process.
6) Fuels are ________ forms of matter. The energy content of fuels is released by ________.
7) When the ethane and propane components of natural gas are cracked, two new compounds are formed
which are essential monomers used in making plastics. These substances are ________.
15.4 Essay Questions
1) Define a fuel. Give an example. Include a balanced chemical reaction.
2) Is coal being formed today? Is this a solution to our energy concerns?
3) What are two advantages and two disadvantages of nuclear power?
4) Discuss the problems of increasing the role of nuclear energy as an energy source.
5) Discuss the use of biomass as an energy source. Give two examples.
6) What are the limitations of geothermal energy for meeting large scale energy needs?
7) Discuss the role of conservation in reducing energy consumption. Where could significant energy
savings be made in the United States?