Deck 20: Conventional Energy Alternatives

Question 1

Use the accompanying figure to answer the following question.
Which of the following shows the smallest percentage increase in use in the U.S.from 1950 to 2015?

A)oil
B)natural gas
C)nuclear power
D)bioenergy
E)coal

Answer 1

coal

Question 2

Nuclear power plants in use today rely on __________________

A)fission reactions to generate heat to boil water to generate electricity
B)fusion reactions to generate heat to boil water to generate electricity
C)fusion reactions to directly generate electricity
D)fusion reactions to create a flow of electrons to generate electricity
E)fission reactions to directly generate electricity

Answer 2

fission reactions to generate heat to boil water to generate electricity

Question 3

Which of the following would produce a nuclear reaction?

A)bombarding uranium atoms with electrons
B)bombarding uranium -238 with protons
C)bombarding uranium -238 with neutrons
D)bombarding uranium -235 with neutrons
E)bombarding uranium -235 with protons

Answer 3

bombarding uranium -235 with neutrons

Question 4

Use the accompanying figure to answer the following question.
What percentage of U.S.energy production is from renewable sources?

A)9)8%
B)18.4%
C)2)4%
D)4)9%
E)7)4%

Question 5

The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 __________________

A)permits dams of no more than 10 feet in height to be built along a designated waterway
B)is an agreement between the United States and Canada to protect rivers that cross the boundary between the two countries
C)protects a designated waterway from being dammed
D)no longer protects waterways because the act has been repealed to build more hydroelectric dams
E)limits dams to no less than 5 miles apart

Question 6

In the near future,the benefits of biofuel production may be enjoyed while reducing the impact on the global production of grain.One such promising approach is to __________________

A)produce biofuels from grasses instead of corn
B)use the large amounts of animal wastes to produce ethanol
C)gasify coal to increase the efficiency of coal power plants
D)bioengineer cattle and goats to produce ethanol in their milk
E)find ways to convert oil and natural gas into ethanol

Question 7

Biomass energy is derived from __________________

A)water
B)the Earth's heat
C)the sun
D)organisms such as plants
E)wind

Question 8

The amount of energy generated by a hydroelectric dam depends largely on __________________.

A)latitude
B)the volume of water released and the height of the fall
C)the phase and position of the moon
D)the temperature of water in the boiler and turbine
E)the temperature of reservoir water

Question 9

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)will be a __________________

A)prototype nuclear fission reactor
B)project aiming to extract more energy from spent uranium
C)prototype nuclear fusion reactor
D)prototype reactor to decrease global temperatures by extracting nuclear gases from the atmosphere
E)prototype reactor fueled by rutherfordium rather than uranium

Question 10

Which of the following currently has the highest energy returned on investment (EROI)?

A)nuclear fission
B)nuclear fusion
C)petroleum
D)corn -based ethanol
E)hydropower

Question 11

The run -of -river approach to hydropower often involves __________________

A)the purchase of state -run dams by major corporations
B)the most expensive type of dams to build and maintain
C)dams that are reliable but unsustainable
D)impounding water in reservoirs behind concrete dams
E)diversion of a portion of a river's flow through pipes

Question 12

Use the accompanying figure to answer the following question.
From 2000 to 2015,which of the following shows the greatest rate of increase in use in the U.S.?

A)coal
B)oil
C)nuclear power
D)natural gas
E)hydropower

Question 13

Worldwide,the most widely used renewable energy source is ________________.

A)hydroelectric
B)wind
C)biomass
D)nuclear
E)solar

Question 14

One key advantage of hydropower is that __________________

A)it is the most economically feasible of all the renewable energy resources
B)it produces no negative environmental effects
C)it is the oldest of the renewable energy resources
D)it does not rely on fossil fuel to generate electricity
E)it is widely available throughout the world

Question 15

Use the accompanying figure to answer the following question.
The power source with the most stable U.S.consumption pattern since 1970 is ______________.

A)nuclear
B)oil
C)coal
D)natural gas
E)hydroelectric

Question 16

In the U.S.,nuclear power experienced the most growth during which of the following decades?

A)2000s
B)1970s
C)1960s
D)1990s
E)1950s

Question 17

__________________ is/are the source of energy used in the production of electricity by nuclear power plants.

A)Natural gas
B)Nuclear fusion
C)Breeder reactions
D)Nuclear fission
E)Nuclear reactions

Question 18

Effects attributed to Chernobyl __________________

A)include increased incidence of thyroid cancers
B)include increased incidence of emphysema
C)were contained within 40 km of the plant
D)include serious respiratory illnesses but no fatalities
E)have not been extensively documented

Question 19

Use the accompanying figure to answer the following question.
Between 1995 and 2000,_______________ .

A)bioenergy consumption increased rapidly
B)oil consumption exceeded nuclear,hydropower,and biomass combined
C)coal consumption decreased
D)fossil fuel use stabilized
E)there was a clear transition from nonrenewable toward renewable energy resources

Question 20

Which of the following is a benefit of using nuclear power?

A)Using nuclear power requires greater use of fossil fuels.
B)The increasing costs of nonrenewable energy sources make nuclear energy more economically viable.
C)Core meltdown of reactors can provide "bonus" energy for electricity production.
D)Mining activities enhance ecosystems.
E)Few greenhouse gases are emitted.

Question 21

Why must we develop alternatives to fossil fuels?

Question 22

A self -amplifying reaction and a nuclear explosion in a nuclear power plant are prevented in large part by __________________

A)the production of plutonium -239
B)fuel rods that absorb tremendous amounts of heat
C)the regular addition of uranium -239 to the fuel
D)control rods that absorb neutrons
E)"sponges" that absorb liquefied uranium that leaks out of the reactor core

Question 23

Most of the world's ethanol is produced in the U.S. and __________________

A)Mexico
B)China
C)Brazil
D)the Maldives
E)Tuvalu

Question 24

Sweden had to rescind its pledge to replace completely nuclear power with renewable energy because __________________

A)the Copenhagen Conference of 2010 rescinded the Kyoto agreements
B)the pollution from wind and hydroelectric generators had contaminated groundwater
C)they found a way to rapidly detoxify nuclear wastes
D)renewable energy was taking longer to develop than expected
E)there was a strong public demand to return to fossil fuels

Question 25

Whether using a food crop as a source of biofuels is environmentally sustainable would depend upon all of the following,EXCEPT __________________

A)the impact on food supplies and prices
B)the amount of water and land necessary for the crops
C)the corporate profits that would be made
D)the amount of fertilizers used and their impact on aquatic ecosystems
E)the amount of pesticides used and their impact on biodiversity and groundwater

Question 26

E -85 __________________

A)is an ethanol -gasoline mixture
B)is an isotope of uranium used to generate electricity
C)was an international summit of 85 nations that met to restrict greenhouse gas emissions
D)was an international summit of 85 nations that met to determine vehicle fuel efficiency standards
E)was an international summit of 85 nations that met to restrict CFC use

Question 27

A hydroelectric dam contains all of the following EXCEPT __________________

A)a combustion chamber
B)generators
C)rotors
D)magnets
E)turbines

Question 28

Worldwide,the most widely used source of renewable energy for generating electricity is __________________

A)solar
B)hydroelectric
C)nuclear
D)wind
E)biomass

Question 29

Which of the following is a documented negative impact of hydroelectric dams?

A)alteration of river sediment deposition
B)increased atmospheric CFCs
C)alteration of river salinity
D)decreased rainfall
E)acid deposition

Question 30

Globally,almost 80% of all primary energy for today's economies comes from __________________

A)solar,wind,and ocean tides and waves
B)fossil fuels
C)hydropower installations
D)biofuels
E)nuclear power

Question 31

U.S.hydroelectric dam construction peaked during the __________________

A)late 1800s
B)1980s
C)early 21st century
D)1960s
E)Industrial Revolution

Question 32

Which of the following countries has the highest percentage of electricity generated from nuclear power plants?

A)France
B)Canada
C)United States
D)Sweden
E)Russia

Question 33

Discuss the conventional alternatives to fossil fuels.Why are we not using more renewables?

Question 34

Biofuels and nuclear power may prove useful __________________

A)as replacement fuels for motor vehicles
B)as pollution -free sustainable energies
C)as inexpensive technologies for developing nations
D)to bridge the time between fossil fuel depletion and new renewables
E)as stages in the development of fusion generators

Question 35

In a nuclear power plant,the amount of electricity generated is regulated by __________________

A)changing the water levels that surround the control rods
B)the Federal Trade Commission
C)moving control rods into or out of spaces between the fuel rods
D)moving the nuclear fuel in and out of water
E)releasing surplus heat out of cooling towers that are always part of nuclear power plants

Question 36

Which of the following countries leads the world in nuclear power capacity?

A)Sweden
B)France
C)Canada
D)United States
E)Russia

Question 37

Although hydroelectric dams generate electricity without producing greenhouse gases,they __________________

A)contribute only about 5% of the electrical power throughout the world
B)still produce more greenhouse gases per unit of electricity produced than coal power plants
C)can harm aquatic organisms downstream by affecting water temperature
D)cannot provide a consistent supply of electricity during times of naturally low river flow
E)are short -lived structures that have to be rebuilt about every 20 years

Question 38

Identify examples of biofuels.Assess the feasibility and sustainability of using biofuels for power generation.

Question 39

EROI is a measure of __________________

A)the amount of electricity received from an energy source
B)the amount of electricity required to extract the energy from a power source such as coal
C)the amount of energy invested into a source of energy compared to the amount of energy received from the source
D)the quality of energy released in the combustion of a certain kind of fuel
E)the energy needed to balance out the amount of energy emitted by an energy source

Question 40

Explain the process of nuclear fusion,and describe its role in commercial power generation.

Question 41

Compare the events at Three Mile Island,Chernobyl,and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants.

Question 42

Biomass energy represents a potential energy source that offers a number of obvious advantages over other forms of energy sources.However,there are growing concerns over a number of possible negative impacts associated with bioenergy.Discuss at least two specific advantages and two specific concerns relating to the use of biomass energy.

Question 43

Briefly discuss the pros and cons of hydropower.

Question 44

Compare the environmental effects of coal and uranium as power sources.

Question 45

Explain the reactions that occur in a nuclear power plant.