Deck 19: Sustainable Solutions

Question 1

Energy can be conserved by .

A) using heat from a power plant to heat nearby homes
B) repealing the law of entropy
C) replacing mass transit with more and larger roads for cars and trucks
D) replacing compact florescent with tungsten bulbs
E) using cogeneration in automobiles, especially in SUVs

Answer 1

A

Question 2

One of the problems with finding new fossil fuel deposits in developing countries is that .

A) multinational companies often move in to harvest the new deposit, and very little money or resource remains in the country
B) their governments seldom allow extraction of the deposit without meeting expensive environmental regulations
C) it is very expensive to transport the deposit elsewhere
D) their governments seldom allow extraction of the deposit without imposing huge taxes to fund new social benefits for the country
E) those countries tend to keep the resource for themselves, not sharing with other countries

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which country leads the world in coal production and consumption by extracting and consuming approximately half of the world's annual coal yield?

A) United States
B) Canada
C) Russia
D) India
E) China

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Which of the following would be put at risk by the Keystone XL pipeline?

A) the Ogallala Aquifer
B) the American bison
C) Yellowstone National Park
D) the Nebraska Sandhills
E) Lake Michigan

Question 5

The U.S. imports more oil from

A) Saudi Arabia
B) Venezuela
C) OPEC nations
D) Iraq
E) Canada

Question 6

In the U.S., which of the following is used almost exclusively, but not entirely, for the production of electricity?

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

Question 7

In 2007, Congress mandated strict Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards that called for automakers to raise average fleet fuel efficiency to _ mpg by the year .

A) 35; 2020
B) 25; 2025
C) 48; 2025
D) 54.5; 2030
E) 35; 2035

Question 8

What happens at an oil refinery?

A) Oil is separated into its component compounds. surveying.
B) Oil is heated to high temperatures to evaporate off harmful impurities such as radon.
C) Oil is made more viscous by evaporating off most of the water.
D) Oil is microfiltered to remove small dirt and rock particles.
E) Oil is turned into a cleaner -burning material called synfuel.

Question 9

Which of the following energy sources is considered nonrenewable?

A) fossil fuel energy
B) wind energy
C) solar energy
D) geothermal energy
E) tidal energy

Question 10

The Keystone XL pipeline .

A) was a hotly debated pipeline that would have carried petroleum from Canada to the southern United States
B) carries natural gas from gas fields near Keystone, South Dakota, to the eastern United States
C) would have allowed Canada to import more oil from Brazil
D) carries petroleum from northern Alaska to the Gulf of Alaska
E) was a hotly debated oil pipeline that would have passed through Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona

Question 11

What is the current status of offshore oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean?

A) Although open waters are now making offshore drilling more feasible, weather conditions have thus far hampered efforts to pursue offshore drilling there.
B) There has been a moratorium on new offshore drilling projects in the Arctic Ocean as a result of the BP accident in the Gulf of Mexico.
C) An international treaty similar to the one protecting Antarctica has been ratified by 184 nations. This treaty bans oil development and other ecologically detrimental activities in the open waters of the Arctic Ocean.
D) Melting sea ice has allowed many companies to successfully drill for oil in waters that were previously off -limits because of icebergs and a solid layer of sea ice.
E) Canada, Russia, Denmark, Norway, and the U.S. have exclusive rights to all offshore drilling in the Arctic Ocean, although these countries may sell drilling rights to other countries as they see fit.

Question 12

Solar radiation makes several other energy sources possible, including .

A) tidal energy
B) wind energy
C) nuclear energy
D) hydrothermal energy
E) geothermal energy

Question 13

What was the primary cause of the decline in oil prices in 2016 to only 1/4 of the prices in 2008?

A) the soil supply glut caused by fracking
B) a prolonged peace in the Middle East
C) energy conservation and the use of renewable technologies
D) a typographical error in a Black Friday sale ad
E) the war against ISIS

Question 14

Energy conservation in the United States _.

A) is unlikely to ever occur
B) becomes more difficult during times of war
C) can be accomplished by changes in tax laws
D) can be achieved through personal actions and more efficient technologies
E) can be accomplished only through changes in technological efficiencies

Question 15

Approximately how efficient is electricity generation in the U.S.?

A) 50%
B) 33%
C) 20%
D) 80%
E) 67%

Question 16

The oil spill resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster .

A) is the largest accidental oil spill in world history
B) eclipsed all non -point oil spills by 500%
C) resulted in a permanent ban on all offshore drilling in U.S. coastal waters
D) was quickly cleaned up, preventing loss of wildlife and damage to fisheries along the Gulf Coast
E) is considered a minor incident compared to other oil spills

Question 17

What is the current status of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the U.S.?

A) The rejection of Yucca Mountain as a carbon storage site has resulted in coal power plants storing carbon on -site until a permanent storage location can be approved.
B) The U.S. government is currently requiring all coal power plants to institute carbon capture and storage technologies by the year 2025.
C) Many coal power plants are currently voluntarily retrofitting their systems to capture carbon emissions.
D) Technologies are not sufficiently reliable, and it is currently too energetically expensive for coal power plants to capture and store their carbon emissions.
E) Carbon is now captured and converted to plastics at most coal power plants in the U.S.

Question 18

The various classes of coal have been exposed to high heat and pressure for different periods of time. Which of the following lists in order the classes of coal from lowest to highest energy content?

A) anthracite, bituminous, sub -bituminous, lignite
B) lignite, sub -bituminous, bituminous, anthracite
C) lignite, bituminous, sub -bituminous, anthracite
D) sub -bituminous, bituminous, lignite, anthracite
E) lignite, anthracite, sub -bituminous, bituminous

Question 19

In the United States, the energy source used predominantly for the production of electricity is .

A) renewable energy
B) nuclear power
C) water power
D) coal
E) natural gas

Question 20

Alaskans benefit from the trans -Alaska pipeline because Alaska's state constitution requires approximately 25% of state revenues associated with the oil industry to be placed into a monetary fund called the Permanent Fund, which .

A) pays for education of native Alaskans through scholarships
B) pays yearly dividends to all Alaska residents
C) is divided equally among the politicians in the state for running their offices
D) is used as a main source of funds to reduce environmental damage
E) is used for social infrastructure, such as hospitals, roads, and schools

Question 21

In the year 2000, the worst air pollution levels in the region were in downtown Johannesburg and Soweto. The probable explanation is that in downtown Johannesburg
)
, while in Soweto

A) gasoline -powered electrical generators were the cause; trash incinerators were a problem
B) automobile traffic was the cause; automobile traffic was also the cause
C) trash incinerators were a problem; gasoline -powered electrical generators were the cause
D) automobile traffic was the cause; the burning of fuels in each home for heating, lighting, and cooking was the major contributor to indoor and outdoor air pollution
E) coal -fired electrical plants were the cause; automobile traffic in overcrowded areas was the problem

Question 22

The high demand for electricity in South Africa has resulted in years of scheduled blackouts. Which of the following pricing scenarios is most likely to INCREASE the demand for electricity and make the blackouts worse?

A) Charging each household a rate based solely on the amount of electricity used.
B) Flat -fee pricing, where every household pays the same regardless of how much electricity is used.
C) Charging each household a rate based on the amount of electricity used and what time of day it is used.
D) Charging each household a different rate based on annual income and amount of electricity used.
E) Allotting a small amount of free electricity to each household to provide just enough electricity for the needs of the poorest households, with a premium price charged per kilowatt -hour used beyond the amount provided for free.

Question 23

In the U.S., per capita energy use than from any other nation.
, and energy intensity .

A) increased sharply from 1950 to the 1970s but has since declined; decreased from 1950 to the 1970s but has since increased
B) increased sharply from 1950 to the 1970s but has since declined; has been declining since 1970
C) was stable from 1950 to 1970 but has since increased sharply; has been increasing since 1950
D) has been increasing since 1950; has also been increasing since 1950
E) has been increasing since 1950; has been declining since 1950

Question 24

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the concept of eminent domain?

A) Settlers in the Oklahoma Territory were allowed to claim land during the land rush.
B) Residents of the Chicago area who were in the proposed path of Interstate 355 were forced to sell their homes and move when the interstate was built.
C) The conversion of landscapes is an inescapable effect of our reliance on fossil fuels.
D) The transportation sector has shifted away from using coal as an energy source and now relies almost entirely on oil.
E) The United States government pays subsidies to the fossil fuel industry despite the negative environmental impacts of fossil fuel use.

Question 25

Natural gas is primarily composed of .

A) oxygen
B) nitrogen
C) methane
D) nitrite
E) sulfur dioxide

Question 26

The major long -term global problem with using coal to generate electricity is the .

A) environmental damage in the area around the mine
B) water pollution
C) particulate pollution
D) sulfur dioxides released
E) effect of the released carbon dioxide on global climate