Deck 12: The Special Case of Weapons of Mass Destruction Wmd Terrorism

Question 1

What is the difference between risk perception and risk assessment?

A) Risk perception refers to the risks we know about while risk assessment involves making guesses about what may become a risk.
B) Risk perception refers to the worst case scenario possibilities of a risk and risk assessment refers to steps we will take to mitigate risk through assessing it.
C) Risk perception refers to the feelings individuals hold as to their own personal safety while risk assessment involves the use of quantitative analysis of actual risks from disasters or crisis.
D) Risk perception refers to the global perspective of a risk while risk assessment refers to the positive and negative consequences of a risk.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

In terms of terrorism, risk perceptions are often accurate as to the actual risk of an attack.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

What can the public's fear of terrorism force the government to do?

A) Since the public's fear is often misplaced, the government is forced to educate its citizens on the things that they should actually be afraid of.
B) It can force the government to address gaping security holes and flaws in the system - anything superficial is not enough.
C) That fear can force a government to remind everyone of FDR's famous quote - "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
D) It can force the government to take actions that reassure people, even if they do not really reduce the threat but only appear to do so.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

In a bioterrorism attack, the number of people sick with the same thing make it immediately very obvious that an attack took place.

Question 5

Why are quarantines and evacuations sometimes an ineffective response to WMD terrorism?

A) Quarantines do not actually prevent disease from spreading and evacuations bottleneck highways.
B) A lot of the people very susceptible to disease do not have cars.
C) Most Americans are no longer watching TV for news and would probably not get the message in time.
D) The public may not comply with quarantine or evacuation orders and, in fact, the imposition of a quarantine may make matters worse by generating panic where there was none.

Question 6

Acquisition refers to

A) the process of making the actual agent (bacteria, chemical, fissile material) into a form that can cause the most casualties.
B) how quickly victims will come in contact with and react to the agent.
C) a terrorist group must obtain the agent or agents they are considering using. The difficulty of this task depends on the nature of the agent.
D) a terrorist or terrorist group must develop an accurate and widespread system so that their chosen weapon has the widest impact (translation: casualties) possible.

Question 7

Weaponization refers to

A) a terrorist or terrorist group must develop an accurate and widespread system so that their chosen weapon has the widest impact (translation: casualties) possible.
B) the process of making the actual agent (bacteria, chemical, fissile material) into a form that can cause the most casualties.
C) a terrorist group must obtain the agent or agents they are considering using. The difficulty of this task depends on the nature of the agent.
D) how long the effects of the agent will last over what amount of territory and with what strength.

Question 8

Many of the agents available for use in a bioterrorism attack (such as anthrax) occur in nature and are very dangerous if one comes into contact with it.

Question 9

Delivery refers to

A) the process of making the actual agent (bacteria, chemical, fissile material) into a form that can cause the most casualties.
B) a terrorist or terrorist group must develop an accurate and widespread system so that their chosen weapon has the widest impact (translation: casualties) possible.
C) whether or not the agent is specific to a particular animal, plant, or human species and the extent, if any, to which the agent can jump between species.
D) a terrorist group must obtain the agent or agents they are considering using. The difficulty of this task depends on the nature of the agent.

Question 10

The reason the Aum cult's Sarin gas attack failed was because

A) they could not acquire a more deadly WMD
B) their delivery system failed
C) they were apprehended before being able to cause too much damage
D) they failed to weaponize it properly

Question 11

Why have no terrorist groups been able to execute a WMD attack with massive casualties?

A) Most groups lack the motivation - the acquisition is always a very hard to overcome obstacle.
B) In reality, most WMD agents are not naturally weaponized and figuring out how to do so is extremely complicated.
C) Affecting a wide variety of people is difficult, especially in a way that the attacker can get away.
D) Having the WMD perfect storm of all three components is difficult.

Question 12

In addition, beyond acquisition, weaponization, and delivery, there is a fourth key factor; that of the group's

A) leadership.
B) political influence.
C) motivation.
D) popularity of platform.

Question 13

With the advent of groups pursuing a dominantly religious agenda, where they are ordered by divine authority to create as many casualties as possible as a goal in and of itself

A) many people are beginning to see the problems in religion.
B) terrorist groups will quickly end because people understand that they cannot be tolerated.
C) anyone smart would avoid such religious groups, and those terrorists would lack expertise.
D) the motivational line to WMDs may more likely be crossed.

Question 14

Today's terrorist groups may simply see conventional weapons as incapable of meeting their goals and worth the effort to brave the increased obstacles involved with WMD.

Question 15

The level of lethality/toxicity refers to

A) the extent to which those coming in contact with the agent are likely to die.
B) how well the terrorists can control the area over which the agent is spread (and not get caught in it themselves).
C) whether or not the agent is specific to a particular animal, plant, or human species and the extent, if any, to which the agent can jump between species.
D) how quickly victims will come in contact with and react to the agent.

Question 16

Which of the following describes the Ebola virus, considering there is no cure for it?

A) A low specificity
B) No controllability
C) A high lethality
D) High residual effects

Question 17

Speed of action refers to

A) whether or not the agent is specific to a particular animal, plant, or human species and the extent, if any, to which the agent can jump between species.
B) how quickly victims will come in contact with and react to the agent.
C) how well the terrorists can control the area over which the agent is spread (and not get caught in it themselves).
D) how long the effects of the agent will last over what amount of territory and with what strength.

Question 18

Specificity refers to

A) the extent to which those coming in contact with the agent are likely to die.
B) how quickly victims will come in contact with and react to the agent.
C) how long the effects of the agent will last over what amount of territory and with what strength.
D) whether or not the agent is specific to a particular animal, plant, or human species and the extent, if any, to which the agent can jump between species.

Question 19

The H1N1 influenza virus began life as a bird virus and only later mutated into a form that could jump to humans. Which of the following describes the characteristic that the virus has?

A) A high speed of action
B) A low specificity
C) A low lethality
D) A low controllability

Question 20

Controllability refers to

A) how quickly victims will come in contact with and react to the agent.
B) how long the effects of the agent will last over what amount of territory and with what strength.
C) the extent to which those coming in contact with the agent are likely to die.
D) how well the terrorists can control the area over which the agent is spread (and not get caught in it themselves).

Question 21

Residual effects refers to

A) whether or not the agent is specific to a particular animal, plant, or human species and the extent, if any, to which the agent can jump between species.
B) how well the terrorists can control the area over which the agent is spread (and not get caught in it themselves).
C) how long the effects of the agent will last over what amount of territory and with what strength.
D) the extent to which those coming in contact with the agent are likely to die.

Question 22

If a virus cannot find a non-immunized host in which to work its damage, what will happen?

A) It will mutate into something stronger.
B) The virus will go into hibernation.
C) The virus will die out.
D) Viruses remain alive until they can find someone.

Question 23

Bacteria and viruses share a common characteristic but are different from toxins. Which of the following explain that difference?

A) Toxins are poisonous and dangerous, while bacteria and viruses are normally safe when found in their natural environments.
B) Toxins are not considered living organisms, while bacteria and viruses are. Instead, toxins are non-living chemical substances produced as a by-product by living organisms.
C) Bacteria and viruses have a low specificity but toxins have a high specificity because most attack certain organs that only humans have.
D) Bacteria and viruses are found naturally occurring in the environment but toxins are synthetic.

Question 24

The seriousness of a pathogen does not depend on whether it is a bacteria, virus, or toxin.

Question 25

What has the growing and widespread use of antibiotics led to, with regard to bacteria and viruses?

A) Antibiotics have wiped out some forms of bacteria and viruses.
B) The bacteria and viruses have come to use antibiotics as a food source.
C) In many cases, it has encouraged these pathogens to mutate into a resistant form.
D) Other illnesses not curable by antibiotics have become more prevalent.

Question 26

The sarin gas attack was

A) a chemical attack that falls into the blister agent category.
B) a chemical attack that falls into the blood agent category.
C) a chemical attack that falls into the choking and incapacitating agent category.
D) a chemical attack that falls into the nerve agent category.

Question 27

Once the contamination from chemical agents dissipates, or is cleaned up, there is little further threat to the targeted population. This is an example of

A) low lethality.
B) a high speed of action.
C) low residual effects.
D) a high controllability.

Question 28

Chemical agents tend to be the hardest of the CBRN agents to acquire; stores limit their availability to prescriptions and they cannot be found online.

Question 29

Many chemicals are considered "dual use." What does that mean?

A) Chemicals can be used twice, so terrorists recycle them. Some chemicals become more deadly with more usage, and some chemicals exhibit this characteristic at an exponential rate.
B) The chemical agents that are dual use are both useful for making WMDs but they are also useful to the government to get rid of the terrorists that use them.
C) Any given chemical agent can have a perfectly legitimate and even beneficial use on its own and will not be highly regulated.
D) Chemical agents are a double-edged sword - they may make a powerful WMD but are hard to control, so terrorists cannot escape the effects after setting them off.

Question 30

A nuclear attack by a non-state actor (terrorist group) is what homeland security and emergency management experts call

A) a low-probability, low-consequence event.
B) a low-probability, high-consequence event.
C) a high-probability, low-consequence event.
D) a high-probability, high-consequence event.

Question 31

As a recent Frontline episode made quite clear, we are very well prepared to mitigate the effects of even a large nuclear attack.

Question 32

What is the difference between a dirty bomb (RDD) and a nuclear bomb?

A) Dirty bombs are full of dirt and waste - they are used by environmentalists trying to call attention to the amount of trash we have. Nuclear bombs are used by real terrorist groups.
B) A dirty bomb uses explosives to disperse radioactive material over a large area, a nuclear bomb creates an explosive chain reaction from fissionable nuclear material.
C) Nuclear bombs explode radioactive material to spread it out over an area as big as a city, and dirty bombs are just another name for an EMP.
D) A dirty bomb requires the use of a nuclear power plant, but nuclear bombs can be made mostly from materials found in hardware stores.

Question 33

Which of the following highlights what may be the greatest threat from RDDs?

A) A terrorist group threatening a weaker government with an RDD could gain access to more dangerous resources.
B) The radiation after an RDD lasts a long time and is often described as nothing short of "severe."
C) The explosion itself will probably cause more damage than anything else.
D) RDDs pose little threat since the explosion is not that big and everyone knows that the radiation from them is minimal.

Question 34

The facilities, money, expertise, and resources needed to produce plutonium are probably far outside the capability range of non-state actors, but how could they still become a nuclear threat?

A) Dirty bombs are a lot easier to make and have similar radioactive effects.
B) Such non-state terrorist organizations will never be a nuclear threat.
C) The theft of plutonium is a danger, as only a small amount of plutonium is needed to make a bomb.
D) All that is really necessary is the expertise, since resources are not too hard to come by. That is why terrorist groups have been radicalizing universities lately.

Question 35

In general, the more deadly the attack being sought, the more money, expertise, and resources are needed, with money often being the most key missing ingredient.

Question 36

Biological weapons are derived from

A) elements on the periodic table, such as plutonium.
B) store-bought cleaners and things you can buy online with a credit card.
C) fungi that occurs naturally in the environment.
D) living organisms or the infectious material derived from them.

Question 37

Biological agents are considered

A) less toxic, faster acting, less specific to certain species, more controllable, and last shorter than their chemical cousins.
B) less toxic, slower acting, less specific to certain species, less controllable, and last shorter than their chemical cousins.
C) more toxic, faster acting, less specific to certain species, more controllable, and longer lasting than their chemical cousins.
D) more toxic, slower acting, more specific to certain species, less controllable, and longer lasting than their chemical cousins.

Question 38

With the global AIDS pandemic and the emergence or re-emergence of other deadly pathogens, infectious disease increasingly poses a major threat to U.S. national security. Because emerging infections and bioterrorism are two sides of the same coin.

Question 39

What was the result of the antibiotics and vaccines created in the 1960s and 70s?

A) People immediately noticed them as causing autism in infants when administered.
B) Previous to that era people had been attempting to treat bacteria and viruses with herbal remedies but such treatments often proved ineffective.
C) Bacteria and viruses have been completely wiped out and no longer exist on this planet.
D) They banished the major infectious diseases from the United States, leading to complacency, but over the past two decades infectious disease has returned to the United States with a vengeance.

Question 40

What has the inappropriate use or overuse of antibiotic drugs for treating humans and livestock fostered?

A) Mad Cow disease and E. Coli are neither bacteria nor viruses and because of the complacency caused by antibiotics people are uninformed about the potential harmful diseases in their meat.
B) Antibiotics are actually threatening to humans and other living organisms as well, because as their name suggests, they are not friendly to life.
C) The evolution of resistant strains of tuberculosis and other bacterial diseases, even as development of new generations of antibiotics has lagged.
D) People now think they are immune to everything, which they are not.

Question 41

U.S. Customs and public health officials attempt to stop infected travelers, but why is this not always so easy?

A) Travelers often claim a "right to travel" and ignore them.
B) Some diseases attack the brain, telling them that they're fine.
C) Infected individuals may not be visibly ill when they cross a U.S. Border.
D) Traveler's often opt for the treatment option, even when it doesn't always work, just so they can get where they want to go.

Question 42

How can biological attacks be used to hamper or deter U.S. intervention abroad?

A) A nuclear bomb would devastate millions of lives.
B) Military in the Middle East do not carry around gas masks due to the heat, therefore they are susceptible to things like Sarin gas.
C) Such strategies might involve the use of disease agents to attack troops or civilians, destroy U.S. crops or livestock, or contaminate the nation's food supply.
D) Someone could poison the food at a meeting of the UN and eliminate several national leaders at the same time. Western nations, then leaderless, would likely resort to anarchy.

Question 43

How can data-mining be used to prevent epidemics?

A) Data-mining allows us to find immunities to certain diseases by analyzing statistical anomalies.
B) There may be enough data accessible through data-mining to be able to account for all variables; we may soon be able to predict the future entirely.
C) Though nothing can fully prevent an epidemic, it allows us to gain a better understanding of the behavior of rapidly spreading diseases.
D) It involves the monitoring and analysis of a variety of public health indicators that can provide early warning of an unusual outbreak of infectious disease.

Question 44

How can communication between public health and animal health communities be used to prevent epidemics?

A) Frequently, epidemics will start with humans, mutate to animals, and then mutate back to humans in a more deadly form.
B) Outbreaks of disease in animals can provide advance warning of an impending human epidemic.
C) Animals are not as hygienic so they are more prone to parasites that may later attack humans.
D) No one is sure of what the results may be since sharing information always seems to be a problem for governmental organizations.

Question 45

The number of commercial pharmaceutical companies producing vaccines for public health use has steadily increased.

Question 46

Between Biological, chemical, and nuclear, which do you consider to be the greatest WMD threat? Why?

Question 47

How can we keep terrorists from acquiring nuclear materials and nuclear weapons?