Deck 2: Radiation: Types, Sources, and Doses Received

Question 1

Cosmic radiation occurs in which two forms?

A) Solar and manmade
B) Artificial and galactic
C) Natural background and artificial
D) Solar and galactic

Answer 1

Solar and galactic

Question 2

Acute melting of the uranium dioxide fuel of a nuclear reactor core requires how great a temperature?

A) Less than 500° F
B) At least 1000° F
C) 2000° F
D) Greater than 5000° F

Answer 2

Greater than 5000° F

Question 3

Which of the following helps shield the global population from exposure to essentially all high-energy,bombarding cosmic rays?

A) Clouds
B) Fog
C) Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field
D) Smog

Answer 3

Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field

Question 4

The first decay product of radium is:

A) cesium.
B) radon.
C) strontium.
D) x-ray.

Question 5

In the electromagnetic spectrum,higher frequencies are associated with:

A) longer wavelengths and lower energies.
B) longer wavelengths and higher energies.
C) shorter wavelengths and lower energies.
D) shorter wavelengths and higher energies.

Question 6

Which of the following are forms of electromagnetic radiation?
1)Microwaves
2)Visible light
3)X-rays

A) 1 and 2 only
B) 1 and 3 only
C) 2 and 3 only
D) 1, 2, and 3

Question 7

Both occupational and nonoccupational dose limits may be stated in:
1)coulombs per kilogram.
2)grays.
3)Sieverts.

A) 1 only
B) 2 only
C) 3 only
D) 1, 2, and 3

Question 8

The amount of energy transferred to electrons by ionizing radiation is the basis of the concept of:

A) electromagnetic radiation.
B) nuclear power.
C) radioactive decay.
D) radiation dose.

Question 9

What was the total average annual effective dose from natural background and human-made radiations combined as of 2006?

A) 2.0 mSv
B) 3.2 mSv
C) 6.3 mSv
D) 9.6 mSv

Question 10

Terrestrial radiation includes which of the following sources?

A) Long-lived radioactive elements such as uranium-238, radium-226, and thorium-232 that are present in variable quantities in the crust of the earth
B) Radioactive fallout from nuclear weapons tests in which detonation occurred above ground
C) The sun and other stars
D) Video display terminals and television receivers

Question 11

When exposed to high radon levels in the home,which of the following groups of people have the highest risk of developing lung cancer?

A) Infants
B) Toddlers
C) Nonsmokers
D) Smokers

Question 12

Electromagnetic radiation can travel through space in the form of a wave but can also interact with matter as a particle of energy.This dual nature is referred to as:

A) wave attenuation capability.
B) wave-particle interchange ability.
C) wave-particle duality.
D) wave-particle phenomena.

Question 13

Which of the following statements concerning the 1979 nuclear reactor accident at TMI-2 is not true?

A) Excess cancer deaths have been predicted to occur in the 2 million people living within 50 miles of the plant at the time of the accident.
B) Excess cancer deaths have not been predicted to occur in the 2 million people living within 50 miles of the plant at the time of the accident.
C) The equivalent dose (EqD) received by 2 million people living in the vicinity of the nuclear reactor at the time of the accident was 0.02 mSv.
D) No melt-through of the reactor vessel occurred during the accident.

Question 14

As of 2006,when spread over the inhabitants of the United States,fallout from nuclear weapons tests and other environmental sources along with other human-made radiations contributed:

A) only a small portion of 0.1 mSv to the equivalent dose of each person.
B) a dose of approximately 1.5 mSv to the equivalent dose of each person.
C) a dose of approximately 3.2 mSv to the equivalent dose of each person.
D) a dose of approximately 6.3 mSv to the equivalent dose of each person.

Question 15

When natural sources of ionizing radiation become increased because of accidental or deliberate human actions such as mining,they are referred to as:

A) artificial sources.
B) enhanced natural sources.
C) extraterrestrial sources.
D) manmade sources.

Question 16

Through which of the following routes can radon enter houses?
1)Crawl spaces under living areas
2)Floor drains and sump pumps
3)Porous cement block foundations

A) 1 and 2 only
B) 1 and 3 only
C) 2 and 3 only
D) 1, 2, and 3

Question 17

A flight on a typical commercial airliner results in an equivalent dose rate of:

A) 0.001 to 0.005 mSv/hr.
B) 0.005 to 0.01 mSv/hr.
C) 0.02 to 0.04 mSv/hr.
D) 0.05 to 0.09 mSv/hr.

Question 18

The FDA presently considers the risk of radiation exposure to the U.S.population from color television monitors to be:

A) substantial.
B) moderate.
C) very slight.
D) negligible.

Question 19

Which of the following is considered by the EPA to be the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States?

A) Annual PA and lateral chest radiographs
B) Cosmic ray exposure
C) Radon exposure
D) A fluoroscopic examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract

Question 20

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),radon levels in homes should not exceed what level?

A) 200 pCi/L
B) 135 pCi/L
C) 47 pCi/L
D) 4 pCi/L

Question 21

Which of the following sources of radiation is human-made?
1)Atmospheric fallout from nuclear weapons testing
2)Cosmic radiation from the sun and beyond the solar system
3)Nuclear power plant accidents as a consequence of natural disasters

A) 1 and 2 only
B) 1 and 3 only
C) 2 and 3 only
D) 1, 2, and 3

Question 22

What is the latent period for most radiation-induced cancers?

A) 1 year
B) 5 years
C) 7 years
D) 15 years or more

Question 23

Of the two sources of ionizing radiation listed below,which source remains fairly constant from year to year?

A) Human-made
B) Natural

Question 24

What is the half-life of radon-220?

A) 54.5 seconds
B) 8 days
C) 2 years
D) 1622 years

Question 25

The mass of an alpha particle is approximately:

A) two times the mass of a hydrogen atom.
B) four times the mass of a hydrogen atom.
C) six times the mass of a hydrogen atom.
D) eight times the mass of a hydrogen atom.