Deck 13: Energy

Question 1

Tar sand processing requires large amounts of ________and also requires preliminary forest _______________.

A) water, thinning
B) electricity, clear cutting
C) fossil fuels, thinning
D) fossil fuels, controlled burning
E) water, clear cutting

Answer 1

water, clear cutting

Question 2

The countries with the largest reserves of natural gas are

A) Canada and the United States
B) Russia, Iran, and Qatar
C) Nigeria and Algeria
D) India, Venezuela, and the United States
E) Russia, Venezuela, and Canada

Answer 2

Russia, Iran, and Qatar

Question 3

Tar sands

A) are principal sources of conventional crude oil
B) contain large supplies of heavy oils
C) constitute a small but cheap supply of crude oil
D) are usable only for aviation fuel
E) are predominantly located in Canada

Answer 3

contain large supplies of heavy oils

Question 4

At present consumption rates, projected world crude oil reserves will be 80% depleted

A) some time between 2011 and 2061
B) at the beginning of the next millennium
C) between 2050 and 2100
D) by 2050, unless the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is opened to oil drilling
E) by 2025, unless the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is opened to oil drilling

Question 5

Which of the following statements best describes a projected side benefit to human health from increased use of wind power?

A) Predatory birds usually leave an area where wind farms are established
B) The reduction in use of coal to generate electricity will lower the amount of air pollutants from coal that kill up to 24,000 Americans per year and add climate-changing chemicals to the air
C) Building of the turbine systems will help put Americans back to work.
D) Less use of hydroelectric dams will allow us to consider more dam removals.
E) More than one of the above answers is correct.

Question 6

The main problem with use of conventional natural gas as a transportation fuel is

A) the expensive engine modifications required to convert an automobile for use of natural gas
B) the fact that it has higher CO₂ emissions than gasoline produced from conventional oil
C) the very low reserves, which could supply U.S. needs for less than 25 years
D) the fact that not many fueling stations exist at present
E) it can only be obtained by fracking

Question 7

The world's most abundant conventional fossil fuel is

A) crude oil
B) natural gas
C) biomass
D) tar sand
E) coal

Question 8

Which of the following countries has the greatest tar sand deposits?

A) Saudi Arabia
B) Canada
C) Venezuela
D) Kuwait
E) United States

Question 9

The energy source with the highest net energy ratio for transportation is

A) gasoline
B) coal liquefaction
C) natural gas
D) oil shale
E) ethanol from sugar cane residue

Question 10

Which of the following methods of producing electricity have the lowest net energy ratios?

A) nuclear power and photovoltaics
B) nuclear and wind power
C) wind power and coal
D) coal and hydroelectric
E) nuclear and coal

Question 11

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that wind farms at favorable sites in North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas and Texas

A) could meet the electricity needs of the western half of the United States, minus Alaska and Hawaii
B) could meet the electricity needs of these four states, thereby reducing draw of electrical power from hydroelectric dams
C) could meet the electrical needs of the northern plains states during the summers, but not the winters
D) could more than meet the electricity needs of the lower 48 states
E) could meet the electricity needs of the 48 states during the summers if air conditioning use in private homes was reduced

Question 12

The energy source with the highest net energy ratio for space heating is

A) Oil
B) active solar
C) passive solar
D) electric resistance heating
E) Wind

Question 13

A process for extracting natural gas that is causing a growing environmental problem involves hydraulic fracturing of rocks and is called

A) deep well mining
B) strip mining
C) offshore drilling
D) deep water drilling
E) fracking

Question 14

The statement that it takes high quality energy to get high quality energy refers to

A) energy resources with low or negative net energy
B) hydroelectric power
C) the economic side of energy production
D) the processes and fuel required to extract and refine some energy sources
E) coal and hydroelectric power

Question 15

Bitumen is

A) a type of coal
B) a deep shale-oil deposit
C) high-sulfur heavy oil
D) an octane-raising gasoline additive
E) a type of natural gas

Question 16

Coal supplies ____ of the electricity generated in the United States.

A) 54%
B) 34%
C) 44%
D) 24%
E) 84%

Question 17

World oil supplies and prices are expected to be controlled long-term by

A) OPEC
B) the United States
C) Mexico
D) Russia
E) Saudi Arabia

Question 18

Net energy is

A) the usable amount of low-quality energy from a given quantity of energy resource
B) the total useful energy available from an energy resource
C) analogous to total income
D) the total useful energy from an energy resource minus the amount of energy used and wasted in producing it
E) the amount of energy used and wasted to produce useful energy

Question 19

Liquefied petroleum gas consists of

A) Methane
B) butane and propane
C) Ammonia
D) nitrogen oxides
E) Ethanol

Question 20

Which of the following statements about net energy is false?

A) Some forms of energy have a higher net energy ratio than others.
B) The useable amount of high-quality, useful energy available from a given quantity of energy resource is called its net energy yield.
C) All forms of energy supply the same amount of net energy yield.
D) Both the first and second laws of thermodynamics govern the use of fossil fuels and other energy resources.
E) Only the first law of thermodynamics governs the use of fossil fuels and other energy resources.

Question 21

If the hidden health and environmental costs of using gasoline were included in the price of gas as a tax, the actual cost in the United States would be

A) $4.00 per gallon
B) $4.00 per liter
C) $12.00 per liter
D) $12.00 per gallon
E) less than a liter of water

Question 22

Current models of the gasoline-electric car

A) may get up to 30 miles per gallon on the freeway
B) get up to 51 miles per gallon
C) cannot be used in wet weather
D) do not have the ability to climb steep hills
E) get up to 35 miles per gallon

Question 23

We continue to waste energy rather than convert to more energy efficient behaviors because:

A) There is a lack of substantial tax breaks for doing so.
B) There is a glut of artificially low-cost fossil fuels.
C) There is no clear and substantial benefit to the environment from avoiding waste.
D) Most people do not care about the adverse environmental effects of wasting energy.
E) There is a lack of substantial tax breaks for doing so and there is a glut of artificially low costing fossil fuels are correct.

Question 24

The useful operating life of today's nuclear power plants is supposed to be ____ years.

A) 10-25
B) 20-50
C) 15-60
D) 35-80
E) 100-150

Question 25

The majority of commercial energy comes from

A) Hydropower
B) wind
C) biomass
D) renewable energy resources from the earth's crust
E) nonrenewable energy resources from the earth's crust

Question 26

The explosions at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in northeast Japan following damage by an offshore earthquake blew the roofs off of three of the reactor buildings. The explosions were caused

A) presumably by a meltdown of the reactor cores.
B) presumably by steam from the heat exchangers inside the reactor cores
C) presumably by a buildup of hydrogen gas when the backup generators were disabled
D) terrorists taking advantage of the chaos of the situation
E) spent fuel rods that were exposed when the storage water tanks cracked and stopped cooling the rods

Question 27

The National Building Competition which started in 2010 is an opportunity for

A) students to design energy efficient buildings
B) architects to compete in designing the most energy efficient buildings
C) power companies to come up with better systems to heat homes
D) solar energy companies to demonstrate their newest technologies
E) commercial buildings, including those of major corporations, to compete in cutting energy use over a 12 month period

Question 28

The energy efficiency of buildings can be improved by all of the following strategies except

A) building big windows into the northern side of new housing
B) replacing standard windows with energy efficient windows
C) plugging leaks
D) using energy-efficient lighting
E) using energy-efficient appliances

Question 29

Below are listed some widely-used devices and the amount of energy they waste. Which pair of choices is not correct?

A) incandescent light bulb - up to 95%
B) internal combustion engine - 80%
C) nuclear power plant - 50%
D) coal-fired power plant - 65%
E) combined heat and power system (CHP) 10-15%

Question 30

Which form of producing electrical energy produces the highest amount of CO₂ per unit of energy, when expressed as a percentage of emissions released by burning coal directly?

A) natural gas
B) coal-fired electricity
C) Coal
D) oil sand
E) synthetic oil and gas produced from coal

Question 31

Widespread replacement of the U.S. vehicle fleet with highly efficient plug-in hybrids over a couple of decades would

A) cut U.S. oil consumption by 70% to 90%
B) eliminate the need for oil imports
C) reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 27%
D) reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 27% and eliminate the need for oil imports
E) cut U.S. oil consumption by up to 90%, eliminate the need for oil imports and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 27%

Question 32

What percentage of the commercial energy used in the United States is wasted?

A) 14%
B) 24%
C) 44%
D) 64%
E) 84%

Question 33

Light-water reactors generate about ____ of the world's nuclear-generated electricity.

A) 95%
B) 85%
C) 75%
D) 65%
E) 55%

Question 34

What percentage of the commercial energy used in the United States is wasted unnecessarily?

A) 13%
B) 23%
C) 33%
D) 43%
E) 53%

Question 35

Superefficient and ultralight cars

A) may eventually get up to 300 mpg
B) are not yet close to reality
C) have been developed in Europe, but not the United States
D) could get up to 50 miles per gallon in the future
E) are fuel efficient, but not safe for human transport

Question 36

In 2009, the President of the United States

A) requested that the Congress proceed with funding for the Yucca Mountain radioactive waste storage facility
B) requested the Congress fund another radioactive waste storage facility in New Mexico
C) requested that the current nuclear waste sitting in dry casks around the country immediately be moved to Yucca Mountain
D) requested that the Congress cut off funding for the Yucca Mountain radioactive waste storage facility while other shorter-term alternative are evaluated
E) requested that Congress pass a bill enacting the storage of radioactive waste on the site where it was produced

Question 37

The world's identified and unidentified coal reserves should last at least ____ years at current usage rates.

A) 10
B) 50
C) 100
D) 150
E) 200

Question 38

All of the following statements accurately describe the office-home building of the Rocky Mountain Institute except:

A) Solar energy provides 90% of the household electricity.
B) The Institute's heating bill is just less than $50 per year.
C) A central greenhouse in the building humidifies the building and helps to heat it and purify the air.
D) Except for office equipment power, the building draws a little more electricity than a single 100-watt light bulb would draw.
E) Solar energy provides about 99% of the hot water used in the building.

Question 39

The home of the Rocky Mountain Institute demonstrates that

A) homes in sun-intense areas can do without central heating systems
B) solar energy alone can heat a home
C) little natural gas is needed to heat a home compared to coal burning furnaces
D) energy efficient design and renewable energy alternatives can work in cold climates
E) using energy efficient design is very expensive

Question 40

The purpose of generating steam within a nuclear power plant reactor core is, like other energy producing systems, to

A) generate heat to heat buildings
B) turn a turbine which generates electricity
C) use the radioactivity to drive industrial processes
D) create light that is transferred to factories and local industries
E) Turbines are not part of nuclear reactor cores

Question 41

The estimated oil reserves in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would meet current world oil demand for at least another 50 years.

Question 42

There are three major forms of fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas.

Question 43

The lesson we can learn from disasters such as the disruption of oil production by Hurricane Katrina and loss of nuclear power from the tsunamis in Japan is that

A) we need to build better structures to protect ourselves against terrorists
B) we need to have more than one type of energy producing plants available in case natural disasters affect the main plant
C) each household has to have its own generator for emergency situations
D) a shift to a more decentralized energy system would improve national and economic security
E) we cannot protect ourselves from power outages and must accept this reality

Question 44

In order, the largest wind power producers are:

A) China, India, Spain, United States, Germany
B) Germany, China, United States, Spain, India
C) United States, India, Spain, Germany, China
D) China, United States, Spain, Germany, India
E) Denmark, United States, China, Germany, India

Question 45

Advantages of solar heating include all of the following except:

A) Cost is moderate
B) Access to the sun can be blocked by other structures.
C) Disturbance to land is very minimal or low
D) Carbon dioxide emissions are very low
E) Net energy is moderate to high

Question 46

Which of the following statements about geothermal power is false?

A) It provides a moderate net energy gain.
B) It can be highly efficient at accessible sites.
C) It releases more carbon dioxide than fossil fuels.
D) It has a low cost at accessible sites.
E) There is a scarcity of suitable sites.

Question 47

Which of the following is a disadvantage of hydropower?

A) It creates high levels of carbon dioxide emissions.
B) There is a high environmental impact from flooding land to form a reservoir.
C) The cost of electricity produced from hydropower is lower than electricity produced from other sources.
D) It has a moderate to high net energy.
E) It is largely unavailable in the United States

Question 48

It is risky for companies to invest in renewable energy because:

A) Pricing for renewable energy resources are artificially low.
B) None of the known renewable energy resources are reliable.
C) It is expected that renewable energy will fall out of favor with the American public in the next decade.
D) Subsidies and tax breaks have to be renewed by the government every few years.
E) More than one of these choices is correct.

Question 49

A soft energy path is one that

A) relies on improving energy efficiency and increasing the use of a variety of renewable energy resources
B) relies completely on the use of biofuels
C) relies on the use of liquid fossil fuels
D) relies on the use of soft money for research and development
E) relies on soft coal

Question 50

Cells that convert solar energy directly into electricity are called

A) electrosolar chips
B) photovoltaic cells
C) helioelectric units
D) photoelectric cells
E) solarelectric cells

Question 51

The leading renewable energy source that is used to produce electricity today is

A) solar energy
B) Hydropower
C) wind power
D) Biomass
E) Geothermal

Question 52

Which of the following statements about PV cells is false?

A) Not only Google, but more than 75 schools and colleges in California have parking lots covered with canopies of PV cells
B) Solar cells have no moving parts and are safe and quiet
C) The U.S. government is the current global leader in photovoltaic production.
D) Generating electricity with such solar cells could be nearly as efficient as using coal-burning power plants
E) Over the next one to two decades production of such cells is expected to increase sharply

Question 53

Which number and cause of bird death are incorrectly matched (for the U.S.)?

A) cars/trucks - 80 million
B) pesticide poisoning - 500,000
C) wind turbines - 7,000 up to 440,000
D) domestic and feral cats - 250 million
E) glass windows, buildings, and electrical transmission towers - 10 million

Question 54

All of the following can be used for cooling a house in warm weather except

A) foil sheets under the floor
B) breezes from open windows
C) window overhangs or awnings
D) superinsulation and high-efficiency windows
E) a light colored reflective roof

Question 55

All of the following statements about solid biomass are correct except

A) plantations can help restore degraded areas
B) costs are moderate
C) they are widely available in some areas
D) they are possible to produce with no net carbon dioxide increase
E) it can lead to deforestation

Question 56

Which of the following is not an advantage of solar cells?

A) durable for 20 to 25 years
B) moderate net energy yield
C) easy expansion as needed
D) little or no carbon dioxide emissions
E) works the same in all areas of the planet

Question 57

The energy in the sunlight striking the earth for just 1 hour is enough to run the world's economy for

A) one hour
B) one day
C) one week
D) one month
E) one year

Question 58

The use of hydrogen gas would eliminate most of the air pollution problems we have today because:

A) When it burns it combines with carbon dioxide and removes it from the air.
B) When it burns it combines with water to produce heavy rainwater.
C) When it burns it combines with oxygen gas in the air to produce water vapor.
D) When it burns it combines with carbon to produce methane gas.
E) More than one of the answers is correct.

Question 59

Which three states in the USA have the potential to provide enough usable wind power to supply the entire country's electricity needs?

A) Maine, Washington State and California
B) North Dakota, Kansas, and Texas
C) Maine, Washington State Nevada
D) Coastal Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana
E) North Carolina, Texas and Oregon

Question 60

The world's dependence on fossil fuels has been increased through subsidies and tax breaks that support fossil fuel processors (oil companies).

Question 61

It has been estimated that capturing the wind's energy at the world's best sites would only produce about 50% of the electricity currently being used worldwide.

Question 62

_______________energy is the only energy that really counts.

Question 63

Reducing energy waste is a commendable activity, but would not impact our energy supplies in any meaningful way.

Question 64

The most efficient and long-lasting light bulb available today is the LED (light-emitting diode).

Question 65

Photovoltaic cells do not produce any of the greenhouse or acid gas emissions associated with electricity generated by the combustion of fossil fuels.

Question 66

It has been estimated that using nuclear power will require more energy than it will ever produce.

Question 67

Nuclear power is now the world's fastest-growing energy source.

Question 68

Microwave ovens use about the same amount of energy as conventional ovens.

Question 69

Although coal is a very plentiful fuel, when burned it produces very high ____________________ emissions.

Question 70

None of the three worst nuclear power plant accidents occurred in the United States.

Question 71

The United States wastes almost none of its energy.

Question 72

Brazil, the second largest ethanol producer, makes its ethanol from the residue of sugar cane.

Question 73

Sunlight reflected onto a "power tower" is a great idea for collecting solar energy, but there is no way to store the collected energy.

Question 74

____________________ produces fewer pollutants than burning coal, but is significantly more expensive and produces radioactive wastes.

Question 75

A spent fuel rod that has been removed from a nuclear power plant reactor core is essentially safe from radioactivity after a period of about 10 years.

Question 76

Large reserves of ____________________ are located in Canada and are now considered to be conventional oil reserves, second only in size to those in Saudi Arabia.

Question 77

The quickest, cleanest, and cheapest way to provide more energy is to ____________________.

Question 78

Geothermal fuels have lower carbon dioxide emissions than fossil fuels.

Question 79

China plans to lead the world in relying on renewable energy resources.

Question 80

One of the disadvantages of liquid biofuels is that the area where the crops are grown has to compete with areas where food crops can be grown.