Deck 9: Nonrenewable Energy Resources

Question 1

What can allow an energy source with a low net energy yield to compete in the marketplace with an energy source with a higher net energy yield?

A)market price
B)stimulus
C)cap and trade program
D)government subsidies
E)rebates

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Petroleum, or crude oil, is a black, gooey liquid consisting primarily of

A)hydrocarbons.
B)nitrates.
C)methane.
D)oxygen.
E)phosphates.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following are examples of commercial energy?

A)extracting oil, mining coal, and gathering fuelwood
B)using a solar cooker, burning natural gas, and mining coal
C)burning natural gas, gathering fuelwood, and instilling a windmill
D)extracting oil, mining coal, and burning natural gas
E)installing a windmill, extracting oil, and mining coal

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Natural gas consists of which gases?

A)methane, propane, and butane
B)ethanol, ethane, and butane
C)propane, oxygen, and methane
D)butane, carbon dioxide, and sulfide
E)sulfide, oxygen, and ethanol

Question 5

As oil resources are depleted the ratio, or energy return on investment (EROI), will

A)increase.
B)decrease.
C)remain steady.
D)be greater than one.
E)become equal to one.

Question 6

Which of these common items are made from petrochemicals?

A)glass bottles
B)aluminum cans
C)plastics and synthetic fibers
D)organic fertilizers
E)copper wire

Question 7

The largest tar sand deposits can be found in

A)Canada.
B)Colombia.
C)Nigeria.
D)Venezuela.
E)Russia.

Question 8

We know from the second law of thermodynamics that some of the high-quality energy in each step of processing is

A)wasted and degraded to lower-quality energy.
B)upgraded to higher-efficiency energy.
C)maintained at the same level of quality.
D)destroyed completely.
E)converted into renewable energy.

Question 9

Most commercial energy comes from

A)direct solar energy.
B)indirect solar energy.
C)extracting and burning fossil fuels.
D)nuclear energy.
E)biomass.

Question 10

Crude oil components are separated by

A)bacteria.
B)distillation.
C)pressure.
D)filtration.
E)precipitation.

Question 11

What extraction process involves setting off explosive charges to create cracks deep in rock and then pumping a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals into the cracks?

A)liquid extraction
B)solar conversion
C)vertical drilling
D)hydraulic fracturing
E)horizontal drilling

Question 12

A key option during the transition from oil to renewable energy sources is

A)coal.
B)nuclear energy.
C)biomass.
D)natural gas.
E)ethanol.

Question 13

Which of the following are forms of indirect solar energy?

A)wind, hydropower, and biomass
B)flowing water, geothermal energy, and vegetation
C)geothermal energy, oil, and falling water
D)vegetation, wind, and natural gas
E)hydropower, geothermal energy, and oil

Question 14

What is kerogen?

A)The active ingredient in kerosene
B)A waste product from the production of oil from oil shale
C)A fuel supplement added to diesel oil
D)The useful ingredient in oil shale
E)Sludge from sewage plants

Question 15

Bitumen is

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

Question 16

The nonrenewable energy source with the lowest net energy yield is

A)nuclear.
B)oil.
C)natural gas.
D)biomass.
E)coal.

Question 17

Shale oil and tar sands ____ than conventional oil deposits.

A)are easier to extract
B)have a lower net energy yield
C)have less environmental impact
D)are in shorter supply
E)are less expensive to produce

Question 18

Of the OPEC nations, which country has the largest light oil reserves?

A)Kuwait
B)Iraq
C)Venezuela
D)United Arab Emirates
E)Saudi Arabia

Question 19

A new energy resource has a net energy ratio of 0.2. Energy evaluators are most likely to recommend

A)using this energy resource immediately for transportation.
B)using this energy resource immediately for production of electricity.
C)minimizing use of this resource until net energy ratios for other energy alternatives become lower.
D)rejecting its use now and in the immediate future.
E)maximizing use of this resource until net energy ratios for other energy alternatives become higher.

Question 20

What percent of the commercial energy consumed in the world comes from nonrenewable energy sources?

A)40%
B)51%
C)72%
D)92%
E)100%

Question 21

Spent fuel rods must be stored safely for

A)6 months to 1 year.
B)50 to 100 years.
C)1,000 to 10,000 years.
D)10,000 to 240,000 years.
E)forever.

Question 22

The Yucca Mountain nuclear depository in Nevada has been deemed unsafe by some scientists because

A)rock fractures and cracks may allow water to leak and flow through the site.
B)it is too big to store existing radioactive wastes.
C)of the threat of tsunamis.
D)there is a risk of potential landslides.
E)it is not close enough to a large city.

Question 23

Which of the following are methods of handling end-of-life nuclear power plants?

A)immediate dismantling, building a physical barrier, and entombment
B)extending its life, detonation, and entombment
C)decomposition, building a physical barrier, and extending its life
D)building a physical barrier, extending its life, and detonation
E)extending its life, decomposition, and building a physical barrier

Question 24

What nuclear power disaster in 2011 renewed the debate on nuclear power and safety?

A)Three Mile Island
B)Chernobyl
C)Fukushima
D)Kyoto
E)Tokyo

Question 25

Which of the following is true regarding natural gas?

A)The global supply is relatively limited.
B)Production and delivery of natural gas is environmentally safe.
C)Natural gas found in the deep-sea is the easiest to extract.
D)When burned, it releases less carbon dioxide per unit of energy than coal or oil.
E)The United States has the most recoverable supply in the world.

Question 26

The source of energy for nuclear power plants is

A)nuclear fusion.
B)breeder reactions.
C)nuclear fission.
D)nuclear combustion.
E)hydrogen fission.

Question 27

The form of coal or organic matter fuel with the highest heat and carbon content is

A)anthracite.
B)lignite.
C)peat.
D)bituminous coal.
E)shale.

Question 28

Which fossil fuel is the world's most abundant?

A)Crude oil.
B)Natural gas.
C)Biomass.
D)Coal.
E)Wood.

Question 29

The source of energy for nuclear power involves

A)nuclei splitting apart into lighter nuclei when struck by neutrons.
B)delta and iota particles.
C)isotopes combining into higher mass number nuclei.
D)combustion of methane and carbon dioxide at the same time.
E)the capture of photosynthetic energy produced my high mass number isotopes.

Question 30

The majority of coal burned for electricity is consumed in

A)India.
B)China.
C)the United States.
D)Japan.
E)Trinidad and Tobago.

Question 31

Light-water reactors

A)move control rods in and out of the reactor core to absorb neutrons.
B)use a heating fluid to raise the temperature of the reactor.
C)release radioactivity into the atmosphere to prevent explosions.
D)produce and mine uranium to make fuel.
E)store the spent radioactive waste safely.

Question 32

The most vulnerable area of a nuclear power plant to acts of terror and environmental contamination is/are the

A)control rods.
B)uranium mine.
C)pools and casks.
D)core.
E)containment shell.

Question 33

A meltdown of the reactor core would occur if

A)control rods were inserted into the core.
B)too much coolant was lost.
C)the proportion of uranium-238 was too high.
D)the containment building developed an air leak.
E)the containment shell was too thick.

Question 34

Which country holds most of the world's proven coal reserves?

A)The Middle East
B)The United States
C)Canada
D)Mexico
E)China

Question 35

Currently, spent fuel rods used to power nuclear reactors are

A)stored outside of the reactor in water-filled pools and years later, in dry casks.
B)sent to a national repository.
C)placed in metal drums and dumped deep in the ocean.
D)loaded into rockets and shot into space.
E)treated chemically to speed up the progression of half lives.

Question 36

Some prime examples of the harmful effects of exposure to nuclear radiation and waste include

A)paralysis, hair loss, and genetic defects.
B)eye cataracts, broken bones, and cancers.
C)genetic defects, hair loss, and paralysis.
D)miscarriages, paralysis, and eye cataracts.
E)cancers, miscarriages, and genetic defects.

Question 37

Which fossil fuel is the dirtiest to burn?

A)oil
B)natural gas
C)coal
D)wood
E)biomass

Question 38

Synfuels produced from coal are

A)in short supply.
B)available only in the United States.
C)generally expected to play a minor role as an energy resource due to the high cost and low net energy yield.
D)a much cleaner alternative to coal.
E)readily available in underground reserves.

Question 39

The 2011 nuclear power accident in Japan

A)was a result of global warning
B)increased the public confidence in nuclear power safety and regulation
C)exposed several design flaws and a failure to develop worst-case scenarios
D)will not lead to increased cancers due to the quick and efficient clean-up response
E)is no longer leaking nuclear waste into the ocean

Question 40

Which process could theoretically provide a limitless source of intense heat and electricity, but still needs further research?

A)nuclear fission
B)nuclear charging
C)fracking
D)solar panels
E)nuclear fusion

Question 41

When the pressure and rate of production in a conventional oil well just begins to decline, this is known as ____________________ for the well.

Question 42

The major types of coal vary in the amount of heat, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide released per unit mass when they are burned.

Question 43

Nuclear fusion produces about 85% of nuclear electricity worldwide.

Question 44

The cost of synfuels is presently too high to make them commercially attractive.

Question 45

Most of the energy used worldwide comes from renewable energy sources.

Question 46

Nuclear power is not used extensively in the United States primarily because of the threat it poses to homeland security.

Question 47

The U.S. has built and successfully tested an underground repository for nuclear waste storage.

Question 48

Deposits of conventional oil that can be extracted profitably at current market prices with current technology are known as ____________________.

Question 49

Coal has a low cost relative to other nonrenewable energy sources when environmental costs are included.

Question 50

The United States is a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Question 51

Because it is the relatively cleanest burning fossil fuel, there is increasing interest in nonrenewable ____________________ as an energy source.

Question 52

Almost all the energy we use comes either directly or indirectly from the sun.

Question 53

The conventional nuclear fuel cycle has s low net energy yield.

Question 54

Producing synfuels requires mining more coal than used for burning coal directly.

Question 55

Future supplies of natural gas are likely to be more abundant than oil reserves.

Question 56

____________________ has a mix of different combustible hydrocarbons that must be separated in order to be used.

Question 57

Reliance on conventional oil leaves a country vulnerable to international supply interruptions.

Question 58

Canada has a large, but controversial, source of oil in tar sands.

Question 59

The USA can meet its growing oil needs by exploring and tapping domestic supplies in federal lands and coastal waters.

Question 60

The amount of usable high-quality energy from an energy resource is its ____________________.

Question 61

Although ____________________ seems relatively inexpensive and safe, environmental issues such as long-lived waste make this the most expensive nonrenewable energy source.

Question 62

Which type of energy source do you think will grow as a proportion of total commercial energy in the future in the United States?

Question 63

When current oil reserves become too expensive to extract, what are the other energy options?

Question 64

If nonrenewable energy has so many negative effects, why is it so widely used?

Question 65

____________________ are man-made fuels made through the extraction and liquefaction of coal and are often referred to as cleaner versions of coal.

Question 66

____________________ produces radioactive fragments that spontaneously shoot out fast-moving particles such as alpha and beta particles and gamma rays.

Question 67

Name the four types of nonrenewable sources of energy, and without repeating, provide one advantage and one disadvantage to each.

Question 68

____________________ is the most polluting fossil fuel but is cheap, abundant, and readily retrieved.

Question 69

A process known as ____________________ is used to convert solid coal into synthetic natural gas, removing sulfur and other impurities.

Question 70

There is a large push to tap domestic oil supplies. Do you agree or disagree, and why?

Question 71

Why do you think the world as a whole relies more on renewable energy than the United States does?

Question 72

Which commercial energy source provides the most energy for the world?

Question 73

Net energy yields are important in evaluating energy resources. What other factors that should be considered in determining how much useful energy a resource actually provides?

Question 74

Do you think nuclear power is a viable energy resource in the future? Provide at least two reasons to support your argument.

Question 75

What are three disadvantages of relying on oil as a primary energy source?