Deck 22: Nuclear Power - the Future of Fukushima: Can Nuclear Energy Overcome Its Bad Rep

Question 1

Nuclear power plants use ___________ to boil water and produce steam, which is then used to generate electricity.

A) heat
B) coal
C) oil
D) fossil fuels
E) petroleum

Answer 1

heat

Question 2

An atom that spontaneously emits subatomic particles and/or energy is called ______________.

A) radioactive
B) isotopic
C) fissionary
D) fusionary
E) none of these answers

Answer 2

radioactive

Question 3

Atoms that have different numbers of neutrons in their nucleus but the same number of protons are known as ___________________.

A) decay products
B) half-lives
C) isotopes
D) neutral
E) none of these answers

Answer 3

isotopes

Question 4

Isotopes are atoms that have the same number of _____________ but a different number of ______________.

A) neutrons; protons
B) protons; neutrons
C) protons; electrons
D) electrons; protons
E) neutrons; electrons

Question 5

The mass number for an element is composed of which of the following choices ___________________.

A) electrons and protons
B) protons and neutrons
C) neutrons and electrons
D) protons
E) neutrons

Question 6

What is the process of nuclear fission?

Question 7

Radioactive isotopes are important for producing electricity because ___________________.

A) they can be converted directly into electricity
B) electrons from the isotopes are separated and used for electricity
C) the heat from their fission is used to create steam, which is converted to electricity
D) A, B, and C are correct.
E) None of these answers are correct.

Question 8

Which of the following choices could be composed of 92 protons and 146 neutrons?

A) uranium-235
B) uranium-238
C) plutonium-241
D) none of these answers
E) plutonimum-236

Question 9

A radioactive particle that has gone through 2 half-lives retains what percent of its parent material?

A) 200%
B) 100%
C) 50%
D) 25%
E) 2%

Question 10

Which of the following is emitted during radioactive decay?

A) gamma radiation
B) heat
C) subatomic particles
D) energy
E) all of these answers

Question 11

Infographic 22.2.

Refer to Infographic 22.2. Which of the following isotopes would you expect to find in the greatest amount throughout the universe?

A) uranium-238
B) thorium-234
C) protactinium-234
D) uranium-234
E) thorium-226

Question 12

Infographic 22.2.

Refer to Infographic 22.2. Which of the following isotopes would be the safest to handle in the shortest period of time? (Radioactive isotopes are considered safe to handle after 10 half-lives.)

A) uranium-234
B) uranium-238
C) thorium-234
D) thorium-226
E) protactinium-234

Question 13

What are the similarities and differences between uranium-238 and uranium-235?

Question 14

Which of the following choices for an isotope represents the greatest production of daughter atoms?

A) 1 half-life
B) 2 half-lives
C) 3 half-lives
D) 4 half-lives
E) 5 half-lives

Question 15

_____________________ is energy released when an atom is split or combines with another to form a new atom.

A) Nuclear decay
B) The half-life
C) Nuclear fusion
D) Nuclear energy
E) None of these answers

Question 16

Infographic 22.2.

Refer to Infographic 22.2. Which of the following choices is a daughter atom of Thorium-226?

A) Thorium-234
B) Radium-226
C) Uranium-234
D) Protactinium-234
E) none of these answers

Question 17

Which of the following statements about nuclear fission is NOT true?

A) Nuclear fission splits the nucleus of an atom.
B) Nuclear fission releases energy.
C) Nuclear fission reactions depend on radioactive isotopes.
D) Nuclear fission does not produce any heat.
E) All of these answers are incorrect

Question 18

During radioactive decay, radioactive isotopes can give off which of the following?

A) gamma radiation
B) heat
C) particles
D) A, B, and C
E) none of these answers

Question 19

Why is U-235 used more in nuclear reactors than U-238?

A) U-235 is more abundant.
B) U-235 is cheaper to mine.
C) U-235 is more reactive.
D) U-235 has fewer externalities.
E) U-235 produces less harmful radiation.

Question 20

The time it takes for half of the radioactive isotopes in a sample to decay to a new form is known as its ___________________.

A) isotope
B) radioactivity
C) radioactive half-life
D) nuclear energy
E) none of these answers

Question 21

Disposal of radioactive waste from the generation of nuclear power is a controversial topic. Given what you know about radioactive decay, why would environmentalists be concerned about the generation of all this waste?

Question 22

How is a pressure water reactor different from a boiling water reactor?

A) In a pressure water reactor, the steam that turns the turbine is not exposed to radiation.
B) In a pressure water reactor, steam is produced in the reactor core itself.
C) In a pressure water reactor, only the turbine is exposed to radiation during electricity production.
D) In a boiling water reactor, the water heated by fuel rods is never exposed to the turbine.
E) In a boiling water reactor, steam is produced outside the reactor core.

Question 23

The heat released in a nuclear chain reaction is ___________________ times more than what is released by burning coal or oil and is used to turn turbines that generate electricity.

A) 100,000
B) 1 million
C) 10 million
D) 100 million
E) 1 billion

Question 24

Explain why nuclear power plants require a vast amount of water.

Question 25

Why is water valuable in the production of nuclear energy?

A) Water cools control rods.
B) Water produces steam.
C) Water prevents the reactor from overheating.
D) A, B, and C are all correct answers.
E) B and C are correct answers.

Question 26

How do control rods regulate the rate of the nuclear reaction?

Question 27

___________________ is a nuclear reaction that occurs when a neutron strikes the nucleus of an atom and breaks it into two or more parts.

A) Nuclear fusion
B) Nuclear fission
C) Radioactive decay
D) Cold fusion
E) Cold fission

Question 28

Explain the process involved in producing energy in a fission reactor, starting with U-235 and ending with the production of electricity. Be sure to mention the words "fuel rods" and "control rods."

Question 29

Radioactive tailings are created in which step of the nuclear fuel production?

A) mining the ore
B) milling
C) enrichment
D) fuel production
E) decommissioning of the nuclear plant

Question 30

Infographic 22.2.

Refer to Infographic 22.2. If the half-life of a certain radioactive isotope is 5 years and 100 atoms of parent material exist in the original sample, how many parent atoms will be present in the sample after 10 years?

A) 100
B) 75
C) 50
D) 25
E) 0

Question 31

Congress authorized a controversial, long-term storage facility but construction was stopped after 15 years. What stopped the construction?

A) A better site was found.
B) An act of Congress stopped construction.
C) The local people protested and wouldn't allow construction to continue.
D) President Obama halted construction, though the problem and controversy remain.
E) A tsunami made the site unsuitable.

Question 32

One of the hazardous issues in producing electricity with nuclear fuel is the large quantity of water it requires. Which of the following is NOT one of the uses of water when producing electricity with nuclear fuel?

A) Without water, fuel rods will melt and release radon gas.
B) Water is needed to produce the steam to turn the turbines.
C) Without water, fuel rods will release radioactivity.
D) Fuel rods will get hot and react with the steam to produce explosive hydrogen gas.
E) Water is needed to keep the reactor from overheating.

Question 33

The first major nuclear accident was at:

A) Chernobyl.
B) Three Mile Island.
C) Fukushima.
D) Palo.
E) There have been no major nuclear power plant accidents.

Question 34

___________________ rods are used in a nuclear plant to absorb neutrons and regulate the speed of the fission chain reaction.

A) Fuel
B) Nuclear
C) Regulatory
D) Control
E) Mechanical

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT true concerning the storage of high-level radioactive waste (HLRW) in the United States?

A) We do not have a reliable long-term storage site for these wastes.
B) We are running out of space in the short-term steel-lined pools the wastes are stored in.
C) The longest half-life of materials in the HLRW is about 2000 years.
D) Some sites are storing the waste in large steel casks.
E) Approximately 65,000 metric tons of HLRW are currently in storage in the United States.

Question 36

A chain reaction is created in a nuclear plant when U-235 in the fuel rods is bombarded with _______________, causing the nucleus to become unstable and split.

A) neutrons
B) electrons
C) protons
D) electricity
E) water

Question 37

Infographic 22.2.

Refer to Infographic 22.2. Why is the progression of uranium-238 to the stable lead-206 such a concern?

A) There is no guarantee that the uranium-238 will progress in this manner, so it might become something even more dangerous.
B) The long length of time it takes for uranium-238 to become harmless means it is difficult to dispose of in a safe manner.
C) Uranium-238 is the quickest of the radioactive elements to decay; the others are even more dangerous.
D) Uranium-238 is the most reactive of the uranium isotopes and so is the most dangerous.
E) Uranium-238 is the least common of the uranium isotopes and so is the hardest to find.

Question 38

What is the half-life of a radioactive isotope, and how long is it?

Question 39

Infographic 22.4.

Refer to Infographic 22.4. Use the infographic to explain how a nuclear reaction happens.

Question 40

What are some safety precautions used in the production of nuclear energy?

Question 41

Infographic 22.3.

Refer to Infographic 22.3. Explain why the mining of uranium ore is hazardous for the miners.

Question 42

Which of the following is NOT one of the causes of the high expense involved in nuclear power production?

A) It costs about twice as much to build a nuclear power plant than it does to build one that utilizes fossil fuels.
B) Nuclear power plants last about 40 years.
C) Nuclear plants are expensive to decommission.
D) Nuclear fuel is three times as expensive as fossil fuels.
E) Nuclear plants are more expensive to maintain than conventional plants, partly because the disposal of the fuel is costly.

Question 43

________________ provides the cleanest source of energy.

A) Coal
B) Oil
C) Oil shale
D) Natural gas
E) Nuclear

Question 44

How can nuclear waste best be disposed of?

Question 45

Which president was the first to talk about the benefits of nuclear energy instead of its horrors?

A) President Truman
B) President Roosevelt
C) President Eisenhower
D) President Carter
E) President Nixon

Question 46

Infographic 22.5.

Refer to Infographic 22.5. The Fukushima plant was a boiling water reactor. Why did this make preventing an explosion in the plant after the earthquake and tsunami more difficult? Would it have been easier if it had been a pressurized water reactor?

Question 47

What is one criticism of nuclear energy-development projects?

A) They would upset the fossil fuel-based global economy.
B) Some methods of power generation create radioisotopes that can be used in weapons.
C) Power production cannot be increased or decreased to reflect demand.
D) Fuels used in nuclear power are not as energy rich as coal.
E) None of these answers are correct.

Question 48

Low-level radioactive waste ________________.

A) can usually be safely buried
B) has low amounts of radiation relative to its volume
C) includes clothing and tools exposed to radioactive material
D) is stored at three sites in the United States
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 49

Infographic 22.6.

Refer to Infographic 22.6. Three types of radiation are given off by radioactive isotopes. Name each one, describe their penetration ability, and explain if and how they are hazardous to humans.

Question 50

Spent fuel rods are one of the wastes associated with the production of nuclear energy. Spent fuel rods are classified as ________________.

A) LLRW (Low-level Radioactive Waste)
B) MLRW (Medium-level Radioactive Waste)
C) HLRW (High-level Radioactive Waste)
D) recoverable waste
E) insignificant waste

Question 51

A cost and benefit analysis of all our energy resources must include which of the following?

A) environmental costs
B) monetary costs of kilowatt-hours
C) social costs
D) risk assessments
E) all of these answers

Question 52

Infographic 22.3.

Refer to Infographic 22.3. The process of generating nuclear energy produces hazardous waste at every step. Speculate on the hazards of milling and enriching the uranium.

Question 53

The world saw some of the hazards of radioactivity after the United States used a nuclear bomb in WWII. From this event, we saw an increase in all but which of the following?

A) radiation sickness
B) infertility
C) cardiovascular disease
D) slow-killing cancers
E) birth defects

Question 54

Radiation that leaks from nuclear reactors ________________.

A) is visible
B) spreads in a predictable pattern
C) is difficult to control
D) depends on human response to the leaks
E) is easy to track

Question 55

Compared with coal-fired plants, nuclear power plants are more ____________________.

A) likely to release particulates and gases
B) susceptible to natural disasters
C) likely to explode
D) likely to pollute the water
E) likely to cause an enhanced greenhouse effect

Question 56

Nuclear energy is considered to be a "clean energy" because of all but which of the following?

A) Sulfur dioxide is not produced.
B) NOₓ compounds are not released.
C) Much less CO₂ (therefore, fewer greenhouse gases) are released.
D) Particulates are not released.
E) Less hot water is produced than by conventional power plants.

Question 57

Explain how using uranium as a fuel to produce energy is an advantage as far as availability goes versus the availability of fossil fuels.

Question 58

High cancer rates are observed in workers who mine U-235 because U-235 naturally decays into ________________.

A) radon
B) mercury
C) lead
D) carbon dioxide
E) carbon monoxide

Question 59

Accidents in the construction industry occur at a rate almost _______________ the rate of those in the nuclear power industry.

A) half
B) equal to
C) two times
D) six times
E) none of these answers

Question 60

Where are spent fuel rods currently stored?

A) at long-term storage sites
B) in steel-lined pools
C) in Yucca Mountain, Nevada
D) underground in emptied magma chambers
E) in developing countries

Question 61

Discuss the safety of living near a nuclear power plant relative to living near a coal-fired power plant.