Unit 1: Test

NAME ______________________________________

REVIEW TEST • UNIT 1

Directions: Circle the letter of the answer that best completes the statement given.

1. Energy is defined as the ability to:
   
   
   1. do work
   2. produce electricity
   3. generate heat
   4. get out of bed in the morning
      
      
2. An example of potential energy is:
   
   
   1. sunlight
   2. wheels moving on a car
   3. nutrients stored in plants
   4. flowing water
      
      
3. An example of kinetic energy is:
   
   
   1. heat from a light bulb
   2. an underground oil reserve
   3. a wood pile
   4. a mousetrap waiting to trip
      
      
4. All of the following are forms of energy, EXCEPT:
   
   
   1. kinetic and potential
   2. mechanical and thermal
   3. chemical and nuclear
   4. radiant and electrical
      
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5. Our bodies convert the energy in food to:
   
   
   1. radiant and chemical energy
   2. radiant and electrical energy
   3. mechanical and chemical energy
   4. mechanical and thermal energy
      
      
6. Electrical energy is typically the movement of:
   
   
   1. atoms
   2. neutrons
   3. electrons
   4. protons
      
      
7. Many power plants generate electricity by:
   
   
   1. capturing electrons from split atoms
   2. harnessing the stored electrical energy in fossil fuels
   3. heating water and using the steam to turn blades in a turbine that rotate copper coils through a magnetic field
   4. recreating the atmospheric conditions that cause lightning
      
      
8. Electricity generated at power plants is measured in:
   
   
   1. amps
   2. watts
   3. kilowatts
   4. millirem
      
      
9. The largest source of energy for producing electricity in the United States is:
   
   
   1. coal
   2. nuclear
   3. gas
   4. hydropower
      
      
10. The fuel used in nuclear reactors is:
    
    
    1. water
    2. plutonium
    3. uranium
    4. neutrons
       
       
11. When an atom is split, it releases a relatively large amount of energy in the form of
    
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    1. light
    2. heat
    3. electricity
    4. motion
       
       
12. One metric ton of nuclear fuel will provide about ________ times as much electrical power as that provided by burning one metric ton of coal.
    
    
    1. 1000
    2. 10,000
    3. 100,000
    4. 1,000,000
       
       
13. In the United States, the federal agency responsible for setting the safety standards for nuclear power plants is the:
    
    
    1. U. S. Atomic Energy Commission
    2. U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
    3. U. S. Department of Energy
    4. U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
       
       
14. Low-level radioactive waste is produced by all of the following, EXCEPT:
    
    
    1. uranium mines
    2. hospitals
    3. research laboratories
    4. nuclear power plants
       
       
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15. The highly radioactive waste from nuclear power plants is called:
    
    
    1. transuranic waste
       
    2. biohazard waste
       
    3. mill tailings
       
    4. spent nuclear fuel
       
       
16. Transuranic waste is different from low-level radioactive waste because:
    
    
    1. it emits higher levels of radiation
    2. there is no place to store it
    3. it is radioactive for a longer period of time
    4. it consists of discarded clothing, rags, and equipment
       
       
17. The high-level radioactive waste produced by the U.S. Government includes all of the following, EXCEPT:
    
    
    1. nuclear materials from national defense programs
    2. contaminated clothing, rags, and equipment
    3. spent nuclear fuel from government research reactors
    4. spent nuclear fuel from submarines and aircraft carriers
       
       
18. Immediately after spent nuclear fuel is removed from a nuclear reactor, it is placed in a:
    
    
    1. heavy container that shields radiation
    2. repository
    3. pool of water
    4. concrete bunker
       
       
19. Spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste are dangerous because they:
    
    
    1. are liquids that can leak into the environment
    2. can cause a nuclear explosion
    3. emit extremely high-levels of radiation for thousands of years
    4. are highly flammable
       
       
20. The United States has decided on the following method for permanently disposing of highly radioactive nuclear waste:
    
    
    1. storing it in caves
    2. placing it in an underground repository
    3. inserting it in concrete bunkers
    4. burying it under the ocean floor
       
       

Answer Key [pdf]