Unit 3: Test

NAME ______________________________________

REVIEW TEST • UNIT 3

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

1. Spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste is a national problem because it is:
   
   
   1. a liquid that can soak into the ground
   2. explosive like a nuclear bomb
   3. highly radioactive and will remain so for thousands of years
   4. causing global warming
      
      
2. Scientific researchers currently favor _________ as the preferred long-term method for dealing with nuclear waste.
   
   
   1. shallow land burial
   2. deep geologic disposal
   3. underground tanks
   4. above-ground barrels
      
      
3. The two types of nuclear waste that would be sent to a repository at Yucca Mountain are:
   
   
   1. spent nuclear fuel and low-level radioactive waste
   2. spent nuclear fuel and transuranic waste
   3. high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel
   4. low-level radioactive waste and high-level radioactive waste
      
      
4. An example of a technical issue relating to the disposal of nuclear waste is:
   
   
   1. designing a container that will keep water away from the radioactive material
   2. responsibility for the costs of the disposal program
   3. the effects of a repository on the local economy
   4. increasing local population
      
      
5. An example of a societal issue relating to the disposal of nuclear waste is:
   
   
   1. effects of earthquakes on repository systems
   2. concern of local residents for their health and that of their families
   3. movement of groundwater at the repository site
   4. porosity of the rock
      
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6. Constructing the nation’s first repository for highly radioactive waste is a complex task, which involves all of the following, EXCEPT:
   
   
   1. developing a repository design
   2. cleaning up obsolete defense sites
   3. inspecting quality
   4. testing the safety of the repository system
      
      
7. Scientists quantify risk by:
   
   
   1. calculating mathematical probabilities
   2. using common sense
   3. conducting laboratory experiments
   4. building computer models
      
      
8. The probability that you will get “tails” when you flip a coin is:
   
   
   1. .02
   2. .10
   3. .20
   4. .50
      
      
9. The more a technology seems ____________, the more likely people are to accept the risks associated with that technology. (circle all that apply)
   
   
   1. familiar
   2. beneficial
   3. uncertain
   4. in control
      
      
10. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act is a law that established national policy for the:
    
    
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    1. future of nuclear power generation in the United States
    2. permanent disposal of highly radioactive waste
    3. environmental clean-up of our nation’s defense facilities
    4. disposal of low-level nuclear waste and mill tailings
       
       
11. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act makes the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for:
    
    
    1. certifying transportation containers and licensing the repository
    2. establishing health and safety standards for a repository
    3. siting, designing, constructing, operating, and closing a repository
    4. evaluating the technical and scientific validity of the studies and findings at Yucca Mountain
       
       
12. The source of a major portion of the funds that will cover the costs for permanently disposing of commercial spent nuclear fuel is:
    
    
    1. state taxes
    2. the U.S. Internal Revenue Service
    3. nuclear power utilities
    4. income taxes
       
       
13. All of the following steps are required in the process to develop a deep geologic repository, EXCEPT:
    
    
    1. scientific testing of the repository site
    2. developing a repository design
    3. analyzing the current and future impacts of the waste disposal system on people and the environment
    4. receiving construction authorization and a license to operate the repository from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
       
       
14. The site characterization studies at Yucca Mountain focused on:
    
    
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    1. methods for transporting waste to Yucca Mountain
    2. features and processes that are important to long-term repository safety
    3. public attitudes about the repository program
    4. numbers and types of jobs that will be created or lost
       
       
15. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act directed the ____________ to establish radiation protection standards for a repository.
    
    
    1. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
    2. U.S. Congress
    3. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
    4. U.S. Department of Energy
       
       
16. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act requires that any waste transported to a repository must be shipped in special:
    
    
    1. tanks certified by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
    2. casks certified by the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
    3. barrels certified by the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board
    4. crates certified by the U. S. Department of Energy
       
       
17. The environmental impact statement for a repository at Yucca Mountain included studies on how the repository would affect:
    
    
    1. Nevada’s economy
    2. nuclear utilities
    3. global climate conditions
    4. future Congressional actions
       
       
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18. The U.S. Department of Energy cannot begin placing waste in a repository until after it receives:
    
    
    1. permission from Congress
    2. authorization by the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board
    3. a license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
    4. acceptance by the Environmental Protection Agency
       
       
19. Current laws governing the disposal of nuclear waste:
    
    
    1. can never be changed
    2. can be amended by the U.S. Department of Energy
    3. can be amended by the state of Nevada
    4. can be amended by Congress
       
       
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Answer Key [pdf]