Unit 4: Test

NAME ______________________________________

REVIEW TEST • UNIT 3

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

1. The site characterization studies at Yucca Mountain focused on:
   
   
   1. methods for transporting waste to Yucca Mountain
   2. methods for handling waste
   3. features and processes that are important to the repository’s safety
   4. public attitudes about the repository program
      
      
2. The site characterization program involved all of the following studies, EXCEPT:
   
   
   1. evaluating technologies for reducing the amount of waste
   2. measuring how much water infiltrates the surface of Yucca Mountain
   3. determining the past climate conditions at Yucca Mountain
   4. testing the strength of the rock
      
      
3. The Exploratory Studies Facility is a/an:
   
   
   1. building for storing samples of rock
   2. underground laboratory used for studying the rock at the repository level
   3. simulation of the repository environment
   4. facility for testing corrosion-resistant materials
      
      
4. The environmental studies at Yucca Mountain evaluated the impacts of project activities on all of the following, EXCEPT:
   
   
   1. native plants
   2. Native American cultural resources
   3. native vertebrate species
   4. native uranium
      
      
5. An analogue is a/an:
   
   
   1. computer model of how water moves through rock
   2. study of how a repository could affect animals in the area
   3. process found in nature that is similar to one that could occur in a repository
   4. experiment to test the durability of the waste packages
      
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6. The “Total System Performance Assessment” is a/an:
   
   
   1. computer simulation that shows how all the repository’s parts will work together for tens of thousands of years
   2. method for testing corrosion-resistant materials
   3. experiment that shows how heat would affect the repository environment
   4. study of a uranium deposit in Mexico
      
      
7. The “Basin and Range” is characterized by its:
   
   
   1. close proximity to the ocean
   2. mountain ranges separated by basins
   3. dry climate
   4. large lakes
      
      
8. Yucca Mountain was formed by:
   
   
   1. tectonic plates moving over one another
   2. erosion of the land around the mountain
   3. deposits of ash from nearby volcanoes
   4. a tunnel boring machine
      
      
9. Yucca Mountain is made of layers of:
   
   
   1. granite
   2. basalt
   3. sand and gravel
   4. tuff
      
      
10. It is less likely that earthquake shaking would affect the waste in a deep underground repository because::
    
    
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    1. an earthquake will never happen at Yucca Mountain.
    2. earthquake shaking decreases with the depth underground
    3. the waste packages are built to withstand earthquakes
    4. zeolites in the rock will absorb the movement
       
       
11. Very little rainfall moves into the rock of Yucca Mountain due to all of the following reasons, EXCEPT
    
    
    1. water evaporates from the surface
    2. the soils and terrain cause water to run off the surface
    3. the roots of plants take up the water
    4. it never rains in southwestern Nevada
       
       
12. The unsaturated zone under Yucca Mountain is an area where:
    
    
    1. the rock has no fractures
    2. the rock’s fractures are filled with water
    3. the pores in the rock are filled with water
    4. the pores in the rock are not filled with water
       
       
13. The groundwater under Yucca Mountain:
    
    
    1. is isolated within a closed basin
    2. seeps into an aquifer that supplies water to Las Vegas
    3. eventually flows into the Pacific Ocean
    4. eventually flows into the Colorado River
       
       
14. The emplacement tunnels for storing the waste will be excavated in solid rock about ___ meters below the surface of Yucca Mountain.
    
    
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    1. 30
    2. 50
    3. 300
    4. 3500
       
       
15. The underground location of the emplacement tunnels is based on all of the following factors, EXCEPT:
    
    
    1. the thickness of the overlying rock and soil
    2. the distance from the nearest town
    3. the location of the fractures in the rock
    4. the depth to the water table
       
       
16. The repository’s engineered features include all of the following, EXCEPT:
    
    
    1. waste packages
    2. drip shields
    3. tunnel boring machines
    4. tunnel inverts
       
       
17. The purpose of the repository’s surface facilities is to:
    
    
    1. isolate nuclear waste for thousands of years
    2. manufacture waste packages
    3. prepare nuclear waste for underground disposal
    4. generate nuclear power
       
       
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18. The primary reason for using robotic equipment during repository operations is to:
    
    
    1. reduce costs
    2. protect workers
    3. improve productivity
    4. increase efficiency
       
       
       
19. The repository will not be closed and sealed off until:
    
    
    1. the emplacement tunnels are full of nuclear waste
    2. future generations decide to do so
    3. the next ice age
    4. another repository is built
       
       
20. An example of a “passive institutional control” is a/an:
    
    
    1. aboveground storage structure for nuclear waste
    2. law that prohibits people from entering the repository
    3. security gate that keeps people out of the repository area
    4. marker for warning future generations of the radioactive material located underground
       
       
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Answer Key [pdf]