Exam Questions Ch.14 Test Bank Alternative Energy Resources

Chapter 14 Test Bank: Alternative Energy Resources

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Synthetic crude oil can be made through a process of liquefying coal. What is the primary problem with using coal to help meet the growing demand for oil?

A. new technology is required

B. additional technology is required

C. coal reserves are limited

D. cannot produce gasoline from coal

E. higher carbon dioxide emissions

2. In comparison to light crude oil, which of the following statements is NOT true with respect to heavy crude oil?

A. heavy crude oil is more difficult to extract.

B. most of the remaining oil reserves consist of heavier crudes.

C. oil companies prefer heavy crude oil because it is more profitable.

D. refining heavy crude oil is more expensive.

E. heavy crude oil is more viscous.

3. Which of the following best explains why carbon dioxide emissions are so much higher using tar sands compared to conventional crude oil?

A. tar sands contain carbon dioxide trapped within the sand.

B. tar sands require additional energy to produce.

C. oxygen within tar sands readily combines with the carbon.

D. tar sands naturally contain water.

E. tar sands are found at higher latitude and naturally contain more carbon dioxide.

4. Which of the following best describes oil shale deposits?

A. the primary source of oil in the Western U.S. for the past 100 years.

B. shale that is saturated with crude oil, but requires fracturing to extract.

C. shale found at higher elevations in the Rocky Mountains.

D. organic-rich source rock that has never been buried deep enough to produce oil.

E. crude oil deposit in which the lighter molecules have migrated away.

5. The original method of processing oil shale involved crushing the rock and then heating it. What environmental problem did this create that the new method (heating the rock in place) seeks to avoid?

A. disposing of large volumes of waste rock

B. acid rain

C. carbon dioxide emissions

D. landslides

E. water pollution

6. Gas hydrates represent a potential source of natural gas. Which of the following is the primary reason commercial production is not yet taking place?

A. produces many undesirable by-products

B. thick, economical deposits have yet to be found

C. high potential for the uncontrolled release of gas

D. price of natural gas is presently too high

E. unable to reach deposits on ocean floor

7. Which of the following is NOT true regarding the production of corn-based ethanol as an alternative to gasoline in the United States?

A. production likely results in a net energy loss

B. it is helping to drive up food prices

C. provides a long-term solution to our energy needs

D. production requires a significant amount of farmland

E. it is less energy efficient than gasoline

8. A pumped-storage system is where water is pumped up into an elevated reservoir, and then allowed to fall to produce electricity. What is the basic reason this system is economical?

A. it is more efficient to generate electricity when it is generated with gravity.

B. the electricity is being generated with a non-carbon based energy source.

C. the electricity is being generated with a renewable energy resource.

D. more electricity is generated than is used in pumping water into the reservoir.

E. surplus electricity at night is being used to pump water into reservoir.

9. Which of the following best describes the major advantages of generating electricity with nuclear power plants?

A. generates electricity on a large scale and is easier to connect to the electrical grid.

B. easier to connect to the electrical grid and does not emit carbon dioxide.

C. there is an infinite supply of uranium and is easier to connect to the electrical grid.

D. there is an infinite supply of uranium and does not emit carbon dioxide.

E. generates electricity on a large scale and does not emit carbon dioxide.

10. What best describes the major disadvantages of nuclear power?

A. high accident rate and public fear

B. public fear and non-renewable

C. high accident rate and high production costs

D. high production costs and lack of long-term waste storage

E. non-renewable and high production costs

11. What energy transformation takes place when sunlight strikes an ordinary solid object?

A. electromagnetic to electrical

B. nuclear to electrical

C. electromagnetic to thermal (heat)

D. electrical to thermal (heat)

E. thermal (heat) to nuclear

12. What describes the difference between passive and active solar energy designs?

A. active works on cloudy days

B. active makes use of gravity heating

C. active involves some type of mechanical system

D. active involves glass windows and trees

E. active works only during the daytime

13. What best describes the difference between solar thermal and photovoltaic systems?

A. solar thermal operates only during the daytime

B. photovoltaic generates electricity only

C. photovoltaic use electricity and can operate at night

D. photovoltaic generates both heat and electricity

E. solar thermal works better in warm climates

14. Which of the following describes the advantages of wind power over solar?

A. wind turbines can generate power at night and on cloudy days.

B. less public resistance to wind turbines than solar panels.

C. wind turbines are easier to install than solar panels.

D. wind generated electricity is carbon-free.

E. wind works better in high-density coastal developments.

15. What best explains why producing electricity via geothermal energy is restricted geographically?

A. due to high infrastructure costs, geothermal areas are restricted to developed nations.

B. most geothermal areas are far from the nearest population center.

C. areas where shallow crustal rocks are sufficiently hot are relatively rare.

D. due to the need for water, geothermal areas must be near a body of water.

E. most geothermal areas are far from the electrical grid.

16. Which of the following describes the basic way in which electricity is generated using the ocean thermal energy conversion technique, or OTEC?

A. heat energy obtained from surface winds blowing across warm ocean waters

B. temperature difference between the incoming and outgoing tides

C. the ocean's geothermal energy

D. convection cells within the ocean

E. temperature difference between the surface and deep ocean waters

17. With respect to the U.S. transportation system, what best explains why electric motors are considered as the most sustainable means of running cars and trains in the future?

A. conventional crude oil will soon be in short supply

B. fuels for internal combustion engines all produce greenhouse gases

C. reserves of non-conventional fossil fuel are relatively small

D. electricity generated by nuclear power is expected to become significantly less expensive

E. internal combustion engines are too inefficient for the expected growth in population

18. A likely future model for the electrical grid is a decentralized system where power is generated from numerous sources distributed across the grid. What would the primary role of nuclear power be in this model?

A. provide steady power to transportation systems

B. provide the only source of carbon-free electricity

C. provide power to run large numbers of wind turbines

D. provide steady amounts of power to meet baseload demand

E. provide electricity to make hydrogen

True / False Questions

19. Light crude oil contains a higher proportion of shorter chains of hydrogen and carbon atoms compared to heavy crude oil.

True / False

20. With respect to geothermal energy, Earth's internal heat escapes evenly though the crust.

True / False

Multiple Choice Questions

21. All of the following are alternative energy sources except

A. nuclear.

B. natural gas.

C. wind.

D. tar sands.

22. The U.S. and China currently rely on fossil fuels for how much of their energy needs?

A. 25 percent

B. 50 percent

C. 66 percent

D. 90 percent

23. Which of the following is true about alternative energy sources?

A. Comparatively cheap

B. Intermittent in nature

C. More energy dense

D. Highly concentrated

24. Synfuels are derived from which natural resource?

A. Coal

B. Uranium

C. Water

D. Solar power

25. Drawbacks to the use of coal-based alternative fuels include all of the following except

A. it will significantly reduce the life expectancy of coal reserves.

B. it will increase environmental problems already associated with the mining and burning of coal.

C. it will increase demand for conventional crude oil.

D. its production generates large amounts of carbon dioxide.

26. Bitumen is a type of heavy crude found in which resource?

A. Anthracite

B. Coal gas

C. Tar sands

D. Lignite

27. What is the principal drawback to the use of tar sands as an energy source?

A. It is not located near the surface and thus amenable to strip mining.

B. No large deposits are present in North America.

C. Large volumes of natural gas are required for processing.

D. Processing may produce carbon dioxide.

28. What is one of the principal drawbacks of oil shale as an alternative energy source?

A. It cannot be processed in situ.

B. In situ methods cause major disturbance of the land.

C. No oil shale reserves are found in the U.S..

D. It expands upon heating, creating a waste disposal problem.

29. Which natural resource may ultimately limit the development of oil shale deposits?

A. Natural gas

B. Water

C. Petroleum

D. Uranium

30. Which global environmental problem may be worsened by the use of gas hydrates as an energy source?

A. Smog

B. Depletion of the ozone layer

C. Global warming

D. Groundwater depletion

31. Advantages of ethanol over conventional use of gasoline include all of the following except

A. it is carbon-neutral.

B. it is renewable.

C. it can be used to make oxygenated gasoline.

D. it produces more energy than is consumed to make it.

32. Drawbacks to the use of biofuels include all of the following except

A. increased global warming.

B. increased food prices.

C. increased gas mileage.

D. increased use of farmland for fuel production.

33. Advantages in the use of hydropower include all of the following except

A. it does not create carbon dioxide.

B. it is renewable.

C. there is little adverse impact to the land.

D. fossil fuels are not required for its use.

34. Which of the following is not true about nuclear power?

A. It does not generate carbon dioxide.

B. It does not have a significant waste disposal problem.

C. It does not generate acid rain.

D. It does not generate particulate matter.

35. What fuel source is theoretically used in a fusion-type nuclear reactor?

A. Water

B. Carbon dioxide

C. Plutonium-239

D. Uranium-238

36. What material is used to store heat in a concentrated solar power plant?

A. Magma

B. Steam

C. Molten iron

D. Molten salt

37. Advantages of wind power as an energy source include all of the following except

A. it is renewable.

B. it does not produce carbon dioxide.

C. it is not intermittent.

D. it is easily converted to electricity.

38. What is the source of heat in geothermal power?

A. Active heating by solar energy

B. Radioactive elements inside the Earth

C. Coal burning

D. Combustion of synfuels

39. Which of the following is not true about tidal power?

A. It cannot be used to generate electricity.

B. It does not produce carbon dioxide.

C. It is renewable.

D. It requires a high tidal range.

40. What is the primary problem with the use of battery-powered cars?

A. Excessive carbon dioxide production

B. Reduced gas mileage

C. Lack of a hydrogen fuel source

D. Storing enough electricity